Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy
Promotional poster
Directed by	Kelly Reichardt
Screenplay by	Jon Raymond Kelly Reichardt
Based on	Train Choir by Jon Raymond
Produced by	Larry Fessenden Neil Kopp Anish Savjani
Starring	Michelle Williams
Cinematography	Sam Levy
Edited by	Kelly Reichardt
Production companies	Field Guide Films Film Science Glass Eye Pix Washington Square Films
Distributed by	Oscilloscope Pictures
Release dates	May 22, 2008 (2008-05-22) (Cannes Film Festival) December 10, 2008 (2008-12-10) (United States)
Running time	80 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$300,000[2]
Box office	$1.4 million[3]

Wendy and Lucy is a 2008 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Reichardt and Jon Raymond adapted the screenplay from his short story Train Choir. The film stars Michelle Williams as Wendy, a homeless woman who searches for her lost dog, Lucy (played by Reichardt's own dog of that name, who had previously appeared in Old Joy).^[4] It had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at several additional film festivals before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 10, 2008.

Plot

A young woman, Wendy Carroll, is traveling to Alaska with her dog Lucy, where she hopes to find work at a cannery. They become stranded in Oregon when their car breaks down, and she lacks the funds to repair it. At a supermarket, she leaves Lucy outside while she attempts to shoplift dog food. After a meeting with the store clerk and the manager, Wendy is apprehended and taken to the police station.

After paying a fine, Wendy is released from police custody. She hurries to the grocery store, but Lucy is gone. After many failed efforts to track Lucy down, with the help of a security guard, she discovers that Lucy has been taken to a dog pound and rehomed.

When Wendy visits the mechanic to pick up her car, she learns her engine needs to be rebuilt, which would exceed the car's worth. Abandoning her car and nearly penniless, Wendy goes to the home where Lucy lives. She tearfully promises to return and departs on a Northbound train.

Cast

• Michelle Williams as Wendy Carroll
• Walter Dalton as Security guard
• Will Patton as Mechanic
• Larry Fessenden as man in Park
• Will Oldham as Icky
• John Robinson as Andy Mooney
• Deirdre O'Connell (voice) as Deb
• Lucy as herself

Release

Box office

In its opening weekend, Wendy and Lucy grossed $18,218 in 2 theaters in the United States, ranking #54 at the box office. By the end of its run, Wendy and Lucy grossed $865,695 domestically and $326,960 internationally for a worldwide total of $1,192,655.^[5]

Critical reception

The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 85% approval rating among 185 critics, with an average score of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads "Michelle Williams gives a heartbreaking performance in Wendy and Lucy, a timely portrait of loneliness and struggle".^[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7] The film won both Best Picture and Best Actress at the 12th Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.^[8]

Accolades

Award	Category	Outcome
American Film Institute Awards 2008[9]	Movie Of The Year	Won
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2008
	EDA Award, Best Actress for Michelle Williams	Nominated
	EDA Female Focus Award, Best Director for Kelly Reichardt	Nominated
	EDA Female Focus Award, Best Screenwriter for Kelly Reichardt	Nominated
Cannes Film Festival 2008[10][11]	Palm Dog Award for Lucy	Won
	Un Certain Regard for Kelly Reichardt	Nominated
Chicago International Film Festival 2008	Gold Hugo for Best Feature	Nominated
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film[12]	Best Actress for Michelle Williams Best Director for Kelly Reichardt	Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2008[13]	Russell Smith Award for Kelly Reichardt	Won
Gijón International Film Festival	Grand Prix Asturias, Best Film	Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards 2009	Best Feature	Nominated
	Best Female Lead for Michelle Williams	Nominated
International Cinephile Society Awards 2008	Best Adapted Screenplay for Kelly Reichardt Best Adapted Screenplay for Jonathan Raymond	Won
	Best Actress for Michelle Williams	Nominated
National Board of Review Awards 2008[14]	Top Independent Feature	Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards 2008[15]	Best Actress for Michelle Williams	Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2008[16]	Best Female Performance for Michelle Williams	Won
	Best Picture for Kelly Reichardt	Won

References

1. "Wendy and Lucy (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 27, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
2. Solomon, Deborah (November 28, 2008). "Questions for Kelly Reichardt: Social Realist". The New York Times.
3. "Wendy and Lucy (2008)". The Numbers. December 10, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
4. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Kelly (Reichardt) and Lucy". YouTube.
5. "Wendy and Lucy (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. December 10, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
6. "Wendy and Lucy (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
7. "Wendy and Lucy". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
8. Lacey, Liam; Dixon, Guy (December 17, 2008). "Toronto Film Critics choose indie over Hollywood". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008.
9. "AFI Awards 2008". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
10. Knegt, Peter (December 9, 2008). ""I Think I've Come a Long Way": "Wendy and Lucy" Actress Michelle Williams". IndieWire. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
11. Aftab, Kaleem (May 25, 2008). "Cannes 2008: Palm Dog News". IGN. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
12. "2009, 15th Annual Awards, March 22, 2009". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
13. Wilonsky, Robert (December 17, 2008). "Dallas Is a Nanny City After All, Courtesy The CW. Also: A Year-End Movie List". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
14. "2008 Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
15. "Sexual Abuse Family Drama Tops Sundance + Alzheimer's & Motherhood". www.altfg.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
16. "TFCA Awards 2008". Toronto Film Critics. December 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

External links

• Wendy and Lucy at IMDb 
• Wendy and Lucy at Metacritic
• Wendy and Lucy at Rotten Tomatoes