Anywhere But Here MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -1 1/2

Ann August (Natalie Portman) dreams of a stable family life in hometown Bay City, Wisconsin. Her mother, Adele (Susan Sarandon), dreams of a new and exciting life in Beverly Hills, California. When Adele decides she and Ann must leave sleepy Bay City and move to an uncertain future in California, Ann is furious for being uprooted from a life she loves during her teenage years. This leads to a volatile relationship between mother and daughter, as they both adjust to their new lives and Ann continues to adjust to mothers often irrational behavior. Life in Los Angeles is difficult, but it is a time of growth and sacrifice for both of them. Ann is forced to take more of an adult role and Adele is forced to learn what it really means to be a mother, including sacrificing a precious possession so Ann can go to college. ANYWHERE BUT HERE isnt for action buffs. Its a thoughtful and sometimes humorous story, capturing both the close and often distant nature of the mother-daughter relationship.

This film has some wonderful and realistic moments between a mother and daughter who cant live with or without each other. It reveals the strength of family and the importance of working through hurts and disappointments together. Adele tries to fill a gap in her life with a man, or men. Sex is referenced between her and a married doctor but nothing is shown. Ann and her cousin talk about their sex lives and Adele asks Ann if shes having sex with someone, as if teen sex is expected. A comment is also made about Anns breasts getting bigger. A boy makes advances at Ann but she rejects them at first. Then later, while acting out her frustrations, she tells him to undress in front of her and they passionately kiss. But intercourse is not shown or implied. Language brings the most disappointment with a few obscenities and several regular profanities. ANYWHERE BUT HERE offers insight into the pain of a broken home and the tenuous bond between mother and daughter, but once again offensive language disqualifies acceptability.

Preview Reviewer: Cliff McNeely
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035, (310) 277-2211