Tennessee

First and foremost this is a story about coming home. Secondly it is a story about fleeing abusive relationships. That is an odd combination, but it works fairly well here.

Adam Rothenberg and Ethan Peck play brothers who, with their mother, run from Tennessee to New Mexico. The brothers stay together for 15 years outside Albuquerque barely surviving. When the younger brother discovers he has leukemia they decide to head back to Tennessee to see if the father is a possible bone marrow donor.

Along the way they meet a singer-songwriter waitress played by Mariah Carey. She helps them continue their journey when their car breaks down and they help her get on stage in a Nashville music contest. They all help each other deal with the drama in their lives. Bottom line, the message is that caring for someone else helps you feel better about yourself.

The plot has a couple of gaping holes which I could not get past however. The waitress's husband played coldly by Lance Reddick chases them across 4 states in his Texas state patrol car. Jurisdictions? What jurisdictions? Problem # 1.

When he finally catches up to the trio, Carey's character is on stage singing about how badly she has been treated. The song softens the heart of the heretofore stone cold wife-beater and he turns heels and goes back to Texas without a word to his wife. Problem #2. Have you ever met a guy from Texas?

After the brothers get to Knoxville the older brother rents a car to run all over the place doing things for his hospitalized brother. How does a guy with no cash, no job, and no credit card rent a car? Problem # 3.

Any one of these by itself might have been overlooked. But since the audience insults keep on coming I feel compelled to say something.

That said, now I feel I must say some nice things. Mariah Carey does a credible job acting. The sweet surprise ending works. The music is great as is the scenery.

Watch this movie, if you must, with someone who will not be bothered by any of the above.