An uncommon gem of a film, this story of a young woman finding herself is a marvelous sleeper. Ashley Judd (Kiss the Girls) makes her film debut as Ruby, who moves to a Florida beach town and tries as best she can to earn a living. She begins working in a clothing store and starts dating men, but after some hard choices realizes she must first figure out who she is and what she wants out of life before she settles for something less than she deserves. Writer-director Victor Nunez (Ulee's Gold) tells his tale as an amiable slice of life story without forcing any of the emotion. And Judd gives an astounding performance as a young woman whose quiet inner strength allows her to grow and gain confidence in the person she wants to be. Avoiding all the possible clichés and presenting a positive, realistic, and touching character portrait, Ruby in Paradise is a rare and worthwhile discovery. --Robert Lane
SOME OF THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS ABOUT THIS MUSIC [ SAMPLE ]
1) Ashley Judd's debut film - Ruby in Paradise is Ashley Judd's first film and, in my opinion, offers her best performance. She certainly deserved a best actress nomination for this role; I believe the only valid reason she didn't receive one was that this was too small a film and slipped by fairly unnoticed by most people and critics alike. While Ashley Judd has seen gone on to become quite a Hollywood celebrity, I do not feel that she has topped her performance in this film. The film itself is fairly straight-forward; it concerns a young girl named Ruby who runs away from an abusive family environment in Tennessee to try to make a new life for herself in a small Floridan ocean resort town. The film details her struggles to establish an identity for herself and to find her niche in life. This film, understandably, is quite character-driven in much the same way as in "Ulee's Gold" (by the same director) or Robert Duvall's "Tender Mercies" or Joan Chen's "Xiu Xiu" (all of which are excellent films). Nothing much happens during the film, yet the film is absorbing in its portrayal of the daily existence of Ruby. We see the slow metamorphosis of Ashley Judd's character from an uncertain girl into one who is more comfortable and has found direction for her life. It is all very subtly done with little nuances in Ashley Judd's performance and delicate, deliberate pacing by the director; nothing is flashed in big bold letters in front of our eyes, and I believe this makes the film all the stronger. The film is not for everyone - those searching for mindless, fast-paced blockbuster action need not apply, but those looking for a strong character-driven story will find much to like in this small gem of a film.
By Ed N on July 12, 2000
2) What it means to be working class - For those of us escaping at an early age because of a loss of family--in the case of Ruby, her mother's death and other implied circumstances--or the need to support ourselves because we do not have parents that can send us to college, this movie is the mirror of our early years. This is especially true of young women who have to work pink-collar or blue-collar jobs while they are trying to find themselves. The precision, the understatement of this movie, the delicate emotions of what relationships can mean to a woman's independence, is what gives it a five star rating and Ashely Judd's performance (her debut) is magnificent. You can't help but feel that her acting is taken from experiences in her own life. What young woman in those circumstances has not found herself making the mistakes Ruby does but yet, she has the inner strength, even in her most desperate moments (unemployed and thinking of being a topless dancer) to grit her teeth and not sell her soul. Yet, this movie is not judgmental--I don't think a viewer who has had to go through those experiences would have thought any less of Ruby for choosing to become a topless dancer just to pay bills, rent, and eat. We are forced at times to make desperate decisions to stay alive.
This should never had been a "sleeper" film. It is the kind of film I would have (if I had children) my daughter or son watch in their adolescent years. For those of us who came from disadvantaged circumstances in the land of opportunity--AMERICA-- it is a documentary of what it means to begin 300 yards behind the starting line of what is considered the normal sequence of events now in our culture--high school, college, a well-paying job, a good marriage, children. What it means when you have to grow up fast (for Ruby, spring break means being able to sell more merchandise--not the easy fling of fun on the beach). Yet there is nothing pitying about this film. It is the triumph of surviving and finding joy in being able to support yourself, and looking at the world through "different" eyes.
I cannot recommend this film highly enough. It soars.
By Mary Ellis on September 4, 2004
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