Expired (2007)

57% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(570 ratings)

A sheltered meter maid and her disturbed fellow parking enforcer discover that love can bloom even while working in a job that most folks despise in this unflinching look at modern love starring Samantha Morton and Jason Patric. Hypersensitive Claire (Morton) spends her days doling out parking… More A sheltered meter maid and her disturbed fellow parking enforcer discover that love can bloom even while working in a job that most folks despise in this unflinching look at modern love starring Samantha Morton and Jason Patric. Hypersensitive Claire (Morton) spends her days doling out parking tickets, and her nights caring for her ailing mother (Teri Garr). Jay (Patric) is a highly intelligent parking enforcement officer whose bitterness over squandered opportunities has grown to border on sociopathic. When this unlikely pair first begins to realize they may be headed for something more than friendship, guarded Claire tenuously dips her toes in to test the water as emotionally stunted Jay dives in headfirst. While Claire and Jay both possess a paralyzing fear of commitment, it's the hopelessly disparate way that both set about dealing with their mutual discomfort that shows just how excruciating love can truly be under the wrong circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Cecilia Miniucchi
Written By: Cecilia Miniucchi
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 20, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Nov 17, 2009
Studio: MCR Releasing

Critic Reviews

Lou Lumenick, New York Post
One of those Sundance "comedies" that make you contemplate slitting your wrists.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
The performances are expert, but can't make up for a flat script and direction.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
The funny, sad, offbeat, sometimes off-the-beat romance Expired is one of those precariously balanced movies that might fall to pieces with a different cast.
Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Despite terrific efforts from its lead players, Expired runs its meter out long before the end.
David Edelstein, New York Magazine
Morton is one of those tingly actresses whose skin barely covers her soul, and to watch her search for tender mercies in a crazy-hostile world is a gift. The film is appallingly good.
Alissa Simon, Variety
An occasionally cringe-inducing mix of pathos and humor, the tightly scripted and well-acted tale follows a lonely, vulnerable meter maid who falls into a comically horrific relationship with a colleague incapable of emotional intimacy.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
How likely is it that love, not to mention hot sex, can blossom between two people who've picked identical careers dedicated to punishing the rest of us? Delightfully kinky sex and the city meter maid romp.
Jason McKiernan, Filmcritic.com
one of the most inept, poorly-mounted productions of the decade
Leo Goldsmith, indieWIRE
Death and regret hang over the film palpably, and Miniucchi's willingness to put her characters through disaster and humiliation while still plainly empathizing with them is what keeps the film surprising and its characters winning, in spite of themselves
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye
Unconventionally quirky in its unassuming blue-collar bluntness, Expired is comically horrifying in its examination of lonely people living on the fringe of professional obscurity and personalized disarray.
Tim Grierson, L.A. Weekly
Expired pretends to be a valentine to society's outcasts, but it's just one more indie comedy that mocks its characters while sucking up to its knowing audience.
Lewis Beale, Film Journal International
Miniucchi's screenplay is an unwieldy blend of pathos and unsettling moments, which become increasingly uninteresting as the film trudges to a dreary close.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Call it an anti-rom-com, and see it if you can.
Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine
The temptation is to say Expired is closer to "Misfired," but there are just enough good things here (particularly Samantha Morton as a lonely-in-love meter maid) to avoid that label.
James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Tough indie drama features great performances.
Matt Pais, Metromix.com
Turns its uncomfortable central relationship into a fascinating study of symbiotic personalities.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
Locating both Claire's loneliness and Jay's anger as partial outgrowths of their detested profession handing out parking meter violation tickets, Expired coasts along on a distinctively odd wavelength.
David Fear, Time Out New York
Both Patric and Morton give brazenly fearless performances, yet these talents are left tangoing to a tune that's nowhere near worthy of them.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Assuming the shape of an old-fashioned indie, this offbeat romantic fable is a minor work that promises better things from its director; the narrative is considerably elevated by lead performers Jason Patric and the endlessly creative Samantha Morton.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
How likely is it that love, not to mention hot sex, can blossom between two people who've picked identical careers dedicated to punishing the rest of us? Delightfully kinky sex and the city meter maid romp.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Stefanie C

offbeat romantic comedy. samantha morton is amazing. jason patric's character is despicable. teri garr is surprising in her role, to say the least.
Walter M

In "Expired," Claire(Samantha Morton) takes care of her invalid mother(Teri Garr) while working as a meter maid. That job has its share of dangers like arguments with drivers, awkward encounters with ex-boyfriends and being hit by cars. After recuperating from one such… More
In "Expired," Claire(Samantha Morton) takes care of her invalid mother(Teri Garr) while working as a meter maid. That job has its share of dangers like arguments with drivers, awkward encounters with ex-boyfriends and being hit by cars. After recuperating from one such accident, she meets Jay(Jason Patric), a co-worker who takes a much more agressive stance towards the job. That does not stop him from having his own awkward encounter with his estranged son(Jonny Mack) who is about to have his CD released and whom he tickets, anyway. But then they will let anybody on MTV these days. Samantha Morton proved years ago that she can personally elevate any movie she is in, especially the mostly abominable "Minority Report." And that's also true with the otherwise unremarkable "Expired," that feels a little incomplete, to which she excels against the one-note performance of Jason Patric. In a switch, Claire is nowhere near as lonely as she might seem while Jay relies on phone sex and pornography for most of his interpersonal relations. That having been said, the movie's message is being kind can make the world a better place. Don't get me wrong. It's a worthy thought but strange coming from a movie about characters doling out parking tickets.(Apparently, you only get ticketed when you are about to return to your car.) As much as not ticketing somebody may be considered a good deed, remember that the money collected does go to the public good.
Chosen 7

Independent Romance-Drama/Comedy written and directed by Cecilia Miniucchi. Good writing and directing for the most part, good cinematography as well. Good performances by Samantha Morton, Jason Patric ["The Lost Boys", "The Losers"], Teri Garr, and Illeana Douglas… More
Independent Romance-Drama/Comedy written and directed by Cecilia Miniucchi. Good writing and directing for the most part, good cinematography as well. Good performances by Samantha Morton, Jason Patric ["The Lost Boys", "The Losers"], Teri Garr, and Illeana Douglas ["Cape Fear", "Stir of Echoes"]. The ticket-giving scenes were very realistic, they reminded me of the reality show "Parking Wars". I found the dynamic between the two lead characters very interesting and weird, at some points it reminded me of the independent film "Secretary". Claire [played by Samantha Morton] is an abnormally pleasant passive aggressive lonely woman with low self-esteem and Jay [played by Jason Patric] is a serious asshole, both of them seem to be suffering from personality disorders. I spent most of the movie waiting for her to curse him out, it's sad to know that there are women out there with such a lack of self love or value. There are some scenes that provide some insight into Jay's alleged narcissistic personality disorder and you can tell he actually has lower self esteem than Claire based upon the way he takes out his frustrations with his own failures on people. The two share the occasional sweet moment even though Jay can't seem to just be a nice human-being for a prolonged amount of time, if they ever make a sequel they'll probably show him seeing a shrink. The title of the movie is not just a play on words referring to parking meters expiring, it's also a metaphor for life and how so many people waste their potential and end up expiring before they can make something of themselves. It's about love and how some people never find it, and about the people who do find love...but the wrong kind of love. Overall I found this to be a very compelling film despite some deficiencies, it's definitely worth a second watch.