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Tow Opens to Praise for Rose Byrne and Critiques of an Uneven Script

The drama adapts a 2018 Seattle Times investigation into Amanda Ogle’s yearlong fight to reclaim her car, a story revisited in new reporting this week.

Overview

  • Reviews on opening day commend Byrne’s performance for its specificity and restraint, while faulting the film’s tonal swings and thin emotional payoff.
  • The film, now in theaters with a 105‑minute runtime, follows an unhoused Seattle woman’s struggle after her 1991 Toyota Camry is taken and held for fees.
  • RogerEbert.com underscores that Danny Westneat’s original reporting sparked the adaptation and notes his follow-up this week updating Ogle’s life.
  • Critics say Stephanie Laing’s direction keeps the story accessible but cite a screenplay that vacillates between dark comedy and TV‑movie sentiment.
  • The cast includes Elsie Fisher, Octavia Spencer, Dominic Sessa, with Demi Lovato and Ariana DeBose in supporting roles, and credits list writers Jonathan Keasey and Brant/Brent Boivin.