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Off the Map (2003)


Everyone likes Sam Elliott. He's the old guy with the voice and the mustache. But name three films he's been in. I can -- Tombstone, The Big Lebowski, and Frogs. Can you name a fourth?

Ebert rated this movie 3.5/4 stars, but in his review, he acknowledged that this is the kind of film that will receive no buzz and will come and go without anyone noticing.

Why? I'm not sure. If you like the New Mexico desert, you're going to like this film. Maybe that's a pretty obscure, select group of folks. I love the New Mexico desert, and when I see the Rio Grande, I think, cool... I know where that is.

Is it a problem with the pacing? Maybe, because modern-day audiences are going to find it slow going. Most of the characters are quiet, and we aren't always sure what they're thinking, or how they ended up like they are... that's true to life, though, right?

On the other hand, when I was watching the movie, the thought went through my head that this is one of those movies that works within the universe the movie creates, but the characters don't necessarily feel like real people. Of course, a lot of movies are like that, and if you can believe in the movie universe created, that doesn't have to be an issue.

For the most part, I can believe in this universe. I like the fact that William (Jim True-Frost) can just show up and then stay. He stays for eight years. They let him. Is he an adopted member of the family? Is he in love with Arlene (Joan Allen)? Is he friends with Charley (Elliott)? Eight years of time may pass, but the film primarily focuses on a moment, and then it questions the passing of time, or how the present moment works. Why are some moments essential, and then years can pass without notice? It's never a question directly addressed in the film, but the way scenes overlap and blend, just a few times, show that some moments are the key, essential moment of one's life, or maybe of life, period. Think about everything that happens in the moment the film covers -- Charley's depression, William's arrival, George's (J.K. Simmons) marriage, Bo's (Valentia de Angelis) decision to go to public school.

The movie is a pleasant surprise. Again, another one of those movies that was released and forgotten, that nobody ever watches or talks about, but it's a pretty darn good movie.
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