Themes: Small-Town Life, Fathers and Daughters, Opposites Attract
Main Cast: Lili Taylor, Guy Pearce, John Hawkes, Sara Rue, Irma P. Hall
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 111 minutes
Plot
Making its world premiere at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, this story adapted for the screen and directed by first-timer Toni Kalem is based on the Anne Tyler novel of the same name. The story deals with finding love in a dead-end life. Evie (Lili Taylor) is a loner, living with her widowed father, who works at an aging kiddie park where she is a costumed cartoon character. One night she hears the words and music of a musician named Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce) on the radio, and Evie is immediately infatuated by him. She attends his concerts and falls in love with him. The problem is he doesn't know she exists, so Evie decides to carve Casey's name on her forehead with broken glass. The resulting media attention gets her an introduction to Drumstrings Casey himself. From there, a relationship develops as Casey needs Evie for creative support and Evie needs Casey for emotional stability. Soon after, they get married; unfortunately their problems only get worse as Casey's career takes a nosedive and Evie's father passes away. Will these two people make something of themselves or will they forever just be slipping down life? ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide
John Frick - Art Director, Diane Bailey - Associate Producer, Steven Brown - Co-producer, Maria Melograne - First Assistant Director, Toni Kalem - Director, Hughes Winborne - Editor, Derinda Dallas - Executive Producer, Robin Lieberman - Executive Producer, Peter Himmelman - Composer (Music Score), Christopher Violette - Musical Direction/Supervision, Russell J. Smith - Production Designer, Michael Barrow - Cinematographer, Richard Raddon - Producer, Kathleen Cusack - Sound/Sound Designer, Toni Kalem - Screenwriter, Anne Tyler - Book Author
Shy loner Evie (Taylor) hears musician Drumstrings Casey (Pearce) on the radio one night and becomes infatuated with him. She pursues him and eventually they meet and then marry. They both still struggle to make something of their lives.
