Gas Food Lodging (1992)

American independent director Allison Anders made her name with this keenly observed tale of a single mother and her two daughters stuck in the truck-stop town of Laramie, New Mexico, barely a fly speck on the never-ending desert horizon. Ione Skye and Fairuza Balk star as sisters Trudi and Shade, who couldn't be more different. Trudi rebels against her mother and her soul-numbing life through sex and develops a reputation among the boys for being easy. Shade is the "good girl" who escapes through the overripe Mexican melodramas in the town's largely vacant theater. Brooke Adams, a loving mother hardened by rejection and a demanding job as a truck-stop waitress, tries to hide her loneliness and disappointment and set Trudi on a better path, but as with so many relationships in this film, conflict brings out the worst in them. Anders, a single mother herself, drew on her own experiences to enrich her adaptation of Richard Peck's novel Don't Look and It Won't Hurt, and she brings a haggard understanding to the strained relations between mother and daughter and the bleak desolation to the lives of three women trapped by circumstance, economics, and landscape, but she also reaches deep into the characters to expose their yearnings and steel their resolve. No knight in shining armor for these women, but Anders allows them to make their way through the emotional landscape with pluck and determination. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

what a great movie

This is a fantastic film. For anyone who is a fan of Ione Skye or Fairuza Balk, it's definitely a must-own flick! Both ladies are in their prime here. I originally saw the movie only because of J Mascis' involvement musically (and a small cameo) but I've fallen in love with the movie as well as the young adult novel it was based on, 'Don't Look and it Won't Hurt' by Richard Peck. May 25, 2007

THERE'S MORE HAPPENING IN THE DESERT THAN WE CAN SEE...

Three woman share the long and slow days of Laramie, New Mexico. Nora, the mother of Trudi and Shade works hard everyday and tries to find a sense for her life and her daughters'. Trudi looks for a reason to survive in the desert of her hometown and her life and tries to find it in boys. Shade is looking for a movie-like love, and tries to find it in the screen and in her plans to reconstruct her family. The three of them will fight, will cry and will learn hard but important lessons in the heat of the desert. Excelent movie, very well directed, with a good photography and great actresses. Really a beautiful story with a little bit of hope for everyone. November 8, 2006

I'm not sure how I missed this movie

So, I just watched Gas Food Lodging for the first time. Wow!

First of all, any movie that has narrative voice over always makes me smile. I don't know exactly why, they just do. I think because it gives far mor insight as to what's happening.

These three women living on the outskirts of a dying town smacked of "The last picture show". Life has dealt each a pretty hard hand and it's hard to tell if Mom Nora, older sister Trudi, or young Shady Lynne has it the worst. Nora's found love where she could and it's burnt her every time and that's been passed right on down to her two daughters.

They've no faith that it will ever change, yet they continue to try to find love anyway. Quietly surprising and very entertaining, I would say to run out and pick this up today. April 5, 2006

"Afraid of Not Having Any Daydreams"

This movie takes place in the 1990's in a dessert town of Laramie, New Mexico. Nora (Brook Adams), is a single mother raising her two daughters the best that she can. She is a waitress at a gas stop/restaurant. Her oldest daughter is Trudi (Ione Skye), who is know around the town as being easy, and ends up pregnant by a Dink, who is a English man, whose job is to look for rare rocks. She gives her mom a hard time, she stays out late at night, and is not going to school. The youngest daughter is Shade (Fairuza Balk), she is considered the "good girl" of the two. She loves to go see movies that star Elvia Rivero. Shade or Shad, wants to be like a "normal" family. She wants to have a father figure, so she looks for a man for her mother. Each one of these characters are looking for love, and this movie not only shows the hard ship of life of each one of them, but also shows their search for love.
On a scale of one to five, I give this movie a five. I really do like this movie. This drama keeps you entertained through the whole movie. I was hoping that for each of them that they would find their true love, and for them to live "happily ever after." The adaptation of Richard Peck's novel, Don't Look and It Won't Hurt is well written, and the actors and actress do a great job. If you like dramas about people looking for love, then you may want to check this out.
October 29, 2004

A forgotten gem...

Before 'Thirteen' and 'American Beauty,' there was 'Gas Food Lodging.' I can remember when I first watched it some ten years ago. Not expecting much from this almost unknown indie flick, I was clued to the screen for the next hour and a half. While its story of an overworked single mother struggling to raise her two daughters was nothing new, something about it just shined. Like a diamond, it sparkled with a crisp innocence and yet cut with a hard edge. Growing up in a similarly barren environment like Laramie, New Mexico, it wasn't difficult to connect with this film.

Ten years later, this film still packs a punch. Despite its flaws which have become more obvious over time, Allison Anders' film still hits home with its gritty power.

Its strongest attraction is its very plausible portrayal of life in the middle of nowhere. Brooke Adams plays the single-mom waitress fighting to hold her family together, while her daughters search for a way out of their loneliness. Frustrated with her oldest daughter's rebellious ways, Adams' character wears the face of constant helplessness. For those of us who have undergone the same, their screaming parent-child tirades are painful to watch. Ione Skye's Trudi, the wayward 'bad girl' who hides her scars with boyfriend after boyfriend, is the highlight of the film. At times touchingly wounded and at others, screechingly impossible, Trudi embodies the chaos of growing up. Her withdrawn and innocent little sister, Shade (Fairuza Balk) fills up her father void by spending her afternoons watching Spanish tearjerkers at the near-empty town cinema. When she finally follows her heart and falls for somebody from the wrong side of town, you end up pulling for her.

Sparing nobody, all of Anders' characters carry deep wounds. No heroines nor heros here. Victims of a shattered home and a bleak future, all three women struggle to break free and find their little slice of happiness. While the 'men always leave' undercurrent of the film comes across heavy-handed at times, Anders refreshingly refuses simple answers. While most of the men in the film DO fall under the 'loser' category--weak and self-destructive, Anders is careful to be balanced. James Brolin is great as the washed-out ex who, despite his aw-shucks cowboy charm, does nothing to win back his girls. Fatherhood for him means giving a few bucks (his girlfriend's nonetheless!)to Shade. Yet, what saves 'Gas Food Lodging' from being a depressing man-bashing polemic is that all three women eventually find partners who, although far from being flawless, stand by their women.

Anders couldn't have picked a better backdrop for her film. The spartan beauty of the New Mexican desert mirrors the sharp edges and bleak prospects of her characters. Moreover, J. Mascis' (Dinosaur Jr.) soundtrack perfectly underscores the sorrow and loneliness of the film. The songs are great by themselves, but together with the desert sunsets and tumbleweed trailer parks, the end-result is magic.

While not a perfect film, 'Gas Food Lodging' is still a rare treat for those lucky enough to stumble upon it. For those looking for a tightly-acted and moving family drama, 'Gas Food Lodging' won't disappoint! June 22, 2004

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