LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

jeeper_white I only saw 'Leaving Normal' because it was on Sky TV one night and there was nothing else on, so, I decided to watch it. I wasn't expecting much of it, as most things on that last at night are usually things that are too boring to be on earlier. However, I was very surprised by it, I actually enjoyed it. It's a story about the friendship between Darly and Marianne, who met at a bus-stop after Marianne ran away from her abusive husband. Darly is going to Alaska and decided to take Marianne along with her, sort of like a daughter figure. Marianne always likes to look on the bright side of things which leads her into bad situations. Darly is assertive but good-natured, she means well. And because she was so witty it made the film much more enjoyable. The first half of the movie is a road-movie, Which consist of the troubles they face of trying to get to their destination, and when they get there, they want to leave, at least Darly does. It's a light-hearted drama and all ends well. Worth a watch.

Into_The_West I have often been surprised "Leaving Normal" does not have a "cult following." Often compared to "Thelma and Louise," it may begin along similar lines, but it's ultimate destination is quite different. It is not a film about women's issues, but _human_ issues, more specifically, how we get to happiness, or how it gets to us. It addresses those issues unforgettably.[some spoilers]Marianne Johnson has been running to what she thinks are solutions, but which turn out to be bigger problems. Now in a marriage with an abusive husband in Normal, Wyoming, she runs again, not toward a new solution, but to a bus bench, where she meets Darly, a barmaid who is leaving to claim property in Alaska.They head off together, and inspired by Marianne's disastrous choices, Darly makes Marianne take a vow to let their path be totally dictated by chance. Along the way, there are successes and more disasters, as well as revelations about Darly's past that reveal she, too, has chosen to run, with disastrous consequences.They arrive in Palmer Valley, Alaska to far less than what Darly expected but which Marianne curiously feels she wants to live with because "it chose me." Darly, however, despite her talk of letting things just happen, must run away again. By throwing a dart at a map in a local bar, Darly picks a new place to run to, ironically named "Paradise." In the end, though, Darly's actions to get her the money to get her to Paradise only end up forcing her to confront what running away before did to her life.The film is a fable, but one that teaches its lessons about life and the choices we make transparently. Often hysterically funny, it can also be deeply moving and intensely disturbing. Nonetheless, it generates forgiveness and understanding for even the most reprehensible characters in it, ultimately making us believe happy endings can happen, it's just that they may not be the happy endings we were looking for.Credit the remarkable performances of just about the entire cast, but especially Christine Lahti as Darly and Meg Tilly and Marianne, as well as the perfect script by Ed Solomon (who also has a bit part as the man who rejects 66 at the dance club).

John While this road trip movie isn't as good as Thelma and Louise, it really shouldn't be compared. The two films are very different. While Thelma and Louise are on the run the police, Mary Ann and Darly (the two main characters of Leaving Normal) are only on the run from themselves. Meg Tilly and Christine Lahti play the title characters with just the right touches of naivete and cynicism. Mary Ann is leaving a bad marriage (her second) and Darly is heading to Alaska to reclaim land from an earlier marriage. Their paths merge in Normal, Wyoming and they set out on a road trip that changes both of them. A few of the scenes (thankfully very few) don't seem to work - almost as if they were added for comic effect. Both actresses give great performances. If you can overlook a few plot problems (their new overweight friend Sixty-six seems to find a rich man and leaves all of her belongings behind with Mary Ann and Darly all in the same day) I think you'll find this movie to be an enjoyable and touching tale. The tag line of the movie is: Sometimes the only way to find where you're going is to lose your way. I don't know about you, but in my life that has been true more than a few times. Oh, be sure not to miss the best scene in the whole film. When returning to their car with coolant after it has overheated to find the car stripped and their possessions strewn everywhere Mary Ann (always trying to believe things will work out) says, "We'll still get there. We'll still get to Alaska." Cynical Darly gets the best line in the film, "You're just like a punching bag aren't you, Mary Ann? Knock you down and you get back up. I bet you're one of those people who say when life gives you lemons make lemonade. Well, guess what, sweetheart, life hasn't given us lemons, it's given us SHIT!" I laughed so hard the first time I watched this scene and it's still a line I quote on one of those days when nothing seems to go right. Rent this movie and you won't be sorry.

Berta-4 No, there is no such place as Normal, Wyoming...except maybe on a psychological landscape. Leaving Normal is the story of an unusual journey and friendship. Meg Tilly as Marianne Johnson is a wide-eyed naif who has never made a good decision in her rambling life. Christine Lahti (now seen on ER) is a cynical cocktail waitress whose choices haven't been much better; together the two somehow cobble a relationship that enriches both, as well as some oddball others. They travel to Alaska, where each finally has the room she needs to build a life. You will probably find this movie in the comedy section of your video store, but it doesn't really belong there, even though some of the dialogue is HILARIOUS. Some nice cinematography, particularly the 4th of July scenes and the aurora borealis. The coffee mug motif is pretty cool, too. Will appeal to anyone who liked Thelma & Louise or Fried Green Tomatoes but wished the heroines of these would have been alive at the end. See it!