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Sick Product of a Sick System

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Talented Joey Lauren Adams wrote and directed this marvelous slice-of-life about a hard, stubborn, unapologetic young woman's journey to finding some self-worth in her quietly turbulent existence; she attempts to get her head in a good place and make peace with the past, but learns it doesn't all come into play overnight. Ashley Judd is just wonderful in this role: gritty, tremulous, tough but never dumbed-down. She evokes just the right touch of devil-may-care recklessness with a kind of horse-sense which should resonate with a lot of viewers. If you ever come across this theatrical film playing on the Lifetime TV network, don't be fooled into thinking it's a cable-quickie. Adams puts a lot of thought into her prose (sometimes too much, as the conversations have a tendency to have an already-worked-out give and take). The film is flawed, certainly, yet its scattershot hopefulness permeates through, and the performances are rich and memorable. A rewarding character-study, and a small triumph for both creator Adams and star Judd, marking a welcome return to serious acting. *** from ****

very good movie, added depth to Ashley's acting! hidden gem, Im so glad I came across it! its a little sad, dysfunction in a small town and inside a woman who learns about love, and loving herself. A very real character, that is flawed, Im not sure how it did with awards but I think it was over looked. Its a drama that is focused on relationships in one woman's life. its a very smart movie that you have to think about, not everything is spelled out for you. but I think its not to far out there for most people to understand! I love movies that don't give you a Hollywood ending, this movie is more about people you could know or do. I have watched it 3 times and will again1

Ashley Judd gives a remarkable performance in this film but there are lots of other reasons to see it. Indeed, the music is very good, and there is a CD soundtrack (I checked Amazon as soon as I came home).There are many painful moments as an extended and frayed family tries to talk to each other, or avoid it. It's about being stuck in old patterns and being clueless about making changes, no matter how old the people are.I know one reason the film got local buzz is because it was filmed here, but as someone who hasn't lived in AR long, I was just an average movie goer looking to see Judd in something that was not a highly charged thriller. Ruby in Paradise (1993) was the first time I ever saw her, and that film about how to survive when no matter what you do doesn't seem enough, showed her talent. Come Early Morning evoked the same feelings.The whole project seems a labor of love, love of real people living ordinary lives and doing the best they can.

Joey Lauren Admans "Come Early Morning" seems almost like a continuation of the film that made its star, Ashley Judd, famous, Victor Nunez' "Ruby in Paradise." Both pictures are about girls trying to make a life for themselves in small southern towns, but Lucy, the protagonist of "Early Morning" is at least a decade older than Ruby. That is why it seems almost to be the next chapter in Ruby's story.The decade has not treated the protagonist well. Where as Ruby was a sort of wide eyed innocent, Lucy is now a woman whose journey through life is encumbered by a lot of baggage.She has problems relating to men on a romantic level, seeing them as either cold and unresponsive like her father or just mean and domineering like some of the other men in her family and the slugs she picks up in local bars.So, somewhat predictably, when she meets a nice guy, she rejects him enough times that he eventually moves on.Ashley Judd is such a fine, appealing actress that she keeps you glued to the screen, despite the somewhat predictable plot twists. But there is something about the screenplay which fails, for I never had much faith in her character, who in many ways seemed as emotionally bottled up as her father.And that's the film's failure. "Ruby" ended on a hopeful note, if for no other reason than that the central character was smart, resourceful and had her whole life ahead of her. "Come Early Morning's" protagonist faces a cloudy future and while the film showed guts in admitting that, it didn't leave you wanting to see more of Lucy the way the earlier film made you want more of Ruby.Nice try by everyone involved, but it was just too dark a picture in many ways.One final note. So many films these days have no significant subplot. Lucy had some kind of construction business, but it was so downplayed that in the end, when she takes over the business, we don't exactly know how big an achievement that is, or if it really means more to her than just taking on harder work for no real pay off. This film could have been more effective had her career or some other aspect of her life been more fully developed so that she faced some real test there as well. Subplots are important in that they give stories and their protagonists depth. And of course, the stakes always need to be higher for the protagonist, to make us care.