Search - Tumbleweeds

Gavin O'Connor directed, co-wrote and plays a major supporting role in this drama about a mother and daughter coming to terms with each other's problems. In Tumbleweeds, Janet McTeer plays Mary Jo Walker, a single mother with a long string of bad marriages and a habit of hitting the road when things start to turn sour. Her 12-year-old daughter Ava (Kimberly J. Brown) has learned to live with her Mom's nomadic ways and comfortably slips into the pattern of each new town. At the film's outset, Mary Jo and Ava depart Missouri for San Diego, California, with Mary Jo falling for a rough-hewn trucker named Jack (Gavin O'Connor) along the way. Once in San Diego, Mary Jo's relationship with Jack fails to run smoothly and her new job presents more than its share of challenges, while Ava has romantic problems of her own when she gains her first boyfriend. McTeer, an established stage actress in England, made her American screen debut in this film, which also features notable character actor Michael J. Pollard as Mary Jo's eccentric boss. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Janet McTeer - Mary Jo Walker
Kimberly J. Brown - Ava Walker
Gavin O'Connor - Jack Ranson
Jay O. Sanders - Dan Miller
Lois Smith - Ginger

1999	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (winner)	Golden Globe	Janet McTeer
1999	Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (nominee)	Screen Actors Guild	Janet McTeer
1999	Best Actress (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Janet McTeer
1999	Best Actress (winner)	National Board of Review	Janet McTeer
1999	Best Actress (nominee)	Independent Spirit Awards	Janet McTeer
1999	Best Debut Performance (winner)	Independent Spirit Awards	Kimberly J. Brown

The images on New Line's Tumbleweeds disc are excellent, with both anamorphic 1.85 and full-frame transfers. The film ranges from dark nights to the warm, bright California sun, and in every moment it looks wonderful. The darks are very solid and the colors come across just as well. The sound, considering this is a dialogue-driven film, is good and based more in the front speakers. The disc does have a four-channel soundtrack, but there isn't any significant use of the surround speakers. The front-center speaker is used for most of the film and it's clear and distortion-free. English subtitles are included. New Line has rarely been known to skimp on extras, and this disc is no exception. It includes filmographies (biographies would be welcome, but are not included on most New Line titles), a trailer, and some DVD-ROM content. The highlight though is the commentary track from director Gavin O'Connor. The track is a real stream of consciousness effort as he rambles on -- in a good way -- about the making of the film and working with a small budget. This is a worthy DVD presentation of a fine film. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

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