Life in small town America has been explored in many movies, but James Mangold's 'Heavy' has in its favour some distinctive characters, a subtle, low-key plot and fine acting from, among others, former glamour girl Debbie Harry who oddly seems to play only embittered old crones in the movies (see also 'My Life Without Me'). It's a pity, then, that the pace is so slow (the movie never really goes anywhere surprising from the original premise) and is laden down with heavy-handed symbolism, even when there's very little to symbolise. And for a film that is trying so hard to mean something, it's a bit disappointing that it makes some elementary errors (the bar, which never seems to contain more than one customer, is meant to be supporting the livelihoods of 4 people; while Liv Tyler's beautiful teenager is deep, enigmatic and troubled for reasons that are useful to the story but never otherwise explained). It's a shame, as there's a great short film somewhere in among the flabby tedium; but 'Heavy' is more the representation of an idea than a closely-observed vision of life, and at feature length feels self-important and overweight. The mere absence of flashiness does not itself make a film profound.

Witha quirky cast of actors playing misfits Mangold succeeds in telling an honest story about people in a small town who are having trouble escaping theemotional holes that they have dug for themselves. All the characters have redeemable qualities despite their obvious short- comings. Liv Tyler has always fascinated me with her ability to be beauty,sensitive and truthful in spite of character's perdicament. Pruitt Vance is at his best doing what he does best as the 'lovable loser' trapped between hisobligations to his mother and his job. Mom is played by Shelley Winters whose talent is still sharp. Joe Grafasi is ablaze with drunken chivalry with the hopes of connecting with Deborah Harry's character. Deborah Harry is excellent as thevemonous, sexy and fatigued waitress with a checkered past. Her conflict with Winter's character is deep although mostly unspokened. Everyone is in need and they desperately try to be happy. They fall on theirfaces and get back up. In the end, things work out but not as expected.

This film is without doubt the most boring I have ever seen. I watched it in fast forward a lot of the time because watching paint drying is more interesting. The only reason that I didn't switch off was because I wanted to see the hopefully, happy ending but, that was not to be. This was half expected because I couldn't believe that Cally could ever be remotely interested in someone like Vic. His part must have been really easy to learn as all he did was look and not speak. I found myself shouting 'Say something!' at the TV but all he did was look. The parts where there was not supposed to be any dialogue were really dragged out as well. I understand that the director(?) Mangold has also made 'Kate and Leopold'. That WAS an enjoyable film so perhaps this is just a temporary blip. I hope so.

The most interesting thing about this first movie directed by the now know James Mangold, is that it's a window into what was to come. It has a lot of flaws. It plods along at a sluggish pace, the character of Pruitt Taylor Vince played by Victor Modino is so overly repressed that it's almost painful to watch, and it's all too obviously a low budget film...but there's this big BUT because in spite of the drawbacks it is still a movie that hits you hard emotionally. The loneliness these characters suffer is so real that it becomes the kind of film you remember long after you have watched it. I rented it on DVD when it was first released and then watched it again on cable last night, which only reinforced what I had already concluded. It's a movie worth a look. There's a very sympathetic role in here from a young unknown Liv Tyler. And the Shelly Winters character is in a class all by herself. She was perfectly cast as the dreadfully overbearing and controlling mother. It's a hopeful start from a director I assume will work for many years to come. He has an undeniable talent for bringing out the reality of human emotions. Bringing me to mind of his later masterful film 'Girl, Interrupted' (1999). This director has willingly tackled a wide range of material. After 'Heavy' came' Identity' (2003), a solid who-done-it, and 'Kate & Leopold' (2001),which in all fairness I can not judge because I watched it on an airplane. My take on James Mangold is this...I am looking forward ( to his next two movies which are currently in production) and to a continuing career from a director who exhibits a lot of promise, especially when he strays outside the box.