By Dan Skip Allen

I’m a fan of movies based on true stories or real events, and it’s strange because there are so many different kinds of stories that can be considered based on the truth per se. Most of the time, the stories based on true events or a true story are very emotional and / or sad. Sometimes, they can be bad stories or events as well. This genre is a very broad genre and can go all over the place, and that’s where the film, “Tow” in this review comes from. It’s not exactly a film I would have thought was based on a true story because it’s such a strange story. That being said, it’s still a good movie with a fantastic cast. They all signed on to this movie for a reason. It’s a heartfelt story.

Amanda Ogle (Rose Bryne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) is a woman who lives in Seattle, Washington is struggling a bit. She’s having a hard time trying to find a job and doesn’t have a place to live, so she’s living in her Blue 1991 Toyota Camry. After struggling to find a job, she finds a place that is willing to hire her. While they filled out her paperwork and being interviewed by the lady in charge, her car was stolen. When she goes out to get in it and drives away, it’s gone. After a stint on the streets, she eventually finds her car at an impound yard. The guy at the desk Cliff (Simon Rex, Red Rocket) ends up charging her an absorbent amount of money to get her car back. She can’t afford it, and this causes her to get into a long and prolonged battle to get her car back as well as survive without it.

After seeing this film, I understand that there are a lot of people who struggle in this world. Myself included. I’ve come close to living out of my car a few times in my lifetime. It makes sense in the context of this story that this woman wanted her car back so badly. Also, she uses her car to get to Utah to visit her daughter, Avery Ogle (Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade) on holidays and make it all the more impactful when she loses her only form of transportation and home. After watching many movies about homeless people this one doesn’t get that aspect of the film totally right but the movie has to follow the script and so that’s probably why it glosses over the homelessness aspects a bit. 

A key part of this movie is the supporting cast, as I mentioned. While this woman was completely homeless, without her car, she had to try and  live in a homeless shelter. There, she meets some interesting people, Nova (Drmi Lovato), Denise (Ariana DeBose, West Sidestory 2023), and a hardnosed woman, Barb (Octavia Spencer, The Help) who runs the shelter. This whole world at the shelter was fascinating to me because of how people acted and had to look for themselves and keep an eye on their belongings. I am so glad I never had to live at a shelter because I don’t know what I’d do to survive.  

Another aspect of the story is the whole lawsuit the main woman has to file to get her car back, and this becomes a whole ordeal. She ends up with a young lawyer, Kevin Eggers (Dominc Sessa, The Holdovers), who is a bit over matched by his fellow lawyer head of a law firm played by Corbin Bernsen. Sessa does a fantastic job, and so far, his career is headed in a good direction. His and Byrne’s chemistry is very good. I loved the casting here with him as the young lawyer. The courtroom stuff is also a bit underwhelming in this film as well. I guess the filmmaker didn’t want to veer off from the more character stuff in the movie.

Byrne is incredible in her Oscar Nominated performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You“ and this is another terrific performance from her. She does a good job but not a great job in this movie. I feel the script isn’t doing her any favors, and there is one moment where she wants to get her car back, and Stull doesn’t get it at that point where it’s a bit cringe. She’s giving it her all despite a by the numbers screenplay that she has to work with. The direction isn’t exactly the best either. Most of the stuff in her performance is her trying everything she can to make the character sympathetic and get the audience to care about her and her journey. I cared about it quite a bit, and her performance. 

“Tow” is a by the numbers true story that is elevated by the cast and specifically the performance from Bryne. As someone who came close to loving out of his car and has struggled financially in my lifetime, I can commiserate with her story in this film. That goes a long way with me. The script isn’t great, and the direction is fine, not great either. I think this movie will draw people in because of the true nature of the story and what Byrne’s character has to go through to get her car back. Hopefully, a lot of people will look at this story and start to care about their own lives and family and also value their cars more. I did. 

3 ½ stars