Disinterested in kids her own age, a precious preteen girl scout from an affluent neighbourhood decides to befriend a man twice her age who mows her parents' lawn in this captivating drama from 'The Year My Voice Broke' director John Duigan. A talented director of youngsters, Duigan gets an excellent performance out of Mischa Barton in the lead role, while Sam Rockwell holds his own as the lawnmower man. Reluctant to accept her friendship because of what others may think, Rockwell is nevertheless won over by Barton's natural charm and charisma and the film becomes filled with tension from then on in. From onlookers eyeing them at a petrol station, to Rockwell touching Barton's scar at her own request, uncertainty lingers in the air as to what will be misconstrued and at what point will someone get the wrong idea about their platonic relationship and accuse Rockwell of terrible things. It is a thought-provoking film as it challenges general preconceptions out there about the inability for an older man to be friends with a younger woman with nothing else going on between them, but it is the hypocrisy of the town that they live in that is most striking here with Rockwell suspected by many of petty thievery simply because he is poor and Barton's father caring nothing about a local teenager fondling her chest because he is the son of a powerful figure in town. Not everything works here, especially how Rockwell handles a dog incident late in the piece, but it is an unexpectedly gripping ride, capped off with a magical ending.

Lawn Dogs tells the story of an intelligent but aloof little girl (Mischa Barton) who finds it hard to make friends...and with her habits of baking gingerbread men with dead flies for buttons, and peeing on the windshield of anyone who upsets her, it's not surprising.Eventually, she does find a sort-of kindred spirit... in the form of a bloke (Sam Rockwell) who mows lawns for a living, and resides far away from the posh neighbourhood where he works in a dilapidated caravan. They come from completely different backgrounds... her family are pretentious, smug, social climbers, whereas he is just content with the shirt on his back, and an honest day's pay... as well the occasional skinny dip in the middle of traffic.But they find each other, and both being misunderstood misfits who strive to escape the conformity of modern society (wow, that was a mouthful) they become fast friends. They kill chickens together, moon passing police officers... and show off their awesome scars. But a platonic relationship between a couple of individuals with such a huge age difference, AND of the opposite sex is always going to raise a few eyebrows... and it isn't long before a bunch of paranoid snobs is organising a posse...The reasons I love this film are numerous, but they include: An incredibly well written central duo with truly original personalities, an unconventional story which never ceases to be less than gripping, the many directorial flourishes that are apparent from the beginning, and the wonderful usage of fairy story imagery they manage to synch seamlessly into proceedings. It's not very often you come across a film as brave and poetic as this, but when you do, cherish it. I intend to... 9/10

Ignoring anything remotely resembling a more polished big-budget feature ala - strong supporting cast, editing, cinematography, musical score, etc....and focusing just on the painful yet beautiful character development and slowly evolving story...this film is nothing short of brilliant. The director explores a wide range of relevant topics including our collective interpretation of social norms, family expectations, seemingly inappropriate relationships (based on ignorance), personal hypocrisies, the class system, our isolation and longing for connections/acceptance, etc etc. Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton's performances and for lack of a better word (given the subject matter) "chemistry" are amazing. I just fell in love with this film!

An absolutely adorable, uplifting, beautiful story centered around two of the best performances I've ever seen. It's a witty, subtly hilarious tale of a young man and a little girl from different worlds who form the most beautiful friendship I've ever seen. Of course due to their backgrounds and their ages they have to keep this budding friendship a secret and when it's discovered everyone gets angry. There are a few little subplots of adultery and homosexuality that are surely interesting, but nothing compares to how much this friendship compelled me. I could have watched those two interact for days and not gotten bored for a single second. They were magical. And the ending had me in tears. The "Home is in my hands" scene just had me crying like a little girl. Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton were flawless in their roles. Easily two of the best performances I've ever seen.