It’s time that we all admit, we’re all big fans of underdog stories, especially when an individual or even a small group of individuals takes on big corporations. We love stories where the little guy wins in the face of corporate greed. Tow, starring Rose Byrne is that kind of story. I loved it. It may not be her best movie, but it was a delightfully entertaining movie based on a true story where a woman fought back against a towing company that tried to make her pay for her own stolen car. Rose Byrne has always picked fascinating projects, and I was glad to see her get recognition last year with a Golden Globe nomination for her film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. This movie is another fascinating project where she truly shines as an actress. It’s a heartwarming story about a woman, down on her luck, trying to climb out of a hole and reclaim her life while battling homelessness and living in her car until it’s taken away from her. After watching the movie, I couldn’t see anybody else but Rose Byrne playing the main character. She’s wonderful and truly makes this movie better than it should be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is a bad story, it’s not, but she does make the movie better with her performance.
This movie is actually based on a true story. Rose plays a woman struggling with addiction and doesn’t have a place to lie. She’s trying to get back on her feet with a new job and at the same time, living in her car. Then one day the car is stolen, but when it’s recovered, it’s towed, and even though she is a victim, she must pay the towing fee. With the help of a young energetic lawyer played by Dominic Sessa, who’s great in The Holdovers by the way, they take the towing company to court and fight this injustice. The movie is about not only standing up for your rights and your dignity, but the little guy fighting back against a big corporate machine. Rose Byrne and Dominic Sessa give the best performances in the movie and truly make it heartwarming while adding a touch of comedic flavor to a situation that’s supposed to piss you off. While this movie is not Erin Brockovich in the sense they take on a billion-dollar company, it is an underdog story that’s easy to root for. Octavia Spencer gives a great performance as well. As a critic, I have very few complaints about this movie and would certainly watch it again. But it is the performances of the cast that make this movie worth watching. Even Simon Rex gives a standout performance as the towing yard employee who wants to help, but can’t or he will lose his job.
Without sounding too much like a broken record, I know I’m always arguing whether a story should be a movie or a series, I think this would have been a funny sitcom series on a streaming service. Really, my biggest complaint is there is so much more to the story that they compacted into a movie. The ordeal actually took a year, and a lot can happen in a year. I want to know more about these characters’ lives in the course of a year and each step they took to fight the towing company. However, even though it would have made a really funny series with 30-minute episodes, this is still a wonderful movie and worth watching. The performances are good, the story touches on all the important aspects of the real story. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll feel good by the end of the movie. Yes, it’s a feel-good movie and I’m a big fan of those kinds of films. We need those because the world can suck. Sure, I want to know more about what happens with these characters over the course of a year, but they still did a great job telling the story within a 2-hour format. And, this is one of Rose Byrne’s best performances. I highly recommend this movie. It’s a heartfelt movie that’s perfect for movie night. If you don’t get a chance to see it in theaters, definitely rent it when it’s on a digital streaming service.
