Not as good as they want you to think, not as bad as the critics say it is

Rating: 8/10 (29 February 2008)

The movie is in itself not as strong or groundbreaking as the Oscar-nominations and the attention by the press made you believe. The theme of a dysfunctional family going on a road trip to discover each other and themselves, is something that we have seen before in the past. So, it's not like they are threading on uncharted territory with this title. The young girl in the main role - mostly the subject of all the praise - is as cute as she is thoroughly annoying. I enjoyed the characters around her more than I did enjoy her presence. She's not a brilliant actress, but just a kid that plays her role with verve.
It's easy to degrade this heartwarming comedy by comparing it to the legendary status it unrighteously generated. ''They said it was brilliant, but it isn't! So, it's nothing! '' That kind of reasoning seems to be in the mouth of those who didn't like it. But I think it's unfair to the title. While it is not a perfect movie, it still is an amusing comedy with a indie-feel to it that exceeds most of the crap that is supposed to be funny. It has a nice philosophy on how we should accept that life just isn't that form-able as we'd like it to be, and that we should enjoy the things that do come on our path. It's optimistic by being a bit depressing. A refreshing take on all the happy ends that we usually get from American filmmakers.