by Jenna Sequa

Created on: March 08, 2007   Last Updated: July 17, 2010

"God placed you in my path for a reason, and I intend to cure you of your sickness!"

This is how this movie goes from the beginning. Within the first fifteen minutes of this film, you can clearly see how Rae, Christina Ricci's character, has dug herself this hole of sin and debauchery. Which, in this setting, works out just fine for the plain folk around there. With little or no dialogue above a 5th grade level, this movie still manages to leave you speechless; as if they are using far too many words that you cannot and will not ever understand.

For starters, Rae is very obviously the queen of her domain, and she is intent on letting you know it. The title scene in which she is taking her sweet time walking down a dirt road in front of a tractor says it all. From her barely-there shorts that would make Daisy Duke suggest she dress more appropriately, to her cut-off shirt and stereotypical bleached hair, she is a force to be reckoned with... or is she?

Lazerus (Sammy L.) is a fire and brimstone type of man... but only when he's on the drink. Any other time in the movie he's firm, but kind. When I saw the preview I was thinking, "Oh great. ANOTHER movie where Sammy L. is insane and gets to yell a lot of profanity while shooting at everything that moves and seeming like the bad guy who's really the good guy who's had life trauma who can't cope." And while this is somewhat true, he does it with a profound pain and human inner turmoil that I haven't seen since his Pulp Fiction Days. He truly gives an excellent performance here. Every time he has a close-up, you can see the anguish in his face about the decision he is being called to make.

When these two characters come together, along with the supporting roles of some fantastic people, there is a great chaotic jumble of happiness, sadness, hurt, understanding, misunderstanding, guilt, and deep friendship that makes you want to hug the first person you see and say "Darn it you ol' slop bucket! I love you even if you are a two-timin' lunatic of a whore who's done as many drugs as Keith Richards and slept with as many people as the Navy at Mardi Gras!" Ok, so I wouldn't recommend saying that, but you could come up with something a little nicer. Perhaps "Good movie huh?" would be more appropriate to the passers-by.

If anything, you should rent this when it comes out on DVD. However, I certainly recommend seeing it in the theater as you will miss out on the great shake-you-out-of-your-seat guitar playing that Samuel L. Jackson does in this movie. Even if you don't like the blues... you will now.

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