Directed by Mimi Leder. Markets are an image of the world. They offer both trash and treasure. In this film, Helen Hunt's Arlene sees herself as trailer trash, an alcoholic, promiscuous, a victim of a violent, drunken husband. This is a film about goodness in the world.
Most films depend on a conflict between good and evil for their dramatic impact.
It is very difficult to make a film about goodness. It can seem too good to be true. Or it can seem to be nothing more than sentimental wishful thinking. Leslie Dixon's screenplay, based on a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, acknowledges these difficulties and often inserts sharp comments about do-goodism and being too optimistic. There is mention of 'Utopia'.