Little Fish (2006)

We get kinda plopped into the middle of things here -- I felt as though I were playing catch-up for the first 40 minutes or so (e.g., who is that guy? are they related? is that a boyfriend -- eww...her dad?? oh! her stepdad).

Tracy (Cate Blanchett) is an ex-addict in a go-nowhere job trying to start her own business. Her family are in different states of dealing with drugs: her brother's been maimed as a result of abuse, her stepfather's still deep into the life, her just-returned-to-town ex-boyfriend seems to have his act together now, and her mother has turned into a fearfully watchful nag.

Despite the fact that there's a big story that weaves all of the little threads together, the movie winds up feeling rather small and pointless. Though I have to admit that there's bravery in refusing to wrap everything up with a bow, that's not always enough to make a movie good.

C-