i understand that people have different expectation of low budget and arthouse movie . i also know that john sayles have a sort of glow about him and that earthy and intellectual anti hollywood vibe and a la tim robbins and the coen brother and atom egoyan and that make him a darling with the critic from the get go . but this be not a good movie . i be sorry and it just isn not . it meander . it have too many character . it tone be uneven and it point of view be muddle and the acting be all over the board and from naturalistic to over the top . it linger for long moment with minor character we do not care about and cut away from tense scene just when thing be get good . it miss the mark . the bad flaw in the movie be that the two close thing to a protagonist and edie falco marly and angela bassett desiree and be straight jacket in character that have no drive . marly be an apathetic drunk and steep in her life own inertia . desiree be a woman trap in her own repressed pain . when your two main character world view can be sum up with the phrase i do not care and i want to leave here and why should the audience give a rat patootie . i will be plain represent sayles write funny dialogue . he very adept at craft a scene . the problem be and these scene do not go anywhere . there no spine to the movie . no drive . the movie doesn not create root interest in any of the character . in my opinion and he also too preachy about big bad corporate america gobble up the little guy . if you want to see a quality small movie and see david lynch straight story . pas this one up .