I love this movie. It’s one of those gentle, non-melodramatic little pieces that just makes me quietly smiley.

One day, Sammy wakes up at the end of a cross-country bus ride to find that his mother hadn’t made it back on to the bus after the last rest stop. As he waits for her, the townsfolk take care of him, assuming his lack of responses are because he’s a deaf-mute. Playing along first to protect himself, then because he’s scared people will stop being nice to him, and finally just from habit, Sammy makes it to adulthood with the town as his new adopted family.

We pick up with a story of small-town life, moonshine and small-time embezzlement. It makes for a gently amusing tale, with the underrated Matthew Modine just perfect as the ‘deaf’ man in front of whom people don’t really guard their words…

All very predictable, really, but quite fun, and a perfect Sunday afternoon snuggled up on the couch movie :)