It's the movie for you if you liked the pessimistic street view of Half Nelson.

As an actress, Ms. Gyllenhaal seems to steer clear of any parts that seek to exploit an audience's weakness for conventionally happy endings. Her films are therefore always worth seeing.

The wonder of Sherrybaby is that we can admire Sherry's exuberance and evident love of life -- and the extraordinary actress who portrays her -- without really being sure where she's going.

For the most part, Sherrybaby is [Maggie] Gyllenhaal's show, but that doesn't mean the other actors fail to register. As usual, [Giancarlo] Esposito is great and the rugged [Danny] Trejo...proves a sympathetic co-star.