The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio tells the true tale of Evelyn Ryan, a woman whose life work was to make lemonade out of lemons. The film is based on the memoirs of Tuff Ryan, one of Evelyn's TEN children. Evelyn was a typical housewife from the 40's who's life seemed like one sacrifice after another. Not only did she take care of the ten kids but she gave up a writing career to do it. And her husband is no help at all. In fact, he's a major douchebag who does little more than spend money on booze and be verbally abusive to the family.
Defiance isn't just the name of the film, it's also the name of the game for Evelyn. She decides to use her wit and writing skills to enter contests, in an attempt to get some extra money for the family. She wins everything from two bucks to cars and thousands of dollars. She serves as an inspiration to her kids that they can overcome anything with a little bit of hard work and a positive perspective on life. She has a knitted sign above her desk that says, "the harder I work, the luckier I get." If your heart isn't warmed by this film, something is seriously wrong with you. Halfway through the flick I was so frustrated by her. Why won't she leave this a-hole? Why won't she get a career and see the world? But by the end I realized that I may well want to be just like her. It's clear her kids felt the same and it shows in this loving tribute the the writer's mom Evelyn.
Worth Watching
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