Director: Herbert Ross
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, Drew Barrymore, Matthew McConaughey
Running Time: 117 minutes
Synopsis: New York-based vocalist Jane (Whoopi Goldberg) is still pursuing a performing career despite the passing years. She decides to relocate to Los Angeles, and through a share-the-drive ad connects with Robin (Mary-Louise Parker), who is frail and wants to retrace a family road trip from her childhood. In Pittsburgh Jane and Robin rescue the bubbly Holly (Drew Barrymore) from an abusive relationship. The trio make it as far as Tucson, where health and law enforcement issues force them to settle down and explore their options.
What Works Well: There is enough character depth to create rich cross-currents of emotion, laughs, and tears among a trio of interesting single women. Jane is a headstrong black lesbian refusing to give up on a career in music, Robin is seemingly fragile and suffering from AIDS and the lingering trauma of a family tragedy, while Holly carries a perpetually positive attitude but is a magnet for the wrong kind of men. Matthew McConaughey augments the cast as a police officer who falls in love with Holly but also arrests her, and director Herbert Ross maintains balance between humour, drama, and a few off-the-wall surprises.
What Does Not Work As Well: Once the road trip yields to domesticity in Tucson, momentum stalls and edginess gives way to predictability. Robin gets involved in a tepid romance with a non-entity bartender (James Remar), a few secondary characters like Jane's friend Anna are victimized by editing, conflicts (including a privacy intrusion) are contrived, a courtroom showdown is half-baked, and the is-it-friendship-or-is-it-more tension between Jane and Robin is resolved by a sappy song.
Key Quote:
Jane: I'm not after you.
Robin: I'm not worried...Why?
Jane: Luck of the draw, I guess.
Robin: No, I mean... why aren't you after me?
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