Director: Kevin Connolly
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 86 minutes
Dear Eleanor (DVD) – Movie Review
In the United States of 1962, people had a lot on their minds with the Cuban Missile Crisis hanging over their heads. But in a world that could be shattered in an instant, and a personal life where you have nothing left to lose, why not just run away and follow your dreams? Well, maybe for some it is a good idea, but at fifteen, it’s probably not the best one…
Ellie’s mother is on her way to give a speech in town to introduce Eleanor Roosevelt, who is coming to speak to the public, when she is hit by a truck. In hospital, the doctors tell Ellie’s father (Luke Wilson) that they couldn’t do anything to save her, which leaves him alone with five young children. Ellie (Liana Liberato) just turned fifteen and as the oldest one of the family, she takes over the care for her little brothers and sister while her father is too much consumed with grief to properly watch after his children. Ellie is not doing well herself though, since she thinks that it is her fault that her mother died, seeing her mother ran late that day because of her. She also feels guilty that her mother never got to do her speech for Eleanor Roosevelt, and thus she has a dream of once doing her mother’s speech herself for the former First Lady.
Ellie’s best friend Maxine (Isabelle Fuhrman), better known as Max the Wax, sees her friend so unhappy and decides to send a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, asking her to please send something back for Ellie. She tells Billy (Joel Courney) of her plan, and as he thinks that Ellie really deserves to see Eleanor Roosevelt, he writes back in her name. Max is over the moon when she receives the letter, and immediately goes to Ellie’s place to tell her that they’ve been invited to Mrs. Roosevelt’s house. Ellie is tired of her life at home, as there is nothing left for her there, and so the two friends decide to go on a road trip from California all the way to New York in Ellie’s father’s car, to meet the woman Ellie so looks up to. On the way they meet Frank (Josh Lucas), a fugitive who needs them in order to stay clear from the cops, and of course Ellie’s father also alarmed the police about the girls’ runaway, thus the cops aren’t only after Frank, but also after Ellie and Max. They’re in for a bumpy ride.
Two crazy friends embarking on a crazy trip across the country to meet some crazy goal, it’s undeniable that this kind of plot has already been used multiple times in other movies. Nonetheless, this one sounds even more crazy, as the girls are only fifteen and are not even allowed to drive yet. While Ellie is the more mature one who, due to circumstances decides to come along, Max is slightly insane and is in for the fun and the excitement. The storyline is quite interesting, despite it having been used so many times already, mainly because there is a lot going on throughout the entire movie. Also characters such as Frank the fugitive and Daisy (Jessica Alba), Max’ aunt who is a dancer in Las Vegas, add a nice touch. Nonetheless, the story is what it is: a storyline we’ve seen before with some funny scenes and some nice encounters.
The two girls, Isabelle Fuhrman and Liana Liberato, are both very convincing and while Liberato plays more of a serious character, Fuhrman is quite entertaining as Max the Wax. She definitely shows that she has a lot up her sleeve. Some more familiar names also joined the cast of this movie, such as Jessica Alba and Josh Lucas, and for the younger girls watching this film, Patrick Schwarzenegger will definitely be one of the highlights, even though his role is quite limited.
You won’t have to search for extras on this DVD release, as there are only some audio commentaries by director Kevin Connolly and scenarists Cecilia Contreras and Amy Garcia. It’s not a bad thing to have something like that, but this isn’t the kind of film for it. For a film like this, it would be nicer to add something funny like a gag reel or some bloopers.
Conclusion
Dear Eleanor is a film with a basic plot of two girls running away from their sad life and embarking on a road trip together, a plot that has been used quite a few times before. Nonetheless, it is kept quite interesting due to the people the girls meet on the way, and the funny scenes. If you’re looking to buy this DVD for the extras, then it’s probably better to move along, but if you just want to see a nice film without too much thinking involved, then it might be worth to check this one out.
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