"Wild Rose" is perhaps a little formulaic, but I really liked the message it lands on at the end, which is that life is a series of compromises, and while few of us will ultimately achieve our dreams (if we have any to begin with), the alternative is not necessarily a life of dullness and misery.
No, despite what movies would have us believe, there is something in between. "Wild Rose" wraps things up a bit too patly -- in my actual personal experience I have not seen people as selfish as this film's heroine is suddenly turn things around and re-order her priorities. But it's nice to think that it's possible, and this is one of those films that reminds me that sometimes I turn to movies not to show me how things actually are, but how things could be.
Jessie Buckley is phenomenal in the title role. It takes a special actress to make a pretty unlikable character sympathetic and worth two hours of your time. Julie Walters is also wonderful as her fed up mom. Sophie Okonedo is stuck playing the film's most unrealistic character, a woman who is simply too good to be true.
I also liked that this movie, even if cursorily, examines the gulf that exists between people's romanticized perceptions of the entertainment world and the harsh realities of it. Anyone with an ounce of talent thinks they're special and the entire world will recognize it if they can just get their break. The reality is that talented people grow on trees, and you're most likely going nowhere if you don't know the right people and how to play the game.
Grade: A-
