Paquin on mild ‘Ride’
‘Free Ride’ With Anna Paquin, Drea de
Matteo. A single mom sells drugs in 1970s Florida. Director: Shana Betz (1:26). Not rated: Language, drugs, violence. Cinema Village.
Shana Betz based “Free Ride” on her personal experiences — and her childhood certainly was adventurous enough to deserve cinematic treatment. But she’s unable to do the story justice as either a writer or director.
A miscast Anna Paquin plays Christina, a former stripper trying to raise two daughters during the late ’70s. She escapes her abusive boyfriend in Ohio to get to Florida with teenage MJ (Liana Liberato) and little Shell (Ava Acres, in the role based on Betz).
Christina’s friend Sandy (Drea de Matteo) puts them up and gets Christina a job cleaning houses. But that’s just a front for the real money-maker: running drugs for creepy guys like Ray (Cam Gigandet).
While this true-life odyssey should be the basis for a compelling drama or even a taut thriller, slack direction and a weak screenplay undermine the plot’s inherent tension. A convincing central turn might have overcome some of these issues, but Paquin never settles into the role. It’s hard to believe her passive character is either desperate or wild enough to make the choices she does.
On the bright side, the charismatic Liberato is one to watch. And de Matteo (“The Sopranos”) brings a crucial jolt of assertive energy. Both seem to be in another, more exciting movie entirely.