Anywhere But Here

Susan Sarandon sinks her teeth deep into the character of a restless mother and shakes a little life into this otherwise unadventurous adaptation of Mona Simpson's novel. Determined not to die in the small town of Bay City, WI, Adele August (Sarandon) buys herself a gold second-hand Mercedes, tosses a few bags in the trunk and her 14-year-old daughter Ann (Natalie Portman) in the passenger seat, and blithely waves goodbye to husband number two (Ray Baker) and the rest of her family. She's headed for the good life in California, but for Ann the move means being torn from the family she loves and left at the mercy of her mother's selfish, irresponsible whims. Adele f...