I've realized over the decades that there's a particular type of movie that I respond to emotionally perhaps more than any others. That doesn't mean I cry more when I see them, or that I'm more on the edge of my seat or anything like that. It's a feeling inside that makes me remember the movie long after I've finished. I call them my "Trip to Bountiful" movies. MANY years ago, when that film came out, I said to my parents that I REALLY like it and recommended it. My dad asked, "What is it you liked so much?" and I said "It's a little movie about everyday people being very kind to other everyday people." The main character goes through a journey that's difficult for her, and she makes it when strangers she meets along the way are simply kind to her. It moves me.
DRIVEWAYS is that kind of film. Single-mom Asian-American Kathy (Hong Chau) and her eight year old son Cody (Lucas Jaye) arrive in a small, upstate New York town to clean out the house of Kathy's recently deceased, much older sister. The two sisters have barely known each other as adults, and Kathy immediately discovers that her sister was a hoarder, so the job of cleaning the house in order to sell it immediately becomes 10x more daunting than she expected. Kathy doesn't earn much money (she is a medical transcriptionist) and so the little family must camp at the house. The neighbor to one side is a busy-body (Christine Ebersole) but to her other side is Del, a Korean War vet widower (Brian Dennehy) who lives a life of quiet, occasionally broken by trips to the VFW to play bingo.
He befriends Cody, a very intelligent young man who is also extremely socially shy. He's not, I don't think, on the spectrum...he's just very reluctant to make friends his own age and very intimidated by the notion of of "boys physicality", as in rough-housing. The nosy neighbor has two rambunctious grandsons, and their wrestling activities (pretty normal stuff for boys of ~10 years old) causes so much anxiety in young Cody that he vomits! Del, who isn't looking for a friend, still easily takes this studious kid into his home so his mom can take care of the chores she needs to. The three form a bond that comes SO naturally, and it one based on mutual kindness and mutual need. Del didn't know he needed this kid (and yes, his mom too) to be part of his life and Kathy sure didn't know she needed an 80-something widower to help her son.
The movie is great in many ways, but one of the things I enjoyed most is the character of Kathy. She has a believable economic situation; a job she can do remotely but that doesn't pay incredibly well. She is a far from perfect mom: she cusses in front of her kid and really is at a loss as to how to bring him out of his shell. But she also knows that she must love him and show him he is loved if he's ever to overcome his shyness. AND, on top of that, she sneaks off to go to the bar just to blow off some steam. She's smart and has a razor-sharp sense of sarcasm. But she's vulnerable and you can really FEEL how close she is to the family not being able to make it financially. Hong Chau is a revelation in this film, and I look forward to seeking our more of her work.
Young Lucas Jaye is very good as well...one might say he's even a little TOO polished as an actor (at his age!). Or it could be that his character is the most extreme of the 3. I understand his mother well, and I understand Del. But do I 100% buy the character of Cody? Well, maybe I only buy it 95%. Still pretty good.
And Brian Dennehy is so good. In about 5 seconds, you feel his pride, his loneliness, his sadness and his intrinsic goodness. He isn't one of the cliched characters of the gruff old man who softens after long resistance to the charms of opening up and making new friends (this isn't Eastwood in GRAND TORINO). He's quiet and keeps to himself, sure. But he is quick to make himself useful to the family. He takes the boy in and gives him just the right balance of "treating him like a man" and treating him like a kid. Nothing earth-shattering happens. There are no scenes of having to rush the kid to the hospital or chasing off bullies or anything "big". It's just a series of everyday encounters and kindnesses exchanged back and forth.
This movie is slow paced, but not for one moment did my interest flag. It's only 83 minutes, for starters, but I immediately cared about all three characters and everything they did was presented so specifically that I really felt I was looking in on the private lives of three "small" but enjoyable people.
In the end, the feeling of the film is the lesson the film has to offer. Life goes on, and it's often filled with uninteresting things, and occasionally darkened by bad things (death of a spouse, a cluttered house, money problems). But it is also full of little joys brought about by simply hanging out with other people and treating them kindly. It's just a feel-good movie. The end is quietly bittersweet. As I said life goes on, but is a mixture of highs and lows. We see that played out quietly but powerfully. And Dennehy gets to make a "speech" at the end that's a bit stunning. It's quiet but powerful and is unexpectedly moving.
If you want to see a good movie about good (but flawed) people grappling with life's highs and lows, one with plenty of humor...please check out DRIVEWAYS. I sure enjoyed the heck out of it!
