Wendy and Lucy
A cash-strapped traveler’s route to seasonal work collapses when a broken car and a lost dog expose how little room she has left to survive.
Overview
A woman's journey through hardship reveals the fragility of survival and the bonds of friendship.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- austere
- intimate
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a timely, heartbreaking portrait of loneliness and economic struggle anchored by Michelle Williams's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Wendy's broken car, lost dog, and dwindling money force increasingly desperate decisions while she seeks seasonal work.
The film uses an austere, naturalistic presentation of Wendy's encounters with mechanics, security personnel, and strangers.
Wendy is driving toward a potentially lucrative summer job in Alaska when her vehicle fails and her plans unravel.
Wendy's separation from Lucy drives the film's immediate search and intensifies its portrait of loneliness.
Films like Wendy and Lucy, and why
Certain Women
shared slow-burn social realism, economic precarity, and intimate female-centered character study
Old Joy
shared minimalist American filmmaking, marginal lives, loneliness, and quiet emotional devastation
Nomadland
shared working-class hardship, naturalistic performances, and compassionate portrait of people under economic pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Kelly Reichardt
- Release Date
- 2008-12-10
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (372)
Cast
- Michelle Williams
- Wally Dalton
- Larry Fessenden
- Will Oldham
- John Robinson
- Will Patton
- Lucy the Dog
- David Koppell
- Max Clement
- Sid Shanley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Hoopla, OVID, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wendy and Lucy about?
- A cash-strapped traveler’s route to seasonal work collapses when a broken car and a lost dog expose how little room she has left to survive.
- What is Wendy and Lucy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wendy and Lucy as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Wendy and Lucy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Wendy and Lucy as mild.
- What did critics think of Wendy and Lucy?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a timely, heartbreaking portrait of loneliness and economic struggle anchored by Michelle Williams's performance.
- Which films are like Wendy and Lucy?
- Films with a similar feel include Certain Women, Old Joy, and Nomadland.
- How long is Wendy and Lucy?
- Wendy and Lucy runs 80 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wendy and Lucy?
- In United States, Wendy and Lucy streams on Philo, Hoopla, OVID, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
