Review of Don't Come Knocking (2005) by Arto M — 30 Mar 2008

Don't Come Knocking (2005) US.

This beautiful indi ensemble piece was directed by Wim Wenders and written by and starred Sam Shepard. The film co-stars Gabriel Mann, Jessica Lange, Fairuza Balk, Eva Marie Saint, Tim Roth, and the always hot: Ms. Sarah Polley (who earned a Star Award at the AFI - Dallas this week).

Sam Shepard is a once-great washed-up movie star with nothing to loose. During the shooting of his latest pic, he upand walks off the set. Tim Roth is dispatched by the bond company to retrieve the picture's star.

Shepard (howard) returns to the family home to see his mother(Eva Marie Saint), for the 1st time in 30years. After a happy reunion, he learns, or is reminded ofthe fact that he has a long-lost son, fathered in a one night stand with a smalltown girl in Montana. Howard sets off to find his son, played by Gabriel Mann.

He meets up with the woman he had the one night with, played exquistly by Jessica Lange and she introduces him to his son (Mann). Needless to say, Howard's son wants nothing to do with him. At the same time a young lady(Polley) arrives in town, to claim the ashes of her dead mother. We, as the astute audience memeber, piece together that Polley is Shepard's estranged daughter, whom he has never met.

Eventually, Howard comes around and so does his son.

Don't Come Knocking is rated R, only for language, as there is no violence or anything "bad". This film is smart, funny,cute, and as with all Wenders' film, doesn't try to be to pretentious. It was however emotional and did strike a chord with me, in that the fact that Howard had estranged children with whom he had to reconcile with. If you know me, you have a good idea about what I mean. This particular film hit me sort of personally and at the end I relunctantly found myself with "something in my eye"....must have been dust; yeah, that was it.

I deffinatly reccomend it and will be shortly skimming Amazon dot com for a copy to callmy own. Although, i'm not sure if I can stand to watch it again.....