Hick (2011), written by Andrea Portes (who also wrote the novel), directed by Derick Martini (Lymelife) and starring Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Carrie), Eddie Redmayne (Les Mis) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) is strange and gorgeous. Luli (Moretz) is a thirteen year old bar baby, as her peers call her, that spends her time drawing lush pictures in her notebook and hanging out at the local bar.

Her mother is a professional barfly, her father is a fall down alcoholic and all the regulars know Luli, giving her gifts including a 7-11 keychain for her 13th birthday party in the bar. She’s also given a .45 that she points at Lux, her mother’s new guy, when Luli finds him in her house at 8am the next day. He mistakenly calls it a gun.

Luli has a fondness for classic movies, quoting them in the mirror as she wishes she was anyone else, anywhere else. She decides to run away to Vegas, meeting Eddie (Eddie Redmayne), a cowboy with a limp and an anger problem, and Glenda (Blake Lively), Luli’s smooth talking, optimist fairy godmother, along the way.

Because the world is impossibly small when you want it to be infinite, Glenda and Eddie know each other. Neither fills Luli in on their acquaintance and she, like us, isn’t exactly prepared for what she finds out on her way to Vegas.

It’s an independent film, to be sure, but one that knows what it is and what it wants to say. It’s strange but in an endearing way and Luli’s drawings help connect the dots in her past and present. Chloë Grace Moretz is in virtually every scene and carries it well. Blake Lively was a nice surprise as Glenda. I’m pretty sure we don’t give her enough credit as an actress. Eddie Redmayne was both charming and terrifying. Translation: he did a phenomenal job.

Ray McKinnon showed up about 35 minutes in, which was a nice surprise for this Rectify and Ginny Mule Pictures loving girl. I see he’s also going to be in Mud, another movie on my playlist for this month, so I have that to look forward to.

Hick isn’t the happiest of movies but it manages to end in a positive way. For this series, I’m giving movies a Loved It, Liked It, Didn’t Like It or Hated It Like Poison rating. Hick gets Liked It from me, so check it out sometime.