Canadian director John Smith made his American feature debut with Dangerous Minds, in his latest film A Cool Dry Place, social realism is once again his focus... Russ - Vince Vaughn - is the single father of Calvin - Bobby Moat - in a small town in Kansas. After being a high-flying trial lawyer in Chicago Russ now deals with petty crime in his friend`s local firm, it seems to be the only way he can balance career and family and even then it`s not always easy. Kate - Monica Potter - walked out on Russ and Calvin eighteen months ago, and now she`s back, just as Russ has begun a relationship with Beth - Joey Lauren Adams. It sounds like a simplistic storyline, and maybe it is, but there`s a degree of realism attempted here that`s interesting...This is a performance piece and taking the honours is young Bobby Moat who`s incredibly natural. Overdoing it on occasions is Vince Vaughn as Russ, although the scenes between him and Calvin have a reality to them that almost looks improvised. Because Russ is a real father, he makes mistakes on occasions. Monica Potter`s role as Kate seems underdeveloped, her return a bit of a mystery but Joey Lauren Adams gives a nice depth to Beth. This is a nice film, but that`s really all you could say about it... David`s Comments:A simple film, more telemovie than theatrical film really, with very good performances, especially little Bobby Moat. The dilemma of the central character is quite sharply presented, but the motivations of the wife are frustratingly murky.
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