''Come Early Morning'' is a 2006 American film starring
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
and
Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series ''Burn Notice'', and appeared in films such as '' Hitch'', '' Believe in Me'', '' Changeling'', and ''Come Early Morning''. He played Ro ...
. It marked the
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
of
Joey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...
. The film was shot throughout the metropolitan
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
area including
Pulaski Heights
Pulaski Heights is a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, located in the north-central portion of the city. The area comprises two distinct neighborhoods representing an historic suburb dating from the 1890s that was among the first areas ...
, and Adams' hometown of
North Little Rock
North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...
. The film was an official selection for the
2006 Sundance Film Festival
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival was held in Utah from January 19, to January 29, 2006. It was held in Park City, with screenings in Salt Lake City; Ogden; and the Sundance Resort. It was the 22nd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival, and the ...
. It premiered for wide release in Little Rock on December 14, 2006.
Plot summary
Lucy Fowler, a construction firm employee, has a habit of drinking on weekends, having a one-night stand, and, come early morning, waking up and leaving quickly, checking out and paying for the motel room.
Through her grandmother, she finds out that her father, a shy man who has nothing to say to her, is back in town, and eventually she goes to his new church. During a visit to her local bar, called The Forge, she runs into a woman who slept with her father. A brawl begins and she is rescued by Cal Percell, a new guy in town. She attends church with her father on Sunday morning with a beaten up face.
Carting around a jukebox she bought from the bar, she has a beer with Cal and gives him an invitation to ask her out. She kisses him sober, but still has demons to confront.
She has sex with him that night and tries to leave the next morning without him noticing but he wakes up and gives her a ride. Eventually she apologizes.
Cast
*
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
as Lucy Fowler
*
Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series ''Burn Notice'', and appeared in films such as '' Hitch'', '' Believe in Me'', '' Changeling'', and ''Come Early Morning''. He played Ro ...
as Cal Percell
*
Tim Blake Nelson
Timothy Blake Nelson (born May 11, 1964) is an American actor and playwright.
Described as a "modern character actor", his roles include Delmar O'Donnell in '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), Gideon in '' Minority Report'' (2002), Dr. Pend ...
as Uncle Tim
*
Laura Prepon
Laura Helene Prepon (born March 7, 1980) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying Alex Vause in the Netflix comedy-drama ser ...
as Kim
*
Scott Wilson as Lowell Fowler
*
Stacy Keach
Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fiction ...
as Owen
*
Diane Ladd as Nana
*
Ray McKinnon as Preacher Toby
* Nancy Ellen Mills as Michelle
Production
Joey Lauren Adams initially wrote the film with plans of acting in it, but she ultimately chose to direct instead.
Filming was completed in five weeks.
The film was shot in Adams' hometown of
North Little Rock
North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...
, including
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
,
Lonoke
Lonoke () is the second most populous city in Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as its county seat. According to 2010 United States Census, the population of the city is 4,245. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little R ...
, and surrounding counties.
Reception
Release
The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, where it competed for the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature. It received a limited theatrical release from
Roadside Attractions
Roadside Attractions is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff, specializing largely in independent films. Lionsgate
Lions Gate ...
on November 10, 2006.
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has an 84% rating based on 49 reviews.
The site's critics consensus reads, "A quiet but moving film anchored by the unexpected depth of Ashley Judd's performance."
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a score of a score of 64 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Positive reviews praised Adams' directing debut, with plaudits in particular for Judd's performance. Jessica Reaves of the
''Chicago Tribune'' remarked, "Judd is the best thing in this movie" and that her role is handled with "aplomb and admirable nuance."
Stephen Holden of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' said, "
dams
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
knows how these people speak and has a finely tuned awareness of their relationship to an environment where beer flows like water and the houses have cheap furniture and aluminum siding."
He added, "Ms. Judd plays
ucywith a vindictive edge that risks making her unsympathetic. And that takes courage."
Tasha Robinson of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said Judd's performance calls to mind her first significant role in ''
Ruby in Paradise
''Ruby in Paradise'' is a 1993 film written and directed by Victor Nunez, starring Ashley Judd, Todd Field, Bentley Mitchum, Allison Dean, and Dorothy Lyman. An homage to ''Northanger Abbey'' by Jane Austen, the film is a character study about a ...
'', but "she's rarely appeared as raw and vulnerable as she does in ''Come Early Morning''." ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' noted "the film has a worn, live-in feel, and its unhurried narrative captures the subtle rhythms of small-town life. Nothing much happens on the surface, but worlds of hope, hurt and determination lie right behind the characters' eyes, waiting to be discovered."
References
External links
Official site
*{{IMDb title, 0457308, Come Early Morning
*
Come Early Morning' at
AllMovie
2006 romantic drama films
2006 films
American romantic drama films
Films shot in Arkansas
Bold Films films
Roadside Attractions films
2006 directorial debut films
2006 independent films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films