American Woman

Filmmaker Jake Scott’s American Woman tells the story of a woman who endures a succession of travails before accepting her life as it is rather than as she might like it to be. Deb Callahan (Sienna Miller) is an attractive but abrasive single mother working as a supermarket cashier while carrying on an affair with a married man. Her teen daughter Bridget (Sky Ferreira) has a child named Jesse with Tyler (Alex Neustaedter). One night Bridget goes off on a date with Tyler and doesn’t come home, leading Deb to blame him for her disappearance, which extends into years, during which Deb—helped by her mother (Amy Madigan), sister (Christina Hendricks), and brother-in-law (Will Sasso)—raises Jesse (Aidan McGraw) on her own. Unfortunately, she also links up with Ray (Pat Healy), an abusive control freak who she finally breaks up with, and then with Chris (Aaron Paul), a seemingly nice guy who turns out to be much less than the perfect catch. The story eventually comes full circle when the truth about Bridget’s disappearance is finally revealed. American Woman is intermittently affecting and features committed performances (Miller is especially convincing), but it often feels like a hectoring soap opera trimmed down to a compilation of dramatic (or melodramatic) highlights. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)