The movie is set in 1898 and focuses on a young girl from a Mississippi farm who is sent to Asheville, NC to live with her aunt to learn how to be a proper young lady. The title character lost her mother to "the measles." Interstate travel is by passenger train. Local travel is by horseback or horse-drawn wagon or carriage. The opportunities for women in this era are severely limited. Keith Carradine's portrayal of Ociee's father, a widowed farmer who wants the best for his beloved only daughter, resonates with all the appropriate love and simple dignity. Skyler Day is quite perfect as Ociee. Mare Winningham, whose character, "Aunt Mamie," would have been a lifeless cliche in the hands of a lesser actor, makes Aunt Mamie a living, breathing, complex and slightly mysterious Southern Lady. All the child actors are completely believable. The scenery in the movie is beautiful. There is no bad language in this film, no violence beyond the level of a typical sibling wrestling match. The film has a quirkiness reminiscent of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Forrest Gump," but it can stand alone on its own merits. It should be irresistible to anyone who has ever wrestled with a sibling, climbed a tree, or been criticized for not being a "proper" young lady or gentleman. See it with someone you love.
The Adventures of Ociee Nash
2003
Adventure / Drama / Family
The Adventures of Ociee Nash
2003
Adventure / Drama / Family
54% - Audience
5.8Plot summary
For the young, spirited nine-year-old Ociee Nash (Skyler Day),nothing could be more exciting than romping through her beloved Mississippi countryside with her brother Ben (Bill Butler) and her faithful four-legged companion, "Woofer." However, Ociee's idyllic life is thrown into a tailspin when her Papa realizes that because of the death of Ociee's mother, and Ociee's run-in with a mysterious Gypsy (Anthony P. Rodriguez),the rough-and-tumble world of their rural farm is not the place for Ociee to be growing up. Papa (Keith Carradine) decides it is time to send Ociee to Ashville, N.C. where her Aunt Mamie can teach her to become "a young lady." Sadly, Ociee boards the train to Asheville. Once on her way, it's not long before Ociee meets an array of interesting characters: Nellie Bly (Donna Wright),Orville (Sean Daniels) and Wilbur Wright (TY Pennington of Trading Spaces in his feature-film debut),and even the President of the United States, William McKinley (Daniel Burnley),for whom Ociee inspires a campaign slogan. In Asheville, Ociee and Aunt Mamie (Mare Winnington) quickly find there are two sides to every story. Trading in dungarees for dresses, Ociee tries her best to adjust, but finds herself compelled to hold onto her spirited heart. Ociee befriends the proper young Elizabeth Murphy (Jasmine Sky),but a trip to the creek and a meeting with young Harry Vanderbilt (Lucas Til) and the creek boys, finds Ociee and Elizabeth in over their heads. Aunt Mamie is more determined than ever that Ociee now conform to her strict standards. However, Aunt Mamie's soft heart is revealed when Ociee invites her childhood friend, Mr. Lynch (Tom Key),over for Sunday dinner. Ociee's true bravery, character and spirit come to the forefront when a fire at the Murphy house threatens the life of young Elizabeth Murphy. A triumphant "Ociee Nash Day" celebration ensues to everyone's delight.—Sujit R. Varma
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A Step Back In Time, Well Cast, Well Acted.
Entertaining and wholesome kids (and adults) movie
This was a thoroughly enjoyable movie experience. The plot is a little bit thin in places making a few scenes feel a bit contrived, but overall the plot hangs together nicely and moves along at a good pace. The acting is uniformly good, as is the quality of the cinematography. The film is visually lush, more like a big-budget Hollywood production than an indie.
So if you are looking for an entertaining movie that will be enjoyed by younger children and adults alike - you have found it! It doesn't rely on gimmicks, crudeness or "blowing things up" in lieu of a real plot - so it is a throwback to quality children's' movies of yesteryear. The movie's makers are to be rewarded for believing there is still a place for a wholesome movie in an increasingly Bratz kind of world - and there is and this movie proves it.
This movie was refreshing.
While this was not a high tech movie, it was very refreshing to enjoy a family story in which the children were not crass and rude, the father was not an idiot, and the mother was not a wise-cracking woman constantly making a fool out of Dad while remaining always in confused deference to the last word spoken by the children. Thanks to the creators of this movie for giving us something different for family fare! We will recommend the movie, and we'll watch it again. We are from Chattanooga, so it was especially fun for us to see the parts of the film made here in our city, and in nearby Atlanta.