Sollers Point

Jim Belushi is superb in the small role of Keith's father, a man admired and respected by everyone but the one individual he loves more than all the others combined.

The screenplay is naturalistic and the lead actor holds attention, but the film is too long and inconsequential to make much of a lasting impact as Keith meanders through his daily routines.

With "Sollers Point," [Porterfield has] added just enough narrative momentum to make that well-trod subset of crime sagas - the struggle to go straight - feel fresh again.

What "Sollers Point" accomplishes is a singular balancing act, compensating for the mood of heavy discouragement with only the slenderest thread of hope.

Characters like this one can be infuriating. But Mr. Lombardi imbues Keith with an ordinary likability...

The loose, seemingly improvisational performances bolster the film's unstudied realism and surface the hope and despair of the characters.

Though the ending may be a touch off-footed, and some performances range from the cliched to the monotonous, the majority of the film captures a rather unique (and realistic) concern that affects numerous Americans today.

Familiar themes are given a fresh perspective in this evocative redemption drama.

"Sollers Point" is an intimate and wise character study, not only of an unformed young man but also of a neighborhood struggling to preserve itself in the face of economic decline.

The film is a moving and elusive blend of naturalism and melodrama, less a character study than an analysis of a community.

If you like your cinema with a bite, chew on this.

The journey is everything in Sollers Point... By film's end, you understand that life, and hopefully growth, goes on. There's real beauty in coming to grips with that.