Natural Selection 2011

     Linda has been married to Abe for 25 years.  They live in the Houston suburb of Jersey Village, Texas.  Linda isn’t able to have children.  Abe thinks it’s a sin for them to have relations because they cannot have a child.  When Linda learns that Abe has had a stroke at a sperm bank, she is naturally infuriated!!  She is also afraid that Abe will die.  She goes to the sperm bank and asks the clerk if Abe has any children?  The woman says she cannot give out that information.  She tells Linda that Abe has been coming to the bank for 20 years.  Linda goes back again and the woman says she will not be in the office for a short time.  Linda learns from the clinic records that Abe has an adult son.  She wants to drive to where he lives and bring him back to meet Abe.

     Linda is very naïve plus she has lived a sheltered life!!  She doesn’t know that she may be getting in over her head with Abe's son Raymond!!  The acting of Rachael Harris as Linda is very good and she makes her character seem believable!!  Linda and Raymond are like oil and water in their personalities and the way they live.  You know right away that there are going to be problems that Linda doesn’t foresee!!  3* (This movie was OK)  

90 min, Drama directed by Robbie Pickering with Matt O’Leary, Rachael Harris, John Diehl, Gayland Williams, Jon Gries, Stephanie King, Berna Roberts, Drake Dempsey, Michael Hyland, Greg Grosh, Rob Huebel.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 73% critic 69% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3 ½*, Rolling Stone 3* out of 4*, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*, Metacritic 57 out of 100 with 14 critics, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 13 reviews. 

Special Note:  Filmed in Austin, Bastrop and Smithville, Texas.  A first film for director Robbie Pickering.  The film critic Roger Ebert was so impressed by this film that he showed it at Ebertfest in 2011.  Winner of both the jury and audience awards for a narrative feature at the SXSW Film Festival.  Rachael Harris has been acting from 1994 to 2016 and she has been in films and also on television.  She was in Wreck-it Ralph of 2012, Diary of a Wimpy Kid of 2010 and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days of 2011, The Hangover of 2009, Evan Almighty of 2007, For Your Consideration of 2006, Starsky & Hutch of 2004 and Best in Show of 2000 plus other films.