Broken Bridges

BROKEN BRIDGES

REVIEWED BY RISSI C.

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual content, drinking, language

Rated:

He was famous and now he throwing his life away. Bo Price (Toby Keith) had it all with a career as a country music star, but after one too many drinks he has to fight to get in the spotlight. Angela Delton (Kelly Preston) is the small town girl he loved in high school and left when he found out she was pregnant.

Angela is now living in Miami and working as a reporter. She is also raising her rebellious daughter Dixie (Lindsay Haun) who’s an aspiring rock star and dealing with her unreasonable boss who is also her boyfriend. When Angela receives a phone call from her mother (Tess Harper) telling her that her brother and Bo’s brother have both died in a military accident, Angela packs up her daughter and leaves for the small town she grew up in. Once back home Angela leans Bo will be staying at her parents' bed and breakfast also. Angry and bitter over his abandonment of her, Angela resolves to get through the funeral and head back to Miami. But before Angela can leave, she realizes that she has to forgive more than just her former love... she also has to make amends with the father she hasn’t seen in more than sixteen years.

This isn’t a major Hollywood production, but is a little more of a true to life story, something my family and I liked. While there are some good points raised, there is also some disturbing content. While Angela is at a party, Dixie and her boyfriend are shown sitting on her bed talking. They are not fully clothed and kiss, but are interrupted when Angela comes home and makes him leave. There are several scenes that have characters drinking, including at a party with a group of teens. While Dixie is at a party, a man attempts to sexually assault her. After having too much to drink, he takes her to a barn and they start kissing. When she tells him to slow down, he slaps her around and forces her to the ground before she gets away. If the film interests you, you can tell when the scene is coming and fast-forward it. There are a few references to the attempted assault and a brief remark is made about an abortion. Language is used throughout the movie, mostly uses of a--. Bo beats up someone, but it’s short and wasn’t that disturbing. Dixie often talks back to her mother.

This is Toby Keith’s acting debut. While he isn’t amazing, he is good in this role since he plays a character he can relate to. In the making-of feature the director says that one of the reasons he liked Toby so well is because he was playing a real life person. I would have to agree. Kelly Preston was fabulous as usual. I have loved Kelly ever since seeing her in What a Girl Wants. While this role is not as comic, she was still perfect for this part. Lindsay Haun also gave a commendable performance, better than in Brave New Girl. She has potential as an actress and I hope to see more from her.

Broken Bridges is a story of forgiveness and following your dreams. Rather surprising is that there are some real truths in the film. A song sung near the end is very meaningful. What bothers me is that it wasn't more discreet. I didn’t need to see Dixie and her boyfriend in a semi-compromising position to know that she was a wild girl. There are other things about her that told me as much. Everything from her red-streaked hair to her quirky and sometimes inappropriate wardrobe, it’s not difficult to see she needs a change of in her attitude. Some of the best scenes are between Lindsay and Toby, surprisingly. While this isn’t going on my “best films of 2006," it was better than I thought and not without some good qualities.