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Verdict: Definitely give this one a tumble.

Details: Starring Janet McTeer and Kimberly J. Brown. Directed by Gavin O'Connor. Rated PG-13 for profanity, sensuality and a scene of domestic discord. 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Rate it: Write your own review

Review: The sensational independent film "Tumbleweeds" tumbles into theaters just in time to put a slight Oscar-nomination pall on the superficially similar "Anywhere But Here."

Granted, the two movies have things in common. Both focus on a mother-daughter relationship. Both offer powerhouse performances in the leads. But, as good as Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman are in the higher-profile, studio-backed "Anywhere," Janet McTeer and Kimberly J. Brown have them beat by a country mile. Their rough-and-tumble, ties-that-bind relationship makes the Sarandon-Portman version look, well, a little Hollywood glossy. A little Hollywood hollow. A little Hollywood, period.

McTeer, a British actress best-known for her Tony-winning turn in a 1997 revival of "A Doll's House," plays Mary Jo Walker, a sassy, vibrant Southerner with a Scud-missile radar for finding the wrong men. But while Mary Jo — a belle manque who could make Blanche Dubois blush — knows how to make an entrance, she's even better at making exits. All that 12-year-old Ava (Brown) needs to hear is some angry words between her mom and Husband No. 4 and she starts packing her suitcase.

This time, the two head for the sea and San Diego. Once there, Ava settles in happily, making new friends and landing the lead in the school's Shakespeare production. Mary Jo settles in, too. Meaning, she finds a meaningless job (her boss is Michael J. Pollard from "Bonnie and Clyde," still crazy after all these years) and a new guy. He's Jack (director and co-writer Gavin O'Connor), a decent but short-fused trucker whom Ava refers to as Mary Jo's "future ex-husband."

Though it won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival, "Tumbleweeds" has its problems. The script, co-written by Angela Shelton (whose childhood memoirs provide the basis), is a bit schematic. For instance, Jack's rapid descent into potential brutishness seems designed to show Mary Jo's self-destructive pattern more than anything else. And Jay O. Sanders' conveniently available Nice Guy is just that: convenient.

Further, the film has a tendency to linger over scenes. This, however, can be seen as a plus as well, because it gives the story texture and the performances room to breathe. There are so many wonderful touches — a kissing lesson (the way McTeer handles an apple is incredibly instructive) or some we're-so-foul fooling around when Ava gets her first period.

Young Brown isn't as polished as her "competition" (Portman), but she's totally believable as a smart, funny, sometimes insecure, sometimes a pain-in-the-butt adolescent. She never really hates her mother — she's too good a kid for that — and she's too grounded to be completely bamboozled by her. Their relationship is refreshingly unneurotic. While you'll probably hear comparisons to Martin Scorsese's 1975 movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," what's shown here is far more compelling and emotionally real.

As for McTeer, this is her U.S. film debut, and any filmmaker with any sense should be knocking down her agent's door. She knows how to be flirty without being obnoxious, how to be resilient without being oblivious. Most of all, she knows how to center a movie without being defensive or self-conscious about anchoring a "chick flick." Whether she's picking her teeth with a fork, swilling an RC Cola or swooping down on a prospective mate, she's someone we haven't seen in a while: the sort of genuine Southern-gal survivor who'd make Scarlett proud.

And, when she and Brown sing an a cappella duet of "Que Sera Sera," it's one of the most magical movie moments of the year.

— Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Cox News Service

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