Honestly, I'm rather surprised that only so few listal members have rated this movie. I mean, sure, it isn't really a masterpiece but Alexander Payne is certainly of the best American directors at work today. Anyway, since I always had a weak spot for Payne's work, I was really eager to check his directing debut. Eventually, even though it didnโt really convinced me, I thought it was still pretty good. Indeed, it is basically one of those really pitch black comedies with loads of sarcasm and cynicism and it is always tricky to make comedy focusing on a character who is really unlikeable. Fortunately, Laura Deen really impressed me and it has been a while since I have seen her delivering such a good performance and I thought she was just pitch perfect in this flick. Still, it was pretty obvious that it was a directing debut since you could feel that they were a little bit stuck on the main concept. Sure, Ruth is pretty obnoxious and the people supposedly helping her were eventually not much better but it wasnโt really entertaining or interesting at some point. Still, if you love dark comedies, you should check this one out and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Alexander Payne's work.
7/10