Review:Trucker

Roger Ebert started the Oscar campaign for Michelle Monaghan, championing her performance in the indie drama Trucker. "Her performance clearly deserves an Oscar nomination," he wrote. You can't be much more direct than that.

Me, I'm not so sure. Monaghan is fine as Diane Ford, a tough-talking woman who drives her own rig and likes her sex casual, who drinks like a man and isn't afraid of a fight. She's awfully gorgeous, even if she doesn't wear make up or pretty clothes and her arms are wiry and muscled. She's much too gorgeous to drive a truck. By profession, Diane spends hours and hours behind the wheel, and off duty, seeks solace at the local bar. Where's the beer belly?

Monaghan's good though, despite being too pretty, and the film, with a melodramatic storyline that seems perfect for a Hallmark TV movie, is good, too. When the truck driver's eleven-year-old son Peter (Jimmy Bennett) is deposited on her doorstep, there is no doubt that the two will overcome their difficulties and develop a tender relationship. It seems likely, too, that something romantic will happen with her drinking buddy Runner (played by the always likable Nathan Fillion) and it does.

While the conclusion of Trucker doesn't surprise, the small moments leading to the inevitable outcome still manage to be fresh and interesting. I wouldn't give Monaghan an Oscar, but I'd certainly look for her next film.

Trucker, the first film by writer-director James Mottern's film, premiered at Sundance, and is currently in theaters.

Starring: Michelle Monaghan, Nathan Fillion, Benjamin Bratt, Joey Lauren Adams, Jimmy Bennett
Directed by: James Mottern
Produced by: Michelle Monaghan, Robert Kessel, Pamela Hirsch
Running Time: 1 hr. 33 min.
Release Date: October 9th, 2009 (limited)
MPAA Rating: R for some sexuality, language, brief drug use involving minors, and a sexual assault.
Distributors: Monterey Media