vanparise I loved this film!! It's poignant, raw, and so engaging. Performances across the board completely believable, truthful & deep. I didn't want it to end. Juliette Lewis is always interesting and here she is phenomenal, with every moment full and electric. The rest of the cast is also great. Jonny Weston, Josh Hopkins and Cybill Shepherd. So much fun to watch their shades of gray. And beautifully shot to make us feel like we're inhabiting this world. Masterfully directed by Jen McGowan. A must see!

Char Hardin Kelly a former punk rocker turned wife and mother is living in the burbs with a hunky husband Josh (Josh Hopkins) in their beautiful home and she is absolutely miserable. The baby cries all the time, she feels that her husband spends way too much time away from home. Josh is always working late. Kelly feels since the birth of their son, that Josh doesn't find her sexy anymore. She misses intimacy with her husband and definitely misses sex. Cal (Jonny Weston) is a teenager who lives down the street from Kelly and Josh. His life was altered after an accident left him with a spinal injury thus putting him into a wheelchair. He is angry and fed up with his circumstances.Kelly meets Cal while she is taking a cigarette break in her yard. Her son can be heard screaming from upstairs as she struggles to light her cigarette and find a moment of peace. Cal is on the other side of the fence and the two strike up a conversation. He notices the baby screaming and after a brief talk leaves at which time Kelly stands up and sees the teenager rolling away in the wheelchair. Later, she shares the moment with her husband and feels remorse at her tone with the handicapped teen.At the suggestion of her husband to get out and walk the baby, Kelly does and once again finds herself seeing Cal. The two become friends. They confide in each other and Cal is a very receptive young guy and he sees things about Kelly that she doesn't and before he can stop it, Cal develops a crush on the older woman. Kelly may be blind to some of her own issues, but she too is tuned in and she zeroes in on Cal and his unfortunate situation. She doesn't treat him or see him as others and being with Cal makes her feel young again. She knows their friendship is odd, but she can't help but want to continue.Juliette Lewis was amazing. Her character is like that of millions of new mothers after the birth of their child feels less desirable and ignored. Kelly was lonely and felt like she was missing out on something. Her mother-in-law Bev (Cybil Shepherd) suggested a night out with her girl-friends. Juliette Lewis gives a fantastic performance as Kelly. She wore her emotions on her face and I kept thinking that Kelly's husband must be plain stupid not to see that she was clearly in distress. It was all over her face and body language. Juliette's character went from melancholia, frustration, happy back to feeling dejected and worthless. Her self esteem was zilch and it showed.Juliette Lewis has come a long way since my seeing her on the television show The Facts of Life. Her performance in Kelly & Cal was award winning. Juliette has been working on a comeback and if this is any indication of what she is capable of showing, I would say she is definitely back! Josh Hopkins was totally convincing with his performance as Josh. He was oblivious to the wants and needs of his wife. He couldn't say or do anything to make her happy. He tried enlisting his mother and sister Julie (Lucy Owen) to help snap his wife out of her depression. In truth, it only made it worse, because Kelly felt on guard and she saw the two women as meddlesome. Things didn't finally dawn on Josh until something happened that threw the situation and Kelly and Cal's friendship in his face. Cybil Shepherd as the concerned mother-in-law was good. She cooked/baked, showered her daughter-in-law with attention and suggestions to help make her see that she was needed to take care of her baby, husband and herself. In one scene Cybil's character arranged for a makeover with a personal shopper who came to Kelly's house. Cybil was ecstatic with the gesture and Juliette Lewis's Kelly was mortified. Funny scene.Lucy Owen owned her role as Julie the nosy/meddlesome/jealous sister- in-law. Whenever she talked to Kelly it was with condescension and her words were laced with jealousy. Julie couldn't understand why Kelly was depressed. She had it all in her assumption and Kelly was seen as being difficult when she should have been happy. Jonny Weston as Cal was perfectly casted. He was charming as well as insanely sarcastic. His character was living from the confines of a wheelchair and he was angry. However, after meeting Kelly, he stopped taking his anti-depressant medication and he was enjoying getting to know her and revisit her heydays of when she was in a band. The boy admired her spirit and over the course of their time spent together, that same free spirit was rubbing off on Cal. Jonny breathed life into the character and to be perfectly honest, I can't imagine watching anyone else doing that. He has a way of drawing the viewer in and holding them in suspension as he tells a story with his acting. Watching Jonny as Cal was like watching him in Chasing Mavericks when he played Jay Moriarity. He is a splendid young actor.A friendship that seems like a good idea at the time leads to some major heartache for both Kelly and Cal and affects Kelly's marriage. Lessons are learned but come with consequences. Kelly & Cal is an awesome movie. I laughed and cheered and wept while watching this film. And if asked, would I recommend it, I would scream...YES!

jennywaldo KELLY & CAL is the kind of movie that stays with you long after you've seen it. Perfect casting of Juliette Lewis who's real-life rock 'n roll youth only strengthens the very raw, honest, and real identity crisis that comes with first-time motherhood. Unfortunately, I have lived this moment in life myself and Juliette plays it with the same "what-the-hell-just-happened" look on her face that I must have had. But Jonny Weston's performance of Cal stole the movie for me. I felt as shocked and moved by his character as Juliette Lewis's Kelly. He was charismatic and heartbreaking. This movie is so smartly written by Amy Lowe Starbin. The characters so true to their place in life. For example, Cal's cynicism might seem older than his years at times, but his youthful judgment and actions remind us he is still a teenager. The movie as a whole is a near perfect synergy of writing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, and sound design. The side characters have depth and range that defies their limited time on screen. And while it's been a festival favorite, it is not the type of indie movie that leaves you feeling uncomfortable or weirded out, or mentally exhausted. It's the type of movie I dream of, one that reflects real life and leaves me with a bit of hope.

bloodclay "Kelly and Cal" is one of those movies that starts out in an amazing way. We get to know our main character, Kelly, who is fresh from having a baby only six weeks earlier with her husband and is feeling exhausted and overworked. In comes the hilarious, handicapped teenager living next door who serves as the antidote to all her problems. They have laughs, drink beer, and start to build a relationship that is more meaningful than anything either of them have had in a long time. But though it starts off well (maybe even excellent) it soon deteriorates in a slow decline that ends when the credits roll. And the disappointment wouldn't mean much if the film hadn't given you a taste of what it could've been, but unfortunately, it does. Some of the best scenes at the beginning include the two of them bullshitting and having a great time talking about their problems, and nothing more than that. All either of them needs is a friend or simply just someone to talk to. But the movie turns into something it shouldn't be, something that's extremely cliché and never needed to happen, a romance. Just like so many other films, we see them start to connect and their forbidden relationship ensues. She has a husband and a baby, he's under 18, I think you can see what's coming. And frankly, it doesn't work. It tries to become emotional, possibly pulling at your heartstrings, but by the time that happens you could care less. There's so many moments when I was cursing under my breath hoping that the movie wouldn't go down the road it does. And what's even worse, the two leads are great together. Juliette Lewis (Kelly) and Jonny Weston (Cal) have so much potential that is wasted, and try their hardest to work with the been-there- done-that material, but even they can't save the film. It's a huge letdown, and one that stung.