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Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy

Drama · 2008

A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

Movie details

Wendy and Lucy

“On the long road, friendship is everything.”

2008 Drama 1h 20m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

A near-penniless drifter's journey to Alaska in search of work is interrupted when she loses her dog while attempting to shoplift food for it.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Wendy and Lucy?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Scarecrow

Scarecrow

Drama · 1973

Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.

The Saint of Fort Washington

The Saint of Fort Washington

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Matthew, a young schizophrenic, finds himself out on the street when a slumlord tears down his apartment building. Soon, he finds himself in even more dire straits, when he is threatened by Little Leroy, a thug who is one of the tough denizens of the Fort Washington Shelter for Men. He reaches out to Jerry, a streetwise combat veteran, who takes Matthew under his wing as a son. The relationship between these two men grows as they attempt to conquer the numbing isolation of homelessness.

Bastard Out of Carolina

Bastard Out of Carolina

Drama · 1996

A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

Fancy Dance

Fancy Dance

Drama · 2024

Following her sister's disappearance, Jax and her niece Roki must stick together. Desperate to keep what's left of their family intact, Jax and Roki defy the law and hit the road on a journey to the Grand Nation Powwow in Oklahoma City.

The Short History of the Long Road

The Short History of the Long Road

Drama · 2019

Nola grew up living in a van with her father, Clint—two nomads against the world. When tragedy strikes, Nola must confront the reality of life on the road alone, learning to own her grief, her past, and her new destination.

The Safety of Objects

The Safety of Objects

Drama · 2002

In a suburban landscape, the lives of several families interlace with loss, despair and personal crisis. Esther Gold has lost focus on all but caring for her comatose son, Paul, and neglects her daughter and husband. Lawyer Jim Train is devoted to his career, not his family. Helen Christianson wants to find a new spark in life, while Annette Jennings tries to rebuild hers.

Cardboard Boxer

Cardboard Boxer

Drama · 2016

Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.

Old Joy

Old Joy

Drama · 2006

Soon to be a father, Mark feels the pressure of domestic responsibility closing in, so he is more than happy to accept when his old friend Kurt proposes a camping trip in the Oregon wilderness. During their time together, the men come to grips with the changes in their lives and the effect on their relationship.

Ironweed

Ironweed

Drama · 1987

An alcoholic drifter spends Halloween in his hometown of Albany, New York after returning there for the first time in decades.

Mammal

Mammal

Drama · 2016

After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Kelly Reichardt

Written by

Jonathan Raymond · Kelly Reichardt

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams

Wendy Carroll

Wally Dalton

Wally Dalton

Security Guard

Larry Fessenden

Larry Fessenden

Man in Park

Will Oldham

Will Oldham

Icky

John Robinson

John Robinson

Andy

Will Patton

Will Patton

Mechanic

Lucy the Dog

Lucy the Dog

Lucy

Court is in session

Put Wendy and Lucy on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.