"Come Early Morning" (2006) - Movie Review (Screened EbertFest 2007)

Roger Ebert said about the movie “Black Snake Moan” as “Such movies defy all categories.” “Come Early Morning” falls slightly into the category of such. The film is about the identity crisis the lead female Lucy Fowler (Ashley Judd) is going through. We see her escaping from the bed with a stranger in a hotel. Usually it is the other way around. There is a lot of definition of her character in that sequence where there seems to be an unknown issue with this female.

Lucy living with her room mate Kim (Laura Prepon) is the financially independent and emotionally lost person. As with most of the movies with deals with emotions, she does not know what she wants. Or to be precise, she does know what she wants but substitutes with short term escapes. The film is about herself being identified and accepting it. There is nice portrayal of her character. There has been a thorough study in it which is going around lively in the back ground. If it can be noticed, most of the men she knows are very good people. They care for her and they appreciate her. Of course the main person which needs to provide those are her father (Scott Wilson) who for some reason does not let her inside his place, literally. Having no place to turn and losing all the balls in the juggling of what she is and what needs to be sacrificed.

She meets Cal (Jeffrey Donovan) who can be the most adjustable and appreciating guy any female could find. But she as usual goes to her usual routine. The movie surmounts slowly into the rising point. The poetic intimate scene in between Cal and Lucy. In most of the movies, the scene in which the couples get intimate props the uncomfortable ness, but this is the pinnacle of the movie. Here there is the sense of Lucy finding herself shy and emotional in front of a man, maybe first time in her life. Cal knows it and brings it in beautifully in her.

As it reached the pinnacle, Lucy sobers up but the film kinds of dulls down. I will not say that the scenes are put forward wrong, but the flavour and magnetism in the mid thirty minutes does not sustain till the end. People like Lucy are slightly predictable when it comes to her confrontation with her relative or trying to reach out to her dad. But still those are laid out well. I guess some where the reality took some turn in to the emotional highway in Los Angeles.

There are two performances which needs special mention out here. Ashley Judd of course as the protagonist who has given her best till date. The other performance by Jeffrey Donovan is the one which stands out clearly in front of Judd. His gentle ness with the right amount of emotional gestures makes the Cal, a character. While Scott Wilson is known for his subtle performances, I guess Donovan supports the character of Lucy very well.

The back drop of Arkansas does add a lot to bring the feel of small town. The regular bar, the trailer constructional site and cramped cute neighbourhood is etched out well. After the movie was shown, the discussion with Adams and Wilson took place. The interviewers brought out some interesting points. The first one is that the emotional wake up of Lucy and second one is not showing the Christianity preaching “Cartoonish”. I would agree with the both and it comes in the mid part of the movie. I guess that was the high point of it and slightly went in a slope after that.