Anywhere but Here

REVIEW
Two good lead performances by Sarandon and Portman can't totally save this overly familiar, alternately touching and maudlin story of a mother and daughter which plays like a low-rent Tumbleweeds. Based on the best-seller by Mona Simpson, the film follows Sarandon and Portman as they move from their small town in Wisconsin to Beverly Hills for a new start. Constantly at odds, each woman finds direction and, ultimately, respect for the other. The tale of coming-of-age and starting anew was better told in the refreshing Slums of Beverly Hills, but the acting here is strong enough to counterbalance the film's sappiness and the occasional cliché.