Michelle Monaghan is a damn good actress, to borrow a phrase from those Turner Classic Movies teasers, and clearly she’s happy to be tackling a leading role, that of a world-weary long-haul trucker whose estrangement from her preteen son comes to an abrupt bend in the road. But writer-director James Mottern, making his first feature, has a heavy hand when it comes to contrivance and convenience. I like the cast of this film; Nathan Fillion (as a platonic friend) and Benjamin Bratt (as Monaghan’s ex) give Monaghan something to work with, as does the key male in the ensemble, Jimmy Bennett, playing son Peter. The script … eh. Too bad, because Monaghan is one of the few mainstream/indie straddlers we have who, besides being innately worth watching, look and act as though they might know their way around a semi. Another way to put it: She’s believable and true, even when “Trucker” is not.
Running time: 1:30. Plays Fri.-Thu. at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-281-4114; facets.org.
