Release Details

Title: Off the Map

Release Date: 08/09/2005

Label/Distributor: Columbia Tristar Hom

Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Retail Price: $24.96

Genre: Drama

Cast: Valentina de Angelis, Joan Allen, Sam Elliott

Director: Campbell Scott

Running Time: 110

DVD Video Options: Color, Widescreen, Dolby

DVD Audio Options: English, Dubbed

UPC Code: 043396060418

Bo (Valentina de Angelis) is eleven years old and lives in a remote desert area of New Mexico with her mother (Joan Allen), a free spirit who tends to the garden in the nude, and her father (Sam Elliott), who is losing a battle with his inner demons. One day they receive a visit from an IRS agent (Jim True-Frost) who is there to audit the family even though they make a very modest income. Realizing the simple yet profound way that Bo and her family are living, the IRS agent abandons his work to live with the family and surrender to the mystique of the desert landscape. Eventually he becomes the catalyst for major changes and discoveries by every member of the family. Off the Map is a story of self-discovery that reveals unexpected moments of grace and the unpredictable enduring nature of love.


Tipsheet Reviews
VIDEO

Off the Map

Irv Slifkin 6/21/2005

DRAMA

Color, PG-13 (mature themes, nudity), 105 min., DVD only $24.95

Street: Aug. 9, Prebook: July 7

DVD: director's commentary

First Run: L, March 2004, $1.7 mil.

Cast: Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger), Sam Elliott (Hulk), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man), Jim True-Frost (The Hudsucker Proxy), Valentina de Angelis (Criminality), Amy Brennaman (The Suburbans)

Director: Campbell Scott

SONY

In a secluded area of New Mexico, Charley (Elliott) suffers from a serious case of depression, as wife Arlene (Allen), daughter Bo (de Angelis) and friend George (Simmons) struggle to make ends meet and figure out how they can help him. Earthy and mysterious with lots of quiet moments and long pauses between lines of dialog, this quirky drama plays like a short story come to life--although director Scott (co-helmer of Big Night) actually adapted a play. The characters get to show off their acting chops in subtle ways. Elliott, a master at underplaying, gets a chance to go to work here as a character removed from everyday concerns because of his clinical depression. Equally fine are de Angelis, as his feisty young daughter, and Allen, as his long suffereing wife. Tell renters to go elsewhere if they seek anything remotely action-oriented or fall-down funny. This methodically paced little movie relies on quiet moments and rewards patience.

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