This is just the kind of film that gives viewer ratings a bad name. I suspect that those who think this film was boring would also think that De Sica's neo-realist masterpiece Umberto D - which it closely resembles - is also boring. It doesn't give critics a bad name to recognize that there are some movies that just can't serve two masters, as many try to do, and which are more like caviar than pizza. For the pizza-only lovers who missed the point of this movie, it is a "tranche de vie" - a slice of life - that poignantly illuminates the triumphs, tragedies, debasement, and, especially, nobility of everyday life.… Expand

Must have played better in the theatre - or not. Nice recap by Andrew. I was emphatically impressed by "Old Joy" and its deft touch of melancholia and wonder. This is in contrast a very silly film whose mundane contrivances and all too overstated sombre simplicity make it feel an empty, patronizing waste of time. Michelle Williams is fine I suppose, I however, found myself more curious about the secret life of the senior, seemngly gentle, journeyman of a security guard. Needless - there's nothing here and let's be generous in calling it a 'noble failure'.… Expand

Pro: (1)This movie did an effective job of portraying those who don't care about others predicaments. As well as the few who lend a hand to those in need of help: i.e. security guard. (2) I felt Wendy's pain and was compelled to help her. Con: (1)Terrible sound. I would have enjoyed no music compared to the continuous annoyance of somebody humming as well as the droning musical score. (2) Camera work was horrid. Examples: camera man would aim camera at car. Umm, Wendy is over here now, you may wish to pan camera to Wendy. I'm convinced the camera man was distracted by something else during the filming. Another example, the scene in the woods where Wendy was trying to sleep. Some deranged man appears out of nowhere and starts babbling. Ok fine, yes it's scary. Problem is: I couldn't see a darn thing, let alone make out 1 coherent sentence from babbling man. I've never been a fan of completely dark scenes; I find them very annoying. (3) Wendy is destitute, we get it. Let's learn more about her background. Yes, it's actually important for the viewer to understand how/why she is got in this situation. Very weak character development. (4)The movie just ended suddenly, with her giving up her dog, Lucy and hopping on a train. The End. Critics will rave about artistic intentions of the filming techniques and musical score etc.,etc. The fact is, it is popular these days for critics to hump any movie that isn't a hollywood special, regardless of how weak the film actually is.… Expand

This is just the kind of film that gives movie critics a bad name. Widely reviewed by the "experts" as an exceptional film, this thing is a boring mess from start to finish. No story, lifeless acting and a completely nothing of an ending. Absolutely pathetic, and a complete waste of time and money.

Boring movie. Girl is not very bright.

The acting is good, but the story is pointless. It might has well ended mid-sentence. Did they run out of money and had to just end it?

As another viewer noted, this is a companion piece to "Old Joy." However, this one never engaged me. Wendy makes poor choices, the consequences of which are easily foreseen, though apparently she lacks the ability to think one step ahead. OK, so it's a movie about what happens to someone with a hole at her center, the origin of which is unclear, running away from something toward "the last frontier" and probable exploitation, who decides and acts badly with little foresight. But I've seen films about people like her. This one adds nothing. The homeless and drifting are not, as the film tells us, largely harmless, mellow and victimized. Pitiable, yes. But the Pollyannish gloss on what is in general a depressing, predictable tale not only is jarring but offensive. Give "Old Joy" a look if you haven't seen it; it's a much more interesting view of the struggle to grow from adolescence into adulthood, having the same Portland-ish setting.… Expand

Incredulously slow and predictable. Watch me read my lines. Now watch me use the toilet in the bathroom of a gas station, this is me washing my face afterward. Now see how I feed my dog, watch dog eat its food. Almost a parody on independent, but it wasn't meant that way. Who cares?

While I really enjoyed and appreciated "Old Joy" this tale of a woman who makes many poor decisions did not involve me, whatsoever. Exposition is a good thing and is sorely needed in this instance.

Beautifully and very convincingly acted by Michelle Williams, but what a depressing and slow moving movie. I never lost interest but it did drag in parts. Believable. Sincere direction and the simplicity of the film makes it work.

Poor Wendy. Poor Lucy. Poor us! Poor those who didn't see the value in this piece. Simple, honest, yet full of life; adventure, love, loss, kindness, and finally sacrifice. Full of aspiration and disappointment, dreams and stark cold reality. As much as I'd love to, I don't think I could bare to watch this one again. Where's my doggy? There you are! Such a good girl! ...Yes, I love you too, baby girl!… Expand

One of the best movies of 2008. A quiet, moving masterpiece that packs a powerful punch. If only all movies were so simple and spare. It's like a great Raymond Carver or Ernest Hemingway short story in its economy and simplicity. Not much seems to happen. And yet by the end, I felt deeply connected to these characters and really cared about what happened to them. Williams should have been nominated for an Oscar for her understated, beautiful performance as a quiet, strong woman living on the edge of society. And her love for her dog feels more real and powerful than many made up movie romances on screen. A real gem!… Expand

I'll probably never forget Wendy (or Lucy), but John Anderson's reference to Wendy's "anonymity" rings true for me. There's a hole in the middle of her, a flat affect that needs some backstory on where it came from. One phone call to her sister and brother-in-law is painful, but insufficient as objective correlative. On the other hand, please do see this movie and the glimpse we get of this character, this America.… Expand

Great slice of life film that shows what the real world is like. This is the type of movie that means more after a second viewing. I look forward to catching this film again when it makes its way to Blu Ray or DVD. Michelle Williams is absolutely absorbing and believable as Wendy in this decidedly realistic film.

Agonizing for anyone with half a heart, and paying the slightest attention; all too true to life. Michelle Williams owns it.

We know absolutely nothing of Wendy. Why is she in her current situation? Why does her family not care about her? Her relationship with Lucy is very shallow and needed to be fleshed out more. The more interesting one is between her and the security guard but we get to know very little about him. This film went literally nowhere, literally and figuratively.

I love movies. I see at least 1 art house film per week. This movie was a waste of my time and money. The only bright side is that I only wasted 80 minutes of my life. The entire movie is Michelle Williams looking for her dog. Why is she going to Alaska? Is she going towards something or running away from something? At least the popcorn was fresh.

a moving tale of a broke woman trapped outside a society that won't let her in. probably too slow for some, the movie has a quiet pace fitting to the life wendy desperately tries to make new again. as she fights her way to alaska where a job awaits, her car breaks down and she loses her dog, but as depressive the material is the film sits on michelle williams' quietly moving, and captivating performance. it's the most unrewarded, underappreciated performance of the year.… Expand

The pace of this film is as tentative as Wendy's situation. Flawless in its pitch-perfect sense of the place she is, the temperment of the people, and the wideness of the landscape. Kelly knows the area and has it's pulse down. Wendy's fears will grab the viewer, and for the too brief time this film is on, you are unquestionably with her, about her situation, and involved.

A young person's movie because most grown ups are too afraid to do what Wendy is, and a movie about the nature of modern America, all rolled into one. Low key, boring to the simple minded and ADHD, beautifully acted by Michelle Williams, with help from a dog and Walter Dalton.

I love art films, euro, asian etc... but this film is just plain boring. Williams is terrific and i liked old joy by the same filmmaker, but this is pointless and often doesn't make sense.

"Wendy and Lucy" is the American answer to the Dardenne brothers' "Rosetta" (1999). Kelly Reichardt has fashioned together a quiet 80-minute masterpiece of cinematic naturalism, unadorned by excess words or music or plot points. Reichardt lends not only an earnest, authentic voice but also a patient ear to the mass of common citizens quietly suffering under the weight of a hundred tiny daily struggles, forever on the fringes of the American middle class -- with the dream (or what's left of it) never quiet within their reach. And as for Michelle Williams....well, she is just exquisite, heartbreaking perfection.… Expand