When discussing movies, I'm generally hesitant to use terms like "overlooked" or "underappreciated." But I think they both apply to Riding The Bus With My Sister, a moving film about family, friendship, mental disability, and public transportation. Starring Rosie O'Donnell.

Riding The Bus With My Sister is one of my favorite movies and I almost never see it mentioned on /r/movies or Reddit in general (here's the trailer for those who aren't familiar). It first aired on CBS back in 2005. It was adapted from a book bearing the same name. The film was originally a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation. Just like most of you guys, when I see that Hallmark seal of approval, I think to myself "this is going to be generic, boring, and impossible to masturbate to." I am happy to report, that was not the case.

But first, a little background (spoilers):

Riding The Bus With My Sister tells the story of Beth, played by Rosie O'Donnell. Beth is a vivacious, developmentally disabled woman with an affinity for public transportation. She's loud and unkempt. Also, she sits too close to other people on the bus. Andie McDowell plays Beth's normie sister, Rachel. She's a fashion photographer with great hair and limited patience for the mentally impaired.

When their father - who also happens to be Beth's caretaker - passes away suddenly, the duty of transitioning Beth to self-reliance falls on the winsome shoulders of Rachel, who soon finds out that taking care of a mentally handicapped person is not as fun as they make it look in the movies (I'm looking at you, Pretty Woman). To Rachel, Beth is loud and obnoxious, offensive to the ears and both eyes. Her eating habits are disquieting, as is her personal hygiene, or lack thereof. To call the casting of Beth brilliant would be an understatement in the extreme.

But the pickle on top of this dimwit sandwich is Beth's love of the city bus line. Rachel just cannot understand why most of her sister's day is spent riding it around for hours on end. I mean, it's the bus. People pee there.

At the end of the day, the stakes are clear; If Rachel fails, it's the dreaded group home for Beth. In such a place, hours previously spent riding the bus would be replaced with washing her hands after she poops.

The film is anchored by a standout performance from the lead. Here, O'Donnell dials back the innate sexiness she is so known for and sinks body and soul into the part, providing a master class in acting along the way. Frankly, it's almost impossible to tell where O'Donnell ends and Beth begins. No doubt it will be held as the gold standard for portraying an individual with such a condition, one which will stand until either this film gets the sequel it deserves or Donald Trump plays himself in the movie adaptation of his life, whichever comes first.

About that performance: someone once said "never go full retard." Normally, the words of a man in black face are to be heeded. Well, not only does O'Donnell fearlessly saunter up to the point of retardation, she actually goes well beyond it. She somehow finds deposits of mental impairment embedded deep in the earth, drills down to them, injects the ensuing fissures with a high pressure mixture of water and chemicals, then breathes deeply the resultant vapors. O'Donnell does this seemingly with no regard for the well-being of herself or for that of the drinking water supply near where she practices her art. Here is a clip from the film that shows exactly what I mean. Watching her is like seeing Brando or Olivier reborn. Put simply, Rosie O'Donnell is a spectacular retard.

As for the rest of the movie, well, I don't want to spoil it too much. There is a lovely scene where Beth and her boyfriend go shopping for a new toilet seat. Another has Beth pondering whether or not Swedish fish can float in cola. Her monologue about bow she shits in a certain restroom just to piss off a man named Eugene is divine. One of the more heartwarming moments - and there are plenty - finds Beth attempting to replace the stick up her sister's butt with the penis of one of her bus driver friends. That last one subtly illustrates that Beth has hidden depths and may not be quite as "stupid" as she first appears.

But Rosie O'Donnell is far from the only bright spot in Riding The Bus With My Sister.

D.W. Moffatt is brilliant as Rick, the handsome bus driver and one of Beth's favorites. He flirts with her in a charming and subtle manner. During my numerous rewatch sessions, I find myself shouting "Jesus Christ, Rick, keep your thing in your pants and you eyes on the road!" That's how you know he really nailed the part. That, and the fingerless gloves he wears throughout the film. I mean, you can barely tell he only took the role to pay down some child support.

Most great movies have a great score. This one is no different. Stuart Copeland, former drummer of The Police, is the composer. His music strikes just the right balance between probiotic yogurt commercial and soft core porn. There's times when he uses almost two chords to convey a mood or emotion to the audience.

Finally, Anjelica Huston directs. Amazingly, this movie was only her third go round at directing a feature length film. Even with such limited experience, she brings her vision to the screen in a way her father, John Huston, never really could love the entirety of his largely fruitless and ineffectual career. It's worth noting that Miss Huston would never direct a feature length film again. My guess is because she wanted to quit while she was on top.

Anyway, that is my humble appeal for what I think is an amazing, overlooked film. Thank you for your time.

Submitted September 14, 2017 at 09:24PM by _vargas_ http://ift.tt/2y1xnry