Critic wrangle: "Frozen River."

2008-08-01 20:00:01

I really didn't care for Courtney Hunt's feature debut "Frozen River" when I caught it at Sundance, but others did, to the point where it won the Grand Jury Prize, was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, opened New Directors/New Films and now, in theatrical release, is receiving mostly praise, while star Melissa Leo's name is being idly tossed around by the early Oscar-watching crowd. Her nervy, ego-free performance is without a doubt the main reason to watch the film. Amongst the praise: Owen Gleiberman at Entertainment Weekly observes that "as written and directed by Courtney Hunt, the movie is no somber, medicinal downer. It takes the form of a thriller you can believe in," while Stephen Holden at the New York Times finds that "Ms. Hunt's eye for detail has the precision of a short story writer's. She misses nothing." Andrew Sarris at the New York Observer claims the...

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