Wonderful character development!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Seeing all of the 9- and 10-star reviews, I just have to chime in. This is another stage play that has been forced poorly onto the big screen. Aside from the abridgment that takes place to keep it at movie length, the worst crime this movie commits involves the script. Time and time again, playwrights and screenwriters develop characters who talk in a completely unbelievable manner. When you see a character like this, it is evident that it is a person reading a script, because PEOPLE SIMPLY DO NOT TALK LIKE THAT IN REAL LIFE. I'm talking about Young Bo. Sure, there are precocious kids. But at no point while watching the young actor was I not painfully aware that she was reading someone else's over-clever prepared words. That character ruins what is already a chore of a film. SPOILER: An IRS man comes to audit them and stays for eight years with no government investigation? Give me a break. The best part of this entire film is when Charlie takes the pill and feigns a goofy smile. It was the only thing that made that role worthwhile and the only thing about the film that wasn't contrived. I laughed aloud when I read a review here that claims this is "perhaps one of the finest movies ever made." Nothing better than reading film reviews by people who have only seen about fifteen films in their lives.

This indie flick directed by Campbell Scott is quirky but quiet, slow but unrealistic. Think "Big Night" in tone, but much slower and quirkier, and add doses of magical realism and a lot of gorgeous New Mexico scenery.Magical realism combined with slow storytelling make for a flick that is probably wonderful if seen stoned, but somewhat draggy (at least to me) if one is expecting a normally paced, realistic movie. My tolerance for magical realism probably begins and ends with Robert Redford's "The Milagro Beanfield War", a movie that had a much quicker-moving and more active and indeed more relevant plot than the sleepy incongruous tale told here.But if you like quirky indies, check this out. Performances by Joan Allen, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliott, and so on, and a wonderful fresh face -- Valentina de Angelis as the young daughter.

The great thing about "Off the Map" is how beautifully it tells its simple story. It's about a family, mother (Joan Allen), father (Sam Elliott) and daughter named Bo who live completely by their own means, and well off the main road. Having not paid taxes on the little bit of money they make, an IRS agent (Jim True-Frost) comes to find them.It really is just a character study, primarily about the daughter as she watches the interactions of the adults around her and what she really wants out of life, and about the IRS agent who learns about himself by meeting these people who live their life in a way he never realized.It's an independent drama driven by a simple narrative and simple shots. The characters aren't all investigated as they probably should have been, and it does move very slowly. But for those who like sitting back and just observing characters, "Off the Map" is well done. I was particularly impressed by Jim True-Frost's performance, and the young Valentina De Angelis as Bo.

Hadn't heard anything about this film and I like Joan Allen's work so thought it was worth a look. And then was surprised to see in the opening credits that Campbell Scott directed it and he sometimes does quirky things...This film holds your attention and is quietly moving. Visually it was also captivating in its depiction of the desert, the sky and the rural aspect of living on the land the way the family was. The reminiscing voice-over aspect was well balanced in relation to the acting sequences as well.This was a refreshing surprise.