This is a refreshingly realistic look at what usually happens when people make poor decisions and then slowly come to grips with the choices they've made and the consequences of those decisions. What I found most refreshing was the messy, complicated, unresolved ending. And for once - spoiler alert - the married couple actually stays together and decides to try harder and not give up on the relationship. My only quibble is that after a lot of heartache they do seem to own up to their mistakes fully and completely after only one brief conversation. In that sense I suppose the ending, while not wrapped neatly into a bow, is a bit Pollyanna-ish. Still, this movie is about the journey, which you fully experience with rich, real characters bought to life by a strong cast from top to bottom, including a strong showing by Cybil Shepherd in a supporting role. The three leads are superb as well, esp. Juliette Lewis. 9/10

Juliette Lewis pretends to be a hipster rebel for 1 minute and a half, makes a cute wheel chair bound teenage guy next door fall in love with her whiny persona, reveals herself as a Courtney Love rock chick from the 90s, but then rapidly turns back into a Stepford wife.This film is so wrong on so many levels. It teaches women that it's better to stay in a comatose marriage where the love has faded, where one's true personality has disappeared, where the in laws are uptight suburban psychopaths always intruding into your life, and that you have to become a snivelling wreck crying and begging your husband for forgiveness, because you managed to escape from that hell for a while and actually felt the magic of life and love again with a teenage guy who is being discounted because of his young age. What a rebel? Not!

This movie is like finding and enjoying a perfectly ripened piece of fruit, then taking a step forward, slipping on the peel, falling backwards and cracking your head on the pavement! Now what do I mean by that statement?It's very simple to understand - the film starts with Kelly meeting Cal, both are highly spirited and living lives very out of place for their charged up personalities. Kelly is confined by her new role as a mother living in a very American suburban middle class neighborhood after her punk rocker all girl band background. Cal is young, handsome, and full of the capacity to experience the ecstasy of life, but he too is confined in life by his disability, wheelchair, and a bitter outlook toward his future. After they discover each other a glorious friendship develops with some of the finest dialog you can find in a movie. Kelly sees in Cal her youth which she obviously misses. Cal sees in Kelly everything he wants to experience in life but cannot or (more likely) is afraid to do because he fears failure more than his disability. Through Kelly, Cal breaks out of his shell and at the same time Kelly develops an empathy for Cal because he has projected his feelings toward her in sexual advances and his willingness to get back into his artistic abilities. Then reality strikes, and Kelly must step back from this complex and needy friendship. At this point the story starts to fall apart.The movie turns into a ridiculous melodrama of Cal discarding everything Kelly helped him through both psychologically and physically. Kelly goes running after him as if she can save him from himself. Why the writer and director did this I do not understand because they took the relationship of a disabled youth and a frustrated older woman who both found an inner fulfillment in each other that could have been so compelling and bold this movie would have possibly been real box office material. Why not have the suburban housewife have an affair with a disabled youth? Could it possibly be that it was a 'too European' idea?Either way I encourage watching this story because it is good and that good part makes the bad part not so bruising to watch.

KELLY & CAL is the kind of movie that stays with you long after you've seen it. Perfect casting of Juliette Lewis who's real-life rock 'n roll youth only strengthens the very raw, honest, and real identity crisis that comes with first-time motherhood. Unfortunately, I have lived this moment in life myself and Juliette plays it with the same "what-the-hell-just-happened" look on her face that I must have had. But Jonny Weston's performance of Cal stole the movie for me. I felt as shocked and moved by his character as Juliette Lewis's Kelly. He was charismatic and heartbreaking. This movie is so smartly written by Amy Lowe Starbin. The characters so true to their place in life. For example, Cal's cynicism might seem older than his years at times, but his youthful judgment and actions remind us he is still a teenager. The movie as a whole is a near perfect synergy of writing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, and sound design. The side characters have depth and range that defies their limited time on screen. And while it's been a festival favorite, it is not the type of indie movie that leaves you feeling uncomfortable or weirded out, or mentally exhausted. It's the type of movie I dream of, one that reflects real life and leaves me with a bit of hope.