Michelle Williams, Will Patton, Will Oldham

Wendy Carroll is driving to Ketchikan, Alaska, in hopes of a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery and the start of a new life with her dog, Lucy. When her car breaks down in Orego...( read more  read more... )n, however, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions, with far-ranging repercussions for herself and Lucy.

Flixster Users

61% liked it

9,190 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

141 critics

R, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Kelly Reichardt

Release Date: May 22, 2008

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009

Get It:

Stats: 812 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (812)


  • September 2, 2009
    Road movie about a down on her luck woman whose car breaks down in Oregon on her way to Alaska. Michele Williams gives an intimate, heartbreaking performance as Wendy, the woman who continues to experience one setback after another with only her faithful dog, Lucy, to keep her c...( read more)ompany. Film's low key, deliberate pace may bore some. Patient viewers, however, will be rewarded by its quiet charm.
  • June 11, 2009
    It's not going to be for everyone, but hey that's their loss. Michelle Williams proves once again that she's one to be reckoned with. A tale of loneliness and desperation. Check it out
  • May 21, 2009
    It would seem that this is the type of movie Nicolas Cage (as Charlie Kaufman) was talking about in Adaptation, when he asked Bryan Cox (as Robert McKee) for help with the script he was writing in which 'nothing much happens'. That's fine if you have interesting characters and in...( read more)telligent dialogue to keep you interested (Lost in Translation comes to mind), but Wendy and Lucy really doesn't have either. It stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a young woman who has left her home in Indiana to light out for Alaska, but her car breaks down somewhere in Oregon. Shortly thereafter, her dog Lucy goes missing, and she spends the rest of the movie trying to get her car repaired and find her missing dog. That's pretty much it, except for the scene where she takes a blanket and goes off to spend the night in the woods. 'Something' bad happens to her there, but I can't say for sure what it is since the screen is completely dark for the duration of the event. You can hear a man mumbling something, but I couldn't make it out, and I also couldn't read the subtitles because they were Dutch (I think). The film is very realistic, almost painfully so. In that sense, it reminded me of Frozen River, which I didn't care much for either. As I said in my review of that film, I want a film to have a certain level of realism, but when it's so real I could look out my window and see the same thing, that's not very appealing to me. Michelle Williams gives a nice performance, but I don't think it's Oscar-worthy, as some people have suggested. If you're a huge fan of hers, you might want to see this. Otherwise, I'd suggest giving it a pass.
  • May 8, 2009
    small, spare and heart breaking film. michelle williams is great. dog lovers beware :'(
  • March 28, 2009
    A well shot but a bit underdeveloped film about living on the edge of society. Michelle Williams does a fine job underplaying the strong willed Wendy character.
  • November 18, 2009
    what a boring movie. no thrill at all.
  • November 10, 2009
    A mesmerizing film of a young woman and her dog on their way to Alaska from Indiana in hopes of starting a new life by getting a job at a Northwestern fish cannery. When Wendy's car breaks down in a desolate Oregon town, her financial situation becomes much more of an issue due t...( read more)o the fact that she's on such an extremely tight budget. The cinematography is quite effective in the sense that it really catches a dour mood, and the haunting humming from Wendy comes and goes as somewhat of a reminder of how simplicity isn't always so simple.
    Michelle Williams delivers a fine performance as Wendy Carroll who just can't seem to get ahead, and of course, Lucy, the dog ready to fetch what's thrown even if it takes her into the unknown, followed by her wistful companion.
  • November 7, 2009
    Very slow moving movie, not an awful lot happens, not a lot gets resolved, and there is no real ending to it. All the same, did enjoy this and was impressed with Michelle Williams who really carries this. Would not be to everyone's tastes.
  • November 6, 2009
    Ha lasciato l'amaro in bocca e mi ha fatta piangere.
    Michelle sembra costantemente sperduta, viene quasi voglia di farle "pat pat" sulle spalle.
  • November 4, 2009
    Recommend it by Burt

Critic Reviews


March 6, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Sensible people will see the film for what it is: Waiting for Dogot without Beckett... But you cannot argue with dog lovers: they see in a vacuum of nothingness an existential nirvana. full review

February 20, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Wendy and Lucy is a short, sweet film with a premise as plain as they come: A girl and her dog drift into town. full review

February 6, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Wendy and Lucy, a minimalist character study starring Michelle Williams, is a deft, compact piece that makes every shot and moment count. full review

January 30, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Wendy and Lucy -- a film that might have seemed faintly academic six months ago -- becomes an anxious expression of its historical moment. full review

January 30, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy is another illustration of how absorbing a film can be when the plot doesn't stand between us and a character. full review

December 10, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Simple story, beautifully told. full review

December 9, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Told sparely and with deliberate pacing, it's a profoundly tender, deceptively simple story. full review

December 9, 2008
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Wendy and Lucy takes place mainly outdoors and registers the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest with unostentatious affection. full review

October 18, 2008
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

The economy of the movie and a handful of vividly shot scenes enliven this somewhat predictable exercise in tugging at the heartstrings. full review

September 30, 2008
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

It's easy to admire to Williams' performance, without ever feeling compelled to cry. full review

View more Wendy and Lucy reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • mikescott18
    December 9, 2008
    I’m dying to see this film. I’ve been a huge fan of Williams since her days on Dawson’s Creek. She’s a very talented and underrated actress. This movie seems exactly like the kind of movie I love. Even though this is a very, very small film, I hope Williams can receive a Best Actress nomination. Her performance is getting her rave reviews and some award nominations (like for the Independent Spirit Awards), and the film has great 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)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Harry and Tonto
    Harry and Tonto (0%)
  • Rosetta
    Rosetta (0%)
  • The Tracey Fragments
    The Tracey Fragments (100%)
  • Old Joy
    Old Joy (0%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Wendy and Lucy : Watch Free on TV


Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for Wendy and Lucy. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?