Billed as a black comedy, this oddball outing is less remarkable for its satiral riffs on trailer trash than for its examination of dysfunctional family dynamics.
Though 15-year-old Rena Grubb (Jena Malone) isn't the teen temptress her older stepsister, Barbie (Alicia Witt), is, she manages to snag a handsome high school jock — of course, he’s too embarrassed to be seen with Rena in public. Starved for affection, she lives for postcards from her jail-bird father, John Grubb (Chris Mulkey); Rena idealizes him, while her hard-working mom, Madge
(Michelle Forbes) knows her good-for-nothing husband deserves his life sentence for double homicide. Desperate to feel as though she has a real family, Rena badgers her testy mom, flirty stepsister and closet-case brother, Jay (Brad Renfro), to attend a prison picnic. Putting on a brave face, Madge ferries her brood to the penitentiary, determined not to let her volatile spouse discover Rena’s brand-new secret: She’s pregnant. John doesn’t prove to be much of a family man and makes it clear he doesn’t consider Jay sufficiently manly. Barbie exhibits a knowledge of various prison locales, notably the conjugal visiting area. John’s cell-mate, Buddy (Clifton Collins Jr.), has his eye on Jay and lets him on the fact that Barbie has been spending quality time with her stepfather; Madge gets wind of John’s infidelity, but doesn’t figure out that Barbie is the other woman. While Jay ponders his sexuality and his father’s pseudo-incest, Rena finally takes off her rose-colored glasses. Could the Grubbs get themselves back on track if John weren’t in the picture?
Director Jordan Brady and screenwriter Scott Sandoe may poke fun at blue collar aspirations, but their keenly aware of the way sex is a palliative for their characters’ emotional ills. The performances are generally strong, but Renfro stands out as Jay. He lurches around as if his body were fighting off his gayness; his scenes with Buddy are astonishingly erotic and disturbing. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
