Come Early Morning

If you haven't seen this 2006 release, you might want to see if Netflix has it available. I am always in awe of Ashley Judd ("Double Jeopardy" and "De-Lovely") in her willingness to work without glamorous clothes, attractive settings, pleasing personalities, etc. She's just a plain ol' country gal who drinks too much, sleeps around too much and generally has a rotten reputation. She manages to keep a pretty good job, so at least her bills don't seem to be a problem, and she also manages to care for at least three elderly relatives who need her to run errands, provide rides to the graveyard and generally help out.

Her character Lucy, lives with a sister named Kim, played by Laura Prepon (TV's "That 70s Show") who bears an uncanny resemblance to Claire Danes in this movie. Tim Blake Nelson ("Two Brothers and a Bride" and "O, Brother Where Art Thou?") plays her uncle in a brief, but key scene.

One night in a bar, she meets a fellow named Cal, played by Jeffrey Donovan ("Sleepers" and TVs "Burn Notice"). You get to watch her fumble her way toward a more normal life, although she is not quite sure what that is suppose to look like. I liked her reaction to the whole "gigging for frogs" bit, after which they cooked and ate them. Once again, you see her eating, crying, and generally behaving in a totally non-movie star sort of way. I really like that. I think she must be a pretty good sport!