One of the best films i have seen

A different way of telling a story

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

May-Alice Culhane was a successful soap opera star, but a car accident has left her bound to a wheelchair. She returns to her now-empty family home in the bayous of Louisiana which she had eagerly left years before. She drinks heavily and vents her bitterness on the succession of nurses who are hired to take care of her and immediately quit because she is so unbearable.I write "more than a chick flick" because that's what you might assume from a film about two women bonding. But that just is not a fair summary, because this is really about character. The plot is thin, but the characters are deep. Even the secondary characters, like Sugar and "Bad News", are interesting. Oh, and the anal probe joke is priceless.If there was one big negative, though, it tends to run a bit long at well over two hours. If you don't mind a slow burn, you probably won't mind, because it's an interesting two hours. But for those who like their movies to be 90 minutes and not a second more, this will try your patience.

A film about a woman struggling to live with herself after a life changing accident. She is paralyzed from the waist down and drinks by the hour. She goes through a slew of nurses at her Louisiana home until she finally comes to terms with one played by Alfre Woodard. The film is supported by strong character moments and superb dialog. Overall, it is a beautifully written and well crafted film. John Sayles does an amazing job directing, writing and editing. He extracts memorable performances from Mary McDonnell and Alfre Woodard, and never once shows an unnecessary scene or line. Look out for a supporting role from David Straithairn and the subtle yet poignant cinematography that drives the film to its end. (The Louisiana Bayous never looked so good!)

Mary McDonnell had a brief spate of success in films in the early 1990s before disappearing from the scene and reemerging recently on the television series "Battlestar Galactica." First she came to major attention in "Dances with Wolves," for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and then she graduated to the lead category in 1992 for her performance in "Passion Fish." McDonnell gives a lovely performance as a bratty soap opera actress who's confined to a wheelchair after an accident, and who must rely on a no-nonsense nurse (Alfre Woodard, lovely as well) for help. The film follows all of the requisite trajectories you'd expect from a movie like this, and the fish that give the film its name serve a heavy-handed symbolic purpose that seemed too much for me even at the time (and I was only seventeen). But the film does have a relaxed indie vibe to it, and I can see why people like it.Grade: B+

The kudos here go to David Strathairn (a wonderful, overlooked performer in "Matewan," "L.A. Confidential" and numerous other films). He comes the closest I've seen on film to an actual Cajun, from the accent down to details such as the white shrimp boots. When will this actor get the Oscar he deserves (as Jim Broadbent finally did this year)?