
Kelly once played in a punk band. Now, after giving birth to her son and moving into a cozy (boring) suburb, she can't feel comfortable in the role of perfect mom/exemplary wife. Her 17-year-old neighbor Calvin, wheelchair-bound after an accident, also can't get used to his new position. A fleeting conversation between two people forced to spend much more time at home gives rise to a tender friendship in which both find what they lacked. Kelly, once a punk-rocker turned subur... (Full plot summary below)
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Kelly once played in a punk band. Now, after giving birth to her son and moving into a cozy (boring) suburb, she can't feel comfortable in the role of perfect mom/exemplary wife. Her 17-year-old neighbor Calvin, wheelchair-bound after an accident, also can't get used to his new position. A fleeting conversation between two people forced to spend much more time at home gives rise to a tender friendship in which both find what they lacked. Kelly, once a punk-rocker turned suburban mom, is nostalgic for a life she can no longer have and uncertain of a future into which she doesn't yet fit; 17-year-old Cal is frustrated at his loss of control of his life. The pair's unlikely friendship is the perfect spark needed to thrust them both back into life.
Leave your thoughts about Kelly & Cal.
| Lagniappe (Mobile, AL)Asia FreySo much rings true in the film "Kelly and Cal" that it almost hurts to watch. But the leads, Juliette Lewis and Jonny Weston, bring so much spark to their roles that even when some moments hit too close to home, it's a wonderful film. |
| New York TimesStephen HoldenThe performances of Ms. Lewis and Mr. Weston crackle with authenticity. Like a good punk-rock song, this bracingly honest, tough-minded vignette stays true to itself. |
| Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniFor all its frank sexual language, Kelly & Cal is hardly revolutionary or shocking. It drags in the second act and has an ending so obvious, you can smell it from the opening scene. |
| Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenWritten by Amy Lowe Starbin and directed by Jen McGowan, both first-timers, the feature is alive with interactions that feel spontaneous. |
| Seattle TimesJohn HartlThe movie turns a little soapy as it tries to locate a satisfying ending, and there are too many self-conscious statements of life's little lessons, yet the passion remains. |
| MetroMatt PriggeThis is essentially Juliette Lewis' vehicle - a movie to remind you of how filmmakers have largely left untapped her subtle gifts. |
| Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)Ken HankeThe things that are good about Jen McGowan's debut feature are so very good that it would be altogether too easy to overpraise the film -- and that would do no one any favors. |
| Entertainment WeeklyKaren ValbyThe biggest takeaway from Kelly & Cal, a wonderfully honest and tender film about the bitter pill of adulthood, is Hollywood's criminal underuse of Juliette Lewis. |
| TheWrapTodd GilchristIt's a film that takes its characters and their crises seriously, allowing them to fully explore their situation before providing them (and the audience) a genuine roadmap for finding their way through. |
| VarietyGeoff BerkshireThis disarming pic navigates tricky emotional territory to emerge as an impressive feature debut for helmer Jen McGowan and scribe Amy Lowe Starbin. |