Zoom-in Online

Expired isn't a love story, no matter what anybody says--unless, of course, that person is also saying that The Shining is a love story. In which case, run.

Samantha Morton (Morvern Callar, In America) and Jason Patric (Narc, Your Friends and Neighbors) play Claire and Jay, two of the most hated people in all of Los Angeles. They're traffic cops, cruising the streets in their funny little cars, issuing tickets that earn them all flavors of vitriol from people whose only crime was running out of time. Their techniques couldn't be more different, however; Claire's the one who'll let someone have two minutes for a pickup, whereas Jay's not afraid to throw a punch when someone sasses him. Despite their vastly differing worldviews, Jay takes a shine to Claire, and she comes out of her shell to have her first relationship in years.

Morton and Patric are a wonderful team, and the first hour or so is extremely funny. Patric's Jay is brusque, and given to absurdly abrupt changes in temper, and watching guileless Claire puzzle him out offers some wonderful comic moments. Writer/director Cecilia Miniucchi has a great knack for subtle dialogue, and she keeps the pace moving quickly and lightly.

After about an hour, the interaction grows more disturbing, as Jay's mixed signals begin to cause Claire deep pain. Morton has always been a transparent actress, and watching Claire talk herself out of her suffering to please Jay shows off her considerable talents. Claire is a delight to watch, and from her first moment onscreen Morton captures the audience's heart. It is so painful to watch Jay degrade her--and even more painful to watch Claire accept it.

The supporting cast features wonderful turns from Ileanna Douglas, as Claire's neighbor and victim of Jay's wrath, and Teri Garr, as Claire's stroke-stricken mother. Both women love Claire so much that it's hard to understand why she would accept a counterfeit version of love from Jay. Yet Morton makes it clear that Claire is blossoming under the sexual attention, a part of her life that's she's written off as gone forever. Jay calls her "Mother Theresa," both mockingly and with affection, and it's true that Claire is good, so good that she can't fathom that anyone wouldn't respond to her in kind. But because Claire won't reject Jay's mistreatment, her goodness turns out to be a kind of evil, in the end.

Miniucchi resists the urge to offer false redemption, and she also opts not to give Claire a "you go, girl" moment--though such a moment would've likely elicited cheers had it happened. Instead, she leaves Claire and Jay in limbo. Perhaps her forgiveness can transform him, and make him the man that only she can see, the one inside him that's worthy of her love. More likely, though, is that Claire's future is going to be filled with long-sleeved turtleneck sweaters, oversized sunglasses, and apologies for nothing.