Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

MBunge Trucker is a very, very good film that's only let down in the end by its pitiful lack of plot. Sterling performances, believable human relationships and an engrossing look at the lower rungs of the American success ladder grab your interest and make you care about what happens in this story. Then with its conclusion, it's as if writer/director James Mottern decided to go out of his way to remind the audience that there was really no structure or direction or design to anything they just watched. Now, you don't have to have a great plot to have a great movie. Michelle Monaghan and Nathan Fillion are so wonderfully relaxed and human here that more of plot might have only gotten in the way. What you cannot do, however, with a motion picture that's all about experiencing the emotion of human struggle and the slap on a finish that's dependent on unsupported, arbitrary and ridiculous-in-the-light-of-day conflicts.Diane Ford (Michelle Monaghan) is a truck driver, cruising through a life of casual isolation from the world and alienation from herself. Her existence is made up of long hauls, random one night stands and then returning home to adolescently flirt with a married man (Nathan Fillion), but she doesn't seem all that unhappy with it. Then the son she abandoned 10 years ago (Jimmy Bennett) is dropped on her doorstep because his father (Benjamin Bratt) is dying of cancer and Diane's life has to get a lot less casual.You may have heard of Monaghan's performance here and it is every bit as good as people say. She beautifully inhabits Diane Ford. From her sexual ease to her inability to refer to her 11 year old son with something other than "dude" to her growing awareness that contentment in being alone is breaking down, this is some award worthy acting. Nathan Fillion is just as good as a man so enthralled with Diane that he can't imagine life without her, even though he's not actually with her. Benjamin Bratt is also powerful in the small but crucial role of the father and Jimmy Bennett as the boy…well, he's not one of these freakish child actors who blow you away on screen, but that's probably good for him and the talent he does have is good enough.And the awkward, difficult and ultimately rewarding relationships between these people carry Trucker along on a cloud of goodwill. You like these people, even when they're not trying to be likable, and that can take things a long way. These are the kind of characters where you actively want them to have a happy ending.What makes a very good film like this great are the obstacles put in the way of that happy ending and that's where Trucker breaks down on the side of the road. There are two interrelated issues that come to a head at the end of this story. Will Diane and her son stay together? Will Diane exchange her selfish and deleterious independence for some sense of belonging? With the first, there's never any question at all. I know there's supposed to be a suspension of disbelief, but you've got to be a massively credulous moron to think for a nanosecond that her son might wind up anywhere but with Diane. Monaghan and Bennett do everything they can to create and sustain some doubt, but Writer/director Mottern's plot doesn't do anything to establish and build up any possible alternative to Diane and her son staying together. There's only one other potential destination and Mottern does nothing to make it seem even vaguely credible.With the second, it's first dealt with when Diane and her married "friend" finally acknowledge their love for each other. But first we're told they've been doing this dance for 4 years. Now, Diane's independence explains why they're not married or together in some other way. But why haven't they boinked in 4 years when from their first moment we see them together they're practically drooling over each other? Again, the plot doesn't do the work to justify their chastity. And then there's the big moment at the end where Diane is confronted with the consequences of her aimless and self-centered ways. Well, aside from not matching the tone and feel of the rest of Trucker, that big moment turns on a character who hasn't been heard from or seen on screen for over an hour doing something that not only make no sense in general, it doesn't fit anything previously set up about the character or his agenda. When the big moment happened, I wasn't even sure it was the same character at first because his reappearance and actions are so out of the blue. Again, if that's how things were going to conclude, the plot needed to do a lot more work foreshadowing or at least rationalizing it.With a plot that competently introduced, sustained and exacerbating a series of conflicts to lead to a satisfying ending, Trucker would have been a great motion picture. Without one, this is still very, very good and more than worth your time and trouble. Give it a look.

Argemaluco It is always interesting to see how an independent filmmaker can re-interpret the classic formulas from commercial cinema, discovering unexpected deepness and intense emotions where nothing new seemed to exist.The film Trucker falls into that category, and even though I did not find it to be a great film, it shows enough honesty to make it very interesting, at the same time it is supported by excellent performances.The formula this movie re-interprets is the one of "irresponsible adult takes care of a kid and both end up learning life lessons".That cliché usually impulses pathetic comedies such as The Game Plan, Uptown Girls and Raising Helen.Trucker is not a comedy, even though it follows a similar narrative formula; fortunately, its detailed characters, raw intensity and honest intentions bring to it the realism those comedies lack of, as well as a strong narrative basis in order to tell a classic story in a fresh way.Director and screenwriter James Mottern created an interesting main character with a credible narrative ark; however, he should have polished some details from her a bit more.Besides, this film has a few moments which feel a bit tiring.Nevertheless, the brilliant performances are the main thing which compensate that fails to some point.Many people could think that Michelle Monaghan took the leading role in this movie in order to bring one of those "ugly" and glamour-free dramatic performances which worked for Charlize Theron in Monster so well.However, I would not think like that, because Monaghan had already shown her histrionic talent in the excellent Gone Baby Gone, and in Trucker, she confirms that she is a magnificent actress, at the same time she explores levels of deepness that she did not have the opportunity to show in the action films (Eagle Eye, Mission: Impossible III) and comedies (Made of Honor, The Heartbreak Kid) she has been involved in.I do not exaggerate by saying her performance in Trucker is truly phenomenal, and it is pity that it went so unnoticed by the awards and the film critics.Nathan Fillion also brings a precise and honest performance; Jimmy Bennett shows he is a solid young actor, because his performance feels organic; and I also liked the work from actors Benjamin Bratt (whom I rarely swallow) and Joey Lauren Adams.So, in summary, I would not consider Trucker to be an excellent film, but I liked it pretty much, and I recommend it mainly because of its honesty and its performances.It will be interesting to follow Mottern's career, because he shows potential.

Cat21299 This movie has so many political overtones.I wasn't able to get into it.The shirt on the kid, the president in blood and the immigration comment. Come on,what the does that have to do with a female trucker and her estranged kid. The movie's director needs to take a refresher course on staying true to a movie's plot and stop trying to making political statements.The actor ,Michelle Monaghan is a good actress, but Adam Sandler made better use of her in The Heartbreak Kid.This site is seriously in need of a make over, why do we have to have so many words in a post and then you won't allow an exclamation.Geez , the time I wasted on this site will make you shout.

movieluver3000 "Trucker" is amazingly...bad. I had no plans to see this film at Tribeca, but when a kind soul 'gifted' me two tickets just prior to the sold-out screening...I could not resist as I am a big fan of Michelle M. (loved her in "Gone Baby Gone").Reading the director's comments in the program prior to the film, I suddenly became excited as he was apparently heavily influenced by great 70's films like "The Last Detail" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Unfortunately, once the film began...all hope for anything remotely fresh or interesting ceased. What a boat load full of cliché after cliché. Michelle M. with all of her star power, can barely muster the strength to give this turkey any legs.When the film ended, I just sat in my seat and wondered how does this trite...been there done that 100 times over...sad wanna-be "auteur" film get made? Michelle's new rom-com opens next weekend with Patrick Dempsey...I have higher hopes for that one.