Come Early Morning (2006)

83% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(4,602 ratings)

A Southern beauty whose habit of waking up in strange beds with head-ringing hangovers is beginning to wear thin determines to uncover her secret shrouded family past in hopes of discovering the truth about the woman she has become in the feature filmmaking debut of actor-turned-director Joey Lauren… More A Southern beauty whose habit of waking up in strange beds with head-ringing hangovers is beginning to wear thin determines to uncover her secret shrouded family past in hopes of discovering the truth about the woman she has become in the feature filmmaking debut of actor-turned-director Joey Lauren Adams. Lucy (Ashley Judd) is a small town thirtysomething who seems to have fallen into a downward spiral of alcohol-fueled benders and spontaneous one-night stands. In order to begin the transformation necessary to help her overcome her self-destructive ways, however, Lucy will have to look deep into her familial past and seek out the true weight of the burden that has led her down the darkened path she currently walks. Diane Ladd, Tim Blake Nelson, and Laura Prepon co-star in an intimate personal drama that made its premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Directed By: Joey Lauren Adams
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Nov 10, 2006 Wide
Studio: IDP Distribution

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
If and when Come Early Morning ever resurfaces on DVD, order it immediately-and while you're at it, order Chasing Amy too, if you haven't already seen it, and enjoy a dandy double feature with two country girls of enormous talent.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This is a quietly powerful film about small-town Southern living that avoids all the usual clichés and makes us feel as if we're dropping in on real lives in mid-stream.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
The baby-voiced costar of Chasing Amy proves an effortless filmmaker, turning Lucy's journey into the awakening of a soul.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
In Come Early Morning, Ashley Judd delivers her most natural screen performance since Ruby in Paradise, the film that pushed her toward stardom in 1993.
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger
In a way, the movie itself is an example of that philosophy put into practice. [Director] Adams clearly did a lot of soul-searching as she wrote the story. Her introspective script provides another actress with a great role and a new start.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Beautifully photographed by Tim Orr, Come Early Morning is the kind of small gem that's becoming increasingly rare in American films.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Judd surely deserves the lion's share of kudos for the movie's success...
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
custom made for Judd; she's brilliant
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
Unfortunately, there are no special features whatsoever included on this disc.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
With an honest and starkly minimalist approach, Adams paints a vivid, often painful portrait of a woman who has nothing to look forward to except the next one-night stand.
Lewis Beale, Film Journal International
What Come Early Morning does is create an utterly convincing central character, and surround her with a milieu and backstory that is sincere and convincing.
Jette Kernion, Cinematical
Overall, the film lacks energy and the plot has no driving force.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
The best thing about Adams' film is its unhurried, casual naturalism.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
The writing and directing by Joey Lauren Adams express an admirable naturalness and eschews rose-tinted solutions.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...nothing less than a minor key wonder of a film, a character study of novelistic complexity with a sure sense of place and purpose that seems akin to movies made before Hollywood discovered its corporate destiny.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Subdued and deliberate, but also sensitive and quietly moving. And it gives Judd a chance to shine as a real actress again.
Eric Lurio, Entertainment Insiders
In fact this film is generally about nothing. There's an attempt to show some growth in some relationships, but there really isn't any and we're left where we started.
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
It's a Southern story, but not cloying in the way that many Hollywood versions of the rustic South are.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

"Come Early Morning" starts with Lucy(Ashley Judd), a building contractor, taking the walk of shame but not so much that she insists on paying for the motel room. In talking to Doll(Candyce Hinkle), she finds out her dad(Scott Wilson) is back in town. Seeing a chance at… More
"Come Early Morning" starts with Lucy(Ashley Judd), a building contractor, taking the walk of shame but not so much that she insists on paying for the motel room. In talking to Doll(Candyce Hinkle), she finds out her dad(Scott Wilson) is back in town. Seeing a chance at reconciliation, she accompanies him to the new church he is attending. When that old time religion does not stick, Lucy is back to the old grind at the local honky tonk where she gets into a fight with a fellow patron that Cal(Jeffrey Donovan), who is new in town, helps to break up and then takes a liking to her. Without much of a story to speak of, "Come Early Morning" has to rely on the charms of its rough hewn subjects to engage the audience with the study of a character who is haunted by the past mistakes of her family, leading her to act impulsively, sometimes without the help of alcohol. Wrapping that all up, the movie is perfunctory in its conclusions but thankfully not its resolution. In this case, I would have to say that the country music and the religion add regional flavor instead of acting as stereotypes. Regardless, the movie is helped by a good cast that also includes Diane Ladd, Stacy Keach and Ray McKinnon, of which Ashley Judd fares best in a thoroughly lived in performance.
Laura C

This film manages to capture loneliness, pain and despair in a way that felt utterly real. It actually hurt me to watch, but ultimately it was catharctic. A brilliant performance by Judd and gratifiying to see her in role that is worthy of her talent. Written and directed by Joey… More
This film manages to capture loneliness, pain and despair in a way that felt utterly real. It actually hurt me to watch, but ultimately it was catharctic. A brilliant performance by Judd and gratifiying to see her in role that is worthy of her talent. Written and directed by Joey Lauren Adams, perhaps it takes women writing and directing the roles they wish to see for women, just completely fleshed-out characters which I know I crave to see.
Magnus X

"You got no say over your heart, Lucy. And If you think you do, you'd best not let yours roam too far." A good, low-key drama written and directed by Joey Lauren Adams. With some good acting by Ashley Judd, Scott Wilson, Jeffrey Donovan and Laura Prepon.
Leo L

This is definitely a great treat. An actual film directed by Joey Lauren Adams. This is definitely something new for fans of Ashley Judd, and it's great seeing her branching out in the selection of movie roles.
monty h

A solid drama with Ashley Judd giving a standout performance. It will remind you of her other film Ruby in Paradise. In this one, she plays Lucy, a woman who drinks too much and sleeps with a lot of different guys. She also has family issues to deal with including her dad who… More
A solid drama with Ashley Judd giving a standout performance. It will remind you of her other film Ruby in Paradise. In this one, she plays Lucy, a woman who drinks too much and sleeps with a lot of different guys. She also has family issues to deal with including her dad who doesn't want to see her. A really good and emotional film with an effective directing debut by actress Joey Lauren Adams. Don't pass on this one.

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Come Early Morning (2006)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

Laura C

Magnus X

Leo L

monty h

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