Miss Meadows

A tap dancing vigilante may seem an impossible idea to turn into a comprehensible script but somehow Karen Leigh Hopkins makes it work. The opening sequence of the film makes it clear that Miss Meadows (Holmes) is no ordinary school teacher cum vigilante, with victim number one clocked very early after the title sequence. Holmes does a great job of making Miss Meadows seem the epitome of eccentricity, with, apparently, carefully created, precisely drawn and meticulously manicured manners, even at the point of the kill.

Throughout the plot are moments of blissful dialogue intertwined with pauses, telling looks, and, it has to be said, the incongruous, but it does hang together if you stick with it. There are continuity blunders in more than one scene, and occasional poor editing, but these do not stop the film from being surprisingly engrossing. The acting is rather good too, especially from James Badge Dale (the Sheriff) and Ava Kolker (Heather). There are memorable scenes like dancing to an unseen and unheard accordion in a field which make this film a little like an old fashioned fairy tale or a fable, but the message is totally adult in content, and should leave you thoughtful by the end.

A film like few others which is going to be underrated and under exposed. It is better than it will score on places like 1Mbd.

i've never reviewed a movie on IMDb before. i review them on my facebook page when i feel the urge, but i'm supremely unqualified to do so. although what the qualifications would be, i don't exactly know.

first, let me say that black comedy is a category which seems to impact me and stick to me longer than nearly any other genre. and i'm a sucker for the unreliable narrator as well and they usually go hand-in-hand.

when i say this movie was brilliant, i have no proof of it, no one single detail which would qualify it, but i do know it held me enthralled from beginning to end. and yes, there were a couple of rough patches where i thought the script sort of wandered off track, but then, i didn't write it, so it might well have been exactly what they intended and that one scene or two or an exchange of dialogue just didn't resonate with me.

i completely understand this genre is not for everyone and the comedy goes right over the heads of many people--too many things seem to do so these days.

i apologize for the wandering 'review', but i just think it deserves 2-3 stars more than the IMDb is showing as the average. don't let the slightly low rating keep you from watching it.

/guy

It was very strange but I enjoyed it. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. If you like the trailer, you'll probably like the movie in an odd way. If you don't like the trailer you might skip this one.

What else can I say about this quirky dark comedy. I enjoyed this movie as it was unique. Holmes is excellent as a Miss Goody Two Shoes with a very dark twisted secret. She dresses as if the fashion of flowery Laura Ashley vomited on her with preppy dresses. Holmes is the child of Charles Bronson's "Death Wish" and "The Simpsons" Maude Flanders with a mix of "Pulp Fiction's Samuel L Jackson and Mary Poppins with Sheldon Cooper. It is not to the end you find out the reason for her mental unstableness, so I won't spoil it. One can see she is not playing with a full deck of cards as she jas wild dreams and visions then goes about being the town vigilante and getting rid of the Earth of 'dregs.' The "dregs" are people who will get off with a morally deprived lawyer that will cost the taxpayers over $60,000 a year in legal fees and to keep behind bars. She meets the town sheriff who figures out she's the vigilante they've been looking; however he is in love with her. As the first time she has sex she is going between pleasurable convulsing to laughing her head off. Just as if virginally Maude Flanders and Mary Poppins had sex in their mid 30's... She did the acting of Miss Meadow great and I was cracking up at her portrayal. My cats even looked at me strange: so I know I was laughing my head off. An enjoyable movie but not a jump for joy all over the place.

This movie deserves so much more credit than its low IMDB rating. It's is a solid 7.5, simultaneously dark and empowering. Considering all the uninspired scripts being turned into movies these days, Miss Meadows dares to be different. Sure there are a couple of heavy-handed scenes, but pretty much about the film works well, particularly the solid acting (even the kids) and the fresh dialogue, Miss Meadows is a deliciously unique character, and Katie Holmes plays her perfectly. It's been a while since I've seen Holmes in anything, but Miss Meadows is a great reminder of how riveting Holmes can be on screen.