Ruby in Paradise

RUBY IN PARADISE (1993) ***1/2 Ashley Judd, Todd Field, Dorothy Lyman, Bentley Mitchum. Delightful coming of age story about a young woman discovering her independence in a small Florida resort town. Outstanding breakthrough performance by newcomer Judd and heart-felt narrative that never loses interest.

This movie was directed by Victor Nunez who also wrote the screenplay (Ulee's Gold). Nice and straightforward writing, that was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award, looking at Ruby's day to day life. What we see is a slice in the life of the young woman Ruby. Ashley Judd (Sisters) won the Independent Spirit Award Best Female Lead for this role. Ruby is starting to live on her own and establishing her own identity. She explores jobs, friendships, boy friends, sex, a typical young adult search. The movie won Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. As an independent film enthusiast I picked the movie because of Sundance. I appreciate this type of movie, because it does not carry the Hollywood baggage. Although the stories are completely different this reminded me of Nobody's Fool, staring Paul Newman. The later movie is a slice of the daily life of a common man. I like that. The story is very nicely told, and all we had to do was sit and enjoy the story. The only thing I am not sure about is the title. I am sure that there are not that many bugs, and flies in paradise as there are in Florida. As I am allergic to mosquitos, Florida is no paradise to me, I itch all over thinking about Florida. I turn into a complete red boil. I recommend this movie! Favorite scenes: Ruby and her friend Rochelle Bridges, played by Allison Dean walking at the beach of Panama City, Florida. Indeed the sand is very white. I have been there. Favorite Quotes: "Necessity has always been a good excuse." "All that fuss over finding a man is not at all different now, who is going to be and when and why."

This film features an accurate depiction of a Florida tourist town in the off-season, as well as the acting range and talent of Ashley Judd. Panama City, Florida no longer resembles anything like the town seen in this film from 1993. Nearly everything you see in this film, from the souvenir shop to the iconic space needle, have all been destroyed by either tropical storms or capitalism. So, when watching the film, you are witnessing lost history. Anyone who has lived in a tourist town knows the unsettling quiet nature of the off-season. It can be shocking to see a place that is often pictured with so much activity being completely empty. It's off-putting at first, but peaceful. The open space gives the local residence an entire city that feels like a quiet beachfront park. Most of this film is shot in Panama City during the off-season, and it was the perfect setting for cerebral Ruby to experiment and contemplate her life. Ashley Judd plays a character that evolves throughout the film. The film has less dialog than most, and requires a lot of non-verbal acting. It is not an easy task to show personal growth in 90 minutes without many lines, but Ashley Judd proves capable in this tough role. Oh, by the way, she carries the entire film with her performance. Amazing. RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1; Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 1/1; Writing/Screenplay - 1/1; Total Base Score = 5 Modifiers (+ or -): Originality: +1; Authentic Location Shooting: +0.5 (Shot in a past version of Panama City, Florida, that no longer exists - before the huge 'Spring Break' influx and a few major storms. The outside shots are nostalgic and a little sad to anyone that has spent time there over the years.); Standout Performances: +1 ( Ashley Judd . Vulnerable, naive, clever, thoughtful, ever evolving from start-to-finish... A huge acting performance in such a small film.); Believability/Consistency: +0.5 (Captured the feel of a small Florida tourist town in the off season. Unfortunately, they avoided the early 'Spring Break' crowd and activity that would have been extra nostalgic.); Editing-Too Long: -0.5 (The night club sequence should have been much shorter. They didn't pay for decent music, the set and clothing were out-of-date, and there were too many people there for it to have been the off season.); Total RealReview Rating: 7.5 (rounded up to 8 for IMDB.)

Judd seems to have specialized in 'white trash runs away from man' roles. This is different only in that there is never any suspense or surprise, drama, tension. None! The entire plot is: Girl leaves hillbilly, winds up in small town, lands job, has a couple romances, is satisfied with her life. Husband doesn't come back to threaten her, she doesn't descend into drugs, etc. Couldn't be more boring.

Another one of those films you hear about from friends (...or read about on IMDb). Not many false notes in this one. I could see just about everything here actually happening to a young girl fleeing from a dead-end home town in Tennessee to Florida, with all her worldly possessions in an old beaten-up car. The heroine, Ruby, makes some false starts, but learns from them. I found myself wondering why, why didn't she lean a bit more on Mike's shoulder, but...she has her reasons, as it turns out. Just a fine film. The only thing I don't much like about it, I think, is the title.

I've watched this film a dozen times at least. Victor Nunez has created a wonderful work of art, and Ashley Judd is an amazing actor. This movie has tremendous substance in so many ways, I'm mesmerized each time I see it. I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in substantive films.

My brother brought this movie home from the rental store and I remember expecting it to be such a bore. I think the title especially put me off. I can't ever remember starting a movie with such low expectations and being so completely won over. I watched the movie twice before I let my brother take it back to the store. It is very infrequent that a movie speaks to me the way this one did. I was completely caught up in Ruby's situation as she tries to make her way through her life. The bad thing about this movie is that it seems to end so quickly. I could have kept watching for hours. Another downside is that I have been unsatisfied with everything Ashley Judd has done since. She is so perfect in this movie. This film is easily in my top ten favorites of all time.

Victor Nunez imbues this unsentimental tale of a young woman's emotional journey with a sense of poetry seldom seen in cinema. By poetry I mean the sense in which the literary and the cinematic come into play. There is something very literary about the film, almost as if a novel has been adapted page by page to screen. In this sense, the film achieves depths many cannot; but it is also rather slow at other times, undercutting the depths it once achieved in favor of ennui. The film's star Ashley Judd has not yet made a better film than her debut here. She fits the role of lead Ruby like a glove, almost as if she didn't have to act. She has true movie star presence in the film, and hasn't really managed to convey the same allure in her later films, although she was impressive in Normal Life.

In the sea of crap that Hollywood (and others) continue to put out, this is one of those diamonds in the rough. A small, simple movie that is very entertaining and leaves you with the feeling that you didn't just waste an hour and a half of your life. Ashley Judd is really quite amazing in this movie. I had never really been a fan or had noticed her before but going back and seeing this early performance of hers convinced me she's extremely talented. Watching this film was an assignment in a college course for me so I was skeptical I would even care. I thought, "Oh boy, some dumb chic flick or feminist male-bashing indie crap..." I was pleasantly surprised. Without analyzing the many relevant themes, I'll just say, if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out. Sometimes the down-to-earth, slice-of-life movies are the best, and this is a great one.