35 Miles from Normal on AllMovie

Four lifelong friends struggle to make the uncomfortable leap from adolescence to adulthood in this independent comedy-drama. Jimmy (Gabriel Olds) lives in the same Midwestern town where he was born; while Jimmy has always been bright, he's never had much use for academics, but his post-high-school career as a roofer is starting to make him wonder if college is such a bad idea. His best friend Trevor (Alan Tudyk) is busy with his romantic problems, owing to a frustrating relationship with a beautiful but flighty Amy (Kellie Overbey), a waitress who enjoys telling strangers about her sex life. Madeline (Jennifer Crystal) comes home from her first year at college looking for a summer job, and finds one; unfortunately, it's cleaning and painting the city's municipal swimming pool. And Jimmy and his pal Reid (G. Riley Mills) find their roofing jobs are threatened by a strike at the factory that provides most of the town's jobs. When Jimmy is forced out of the roofing business, he finds himself taking work as a scab laborer at the plant, which has unexpected -- and unpleasant -- consequences. 35 Miles From Normal had its world premiere at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.