Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) is a mild-mannered store manager. His wife Grace is away at war in Iraq. They met in basic training and married before he got thrown out for his eyes. He's informed of her death but he can't bring himself to tell their daughters Heidi and Dawn. He decides to take them out of school on a surprise trip to amusement park Enchanted Gardens. They visit his anti-war slacker brother John Phillips (Alessandro Nivola). The older daughter Heidi starts to suspect something is wrong.
Cusack is playing against type as a father. He is literally hunched over after the news. It's an interesting performance and the two girls are great. The older girl is especially good. This road trip movie is a bit too simplistic. There isn't enough going on. It needs a few more outside characters for the three leads to interact with like that smoking boy. It is nevertheless very compelling and the inevitable talk is powerful.
Cusack is playing against type as a father. He is literally hunched over after the news. It's an interesting performance and the two girls are great. The older girl is especially good. This road trip movie is a bit too simplistic. There isn't enough going on. It needs a few more outside characters for the three leads to interact with like that smoking boy. It is nevertheless very compelling and the inevitable talk is powerful.