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Deidra & Laney Rob a Train
Jan. 30th, 2018 09:23 amLast night I watched Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, which is about - wait for it - two sisters robbing trains! After their mother gets arrested, high schoolers Deidra and Laney find themselves in dire need of bail money, and they turn their eyes to the train tracks that run right behind their house.
The first few minutes had me worried that the movie was going to be farcical in a mean-spirited way, but soon enough the tone settles down into a surprisingly kind-hearted dark comedy. Deidra and Laney shine - I particularly like the way that the movie builds up Laney, who starts out all but invisible and completely overshadowed by her brilliant older sister, but becomes Deidra's equal partner. “You’re my Sundance Kid,” Deidra tells Laney, which is both a beautiful shout-out to train robbery classic movies and a marker of Laney’s growth as a person.
But the secondary characters get their moments, too. I particularly liked Deidra’s guidance counselor, who wants to get out of town as desperately as Deidra does herself, and Laney’s etiquette teacher, a former teen beauty pageant winner, both of whom would have been easy teen movie caricatures and both of whom become partly although not wholly positive influences in the girls' lives. (Deidra’s guidance counselor in particular reaches her apotheosis midway through the credits. Be sure to stick around for it.)
The one character I would have liked a bit more fleshed out was Laney’s best-friend-turned-bitter-enemy Claire. Why, Claire, Why?
The heist sequences are fun (and actually believable as something that a couple of teenagers could pull off) and the movie is funny without feeling like it’s making fun of the characters. A very pleasant evening’s entertainment. I recommend it!
The first few minutes had me worried that the movie was going to be farcical in a mean-spirited way, but soon enough the tone settles down into a surprisingly kind-hearted dark comedy. Deidra and Laney shine - I particularly like the way that the movie builds up Laney, who starts out all but invisible and completely overshadowed by her brilliant older sister, but becomes Deidra's equal partner. “You’re my Sundance Kid,” Deidra tells Laney, which is both a beautiful shout-out to train robbery classic movies and a marker of Laney’s growth as a person.
But the secondary characters get their moments, too. I particularly liked Deidra’s guidance counselor, who wants to get out of town as desperately as Deidra does herself, and Laney’s etiquette teacher, a former teen beauty pageant winner, both of whom would have been easy teen movie caricatures and both of whom become partly although not wholly positive influences in the girls' lives. (Deidra’s guidance counselor in particular reaches her apotheosis midway through the credits. Be sure to stick around for it.)
The one character I would have liked a bit more fleshed out was Laney’s best-friend-turned-bitter-enemy Claire. Why, Claire, Why?
The heist sequences are fun (and actually believable as something that a couple of teenagers could pull off) and the movie is funny without feeling like it’s making fun of the characters. A very pleasant evening’s entertainment. I recommend it!
