Review of The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom (2011) by Ana B — 28 Sep 2014

Drama telling us the story of Elizabeth; she is an 11 year old Canadian girl in the 70's that has just discovered she is adopted. Emotional upheaval follows extreme surprise and trying to make sense of her situation she decides to find out her birth mum. She has a birthmark in the shape of a butterfly just as her idol, Dolly Parton has. She then decides to ask her if she is her daughter. For that purpose Elizabeth travels on her bike to Dolly's next gig, Minneapolis to the disappointment of her adopted mum Marion that pursues her in a car.

This is partly a journey to the chore of this mother-daughter relationship, partly a coming of age tale and partly a road movie. There is a good intention here somewhere it is just too dumb to believe an 11 year old is going to make that journey on a bike and that miraculously the mother is going to find her. Also the girl is properly looked after why risk her life to ask something so idiotic to Dolly Parton? Plus the border crossing scene goes beyond dumb, it is just plain unbelievable. It isn't boring, it is indeed quite a dynamic film but I just find the struggle between mother and daughter insincere, as Marion has been a dotting parent. I say that despite the really good acting of the two main leads and the very accomplished atmosphere recreating the 1970s. It is like the movie is trying to teach us a moral lesson but that doesn't quite ring true. I don't know you but I don't like it when a movie is too easy so it chews and digests everything for you. I like it when they give me the space to make up my mind and form an opinion on my own. It is certainly not the case here.