HUMBOLDT COUNTY

RYAN: I checked out this little movie, “Humboldt County” only because it stars my favorite actress, Fairuza Balk.

CAROLINE: Really, she’s your favorite? I would have guessed Anne Hathaway or Calista Flockhart.

RYAN: I love them both dearly; Anne is fabulous and Calista because she’s Ally McBeal. But Fairuza played Dorothy in 1985’s “Return to Oz,” the sequel to “The Wizard of Oz.”

CAROLINE: Say no more.

RYAN: I’ve seen every one of her movies and I’m convinced she’s gonna win an Oscar someday. She’s fabulous in this movie, and she even sings in it. I know she was in a band for a while but I’ve never known which one, so it was very exciting to hear her singing voice. It’s not the greatest, but there’s something sultry and sexy about it.

CAROLINE: What, pray tell, is this movie about?

RYAN: This guy who’s about to become a doctor but he fails his last exam and kind of runs away from his life to Humboldt County and a community of pot growers. And by pot, I mean marijuana. He doesn’t really know where he is, and at first he wants to get back to his normal life, but then he starts to assimilate. Fairuza’s role is pretty much done halfway through the movie and after she left, I was like, “Who cares?”

CAROLINE: [laughs’ So is it a good movie or did you just like the first half because of Fairuza?

RYAN: I just liked her scenes. I didn’t really enjoy the movie otherwise. Frances Conroy, the mom from TV’s “Six Feet Under” is also in it and she’s decent but she has that look, you know?

CAROLINE: It’s almost a little witchy.

RYAN: Yes. And I’ve never tried pot so I’m sure some of the humor went over my head. For me it was basically two separate movies – the part with Fairuza and the part without. I zoned out for the second half.

CAROLINE: Is this a comedic pot movie or is it more serious?

RYAN: It’s more of a drama. It’s about the relationship between the doctor and his father and breaking away from his structured life and letting go of social conventions. He decides to just hang out and go with the flow for a while. I really didn’t care.

CAROLINE: If you didn’t, then I certainly don’t. Bottom line?

RYAN: I can’t really recommend it. It’s a very small, indie film so if you like movies like this and you like pot, go for it. Otherwise, skip it.