A Slipping Down Life
Release Date:
May 14, 2004
Limited release
On the Big Board |
Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
83/133 |
Dan Krovich |
Quirky humor, Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce are great |
Based on a novel by Anne Tyler, A Slipping Down Life has at its center a very unusual heroine. Evie Decker (Lili Taylor) is a woman whose shyness is very nearly incapacitating. Her life is anything but exciting. She lives with her father, a withdrawn widower, and her deadly dull job entails dressing up in a rabbit suit at the rundown Circusland amusement park at the edge of town. One day, her quiet routine explodes when she hears a struggling musician named Drumstings Casey (Guy Pearce) on a local late-night radio show. Evie becomes obsessed with the performer, finding his seductive voice and sensual lyrics undeniably attractive. She convinces her friend Violet to go to a local club to see him perform.
In the midst of the show, the set is interrupted by a scream from the ladies room. It seems that Evie, who has become mesmerized by "Drum" once she's seen him in person, has carved his name into her forehead. Her stunt makes the local papers, and the musician and his manager (John Hawkes) decide to take advantage of the event and use her as a marketing gimmick. Things go much further than that, though, as Evie's total belief in Drum's talent helps him to draw inspiration, and at the same time, our heroine becomes infused with brand-new, heretofore unknown self-confidence.
So it seems that even stalkers can find their dreams coming true. As the pair's self-reliance and strength grows, so does their physical attraction and emotional desire for one another. Inspired to break free from their small-town life, they must determine how to fulfill their own individual dreams. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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