I admire Ashley Judd as an actress so I knew I'd enjoy this unknown movie I caught on the LMN channel. She's as beautiful and smart as ever in this understated film that is scant on plot but rich in characterization. Lucy presumably suffered a deprived childhood -- with no one to pay much attention or make her feel special or valued. So she's vegetating somewhere in the South as a young woman who spends every night in a bar and a different alcoholic's bed. Somehow she begins to question all that when she meets Cal, who is played with subtlety by the unknown actor Jeffrey Donovan. Cal puts Lucy in the position of sensing just how uncomfortable and ill-equipped she is about having a real relationship. He says little but some of his questions get her thinking. At one point he asks when was the last time she kissed a man while sober. Lucy struggles to stay involved with Cal and she attempts, somewhat more successfully, to reconnect with her father, who is played, with real surprise, by Scott Wilson, whom I had not seen in a movie since he played the mastermind killer of "In Cold Blood." (His part is so sparsely written here that it can scarcely be enjoyed but it is good to see him again.) Part of the intelligence of this film is that it doesn't end happily in the conventional sense. Enjoyed against the backdrop of its superb country-music track, "Come Early Morning" is well-worth viewing.

This is one of those movies that didn't get enough attention. I don't know what happened, how I missed hearing about it when it came out, maybe I was in a cave or something. I saw it last year on DVD when a friend told me about it. I really loved it, and I haven't forgotten it. In fact, just this morning, for reasons I can't explain, it came to me again and I decided to take the time to come to IMDb and write my applause for it.Artists do not get enough positive feedback. The world is full of meanspirited critics, gossipers and hecklers. Artists simply do not get enough positive feedback. So I want to take a few minutes today to say BRAVO!!! To the entire cast and crew -- this movie is great, all the way around. It makes you feel and think deeply. It's memorable. It is everything a good movie should be! Thank you for your artistry and perseverance. The entertainment industry is a tough, crazy, freaky business. I love movies!! And this one is worth watching and worth mentioning to others.Put it in your queue!

This film was merely okay. I felt that the main character of Lucy showed very little development... She deals with her emotional problems by sleeping around and that's about it. Also, Lucy seems to be worried about her relationship with her father. It is obviously strained, so she makes small attempts to improve their situation. She seems to be distraught over this bad relationship, and eventually has the chance to confront her father. I won't give anything away, but for what should have been a very climactic scene...things went absolutely nowhere.Her relationship with her "sort-of boyfriend" also has a lack of development. Nothing, at all, moves along...While the characters are realistic in terms of personality, life is certainly about learning from mistakes... I strongly feel that you don't participate in this film as the viewer. You don't learn with Lucy, and you certainly don't grow with her in any way. She is fairly one-dimensional.I like Joey Lauren Adams a lot, especially as an actor. I think that she's incredibly talented and for her first stab at directing, she should be satisfied. It's very hard to direct and it takes years and years to master. I think that Joey should put more time into her screen plays and try to develop her plots as much as possible. Is the film realistic? For the most part it's accurate personalities of people--but it doesn't really go anywhere beyond that. Overall, it's fair. Not a waste of time but not thrilling. I look forward to checking out her future efforts...

great movie. Just a good, honest, satisfying movie. I went with my fiancé to go see this movie at the crossroads film festival and this one made me feel really glad that we have a quality, local film festival in Jackson. I thought the movie tried at every turn to not go for sentimentality or cheap emotion, but nonetheless had some real moments of pain and hope. It is good to see a movie that really tries to say something and doesn't pander. The movie is good in the way that "Half Nelson" is, it presents real problems that people face and the true difficulties which accompany these difficulties. The south i portrayed in a refreshing and legitimate fashion. This is a movie that reminds you that there are so many good movies out there that are just under the surface, much better in quality than 90% of the large-release movies.