A Little Sweet A Lot of Sappy |  |
I'd listened to the abridged version of The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio on audiobook last year and was eager to see the film. It didn't disappoint and it fleshed out the whole true biography even more.
Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) becomes very resourceful in supporting her large family in the 1950s. Her husband (Woody Harrelson) is an alcoholic and makes meager wages, but Mom writes jingle after jingle in the hey-day of jingle-writing to win money, cars, food, a freezer, whatever her family needs or can sell for fast and much needed cash.
It's a well done little film and had the added treat of showing the real Evelyn Ryan's children -- now AARP-eligible! -- in the last scenes as they reminisce about their Mom.
Director Jane Anderson used an interesting technique for enriching the story by having the Evelyn Ryan character weave throughout story as somewhat of a spectator/narrator.
Laura Dern appears as Evelyn Ryan's trusted friend.
Rated PG-13 thematic elements, some disturbing images and language.
My personal rating: B-
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