Although Susan Sarandon is older than the character of Charlotte was originally written to be, her charismatic and intelligent acting and intense chemistry with Stephen Dorff, in a role he could have been born to play, make this Tyler filmization work beautifully. The style of this escapist-roadtrip might be light-hearted (despite it revolving around a bankrobber kidnapping an innocent bystander), peppered with great supporting characters, but the emotions and complicated bonds that arise are wonderfully deep and inspiring. This is really about people who start out wrong and end up right, each discovering his/her own strengths and place in life. I especially like how un-ageist the story is... none of the three main characters, ranging decades apart in age, seem to have any emotional bias about each other when you might think they would... there is a sudden equality established between middle-aged desperate housewife, young confused troublemaker, and pregnant not-so-ditzy teenager that casts a warm glow over all the tangled proceedings that ensue from their paths crossing fatefully. The scenarios are typically Tyler-quirky so you will probably not recognize these characters as being just like your next door neighbor... but it is great fun to go on the ride with them. Fine acting from the lead stars down to the last cameo-character actor! And, ultimately, a moving romance.
