At first glance, "Easy Living" appears to a Lifetime-style film about a woman who is highly motivated to turn her life around. Her alcoholism led her to abandon her daughter to the care and upbringing of her sister. But now, Sherry is a dynamic direct-to-consumer salesperson of cosmetics.

In the opening scene of the film, the protagonist confidently proclaims that "I am the architect of my life." Her motivational practices have clearly instilled in her some good skills in sales, as she works efficiently in knocking on doors and making some earnings on commission.

But as the film develops, we see another, insecure side of Sherry where she resides in a motel, picks up men in bars, and has failed over a ten-year period to contribute financially to the upbringing of her daughter. Sherry is sensitive to a stray dog and has genuine rapport with her clients. But to the people who matter most in her life, she is oddly distant. It doesn't help that she is drinking heavily and avoiding her AA meetings.

There was a salient moment in the film where Sherry walks into the bedroom of her sister to borrow a shirt, so she can have a tryst with a man who has yet to finalize his divorce. When Sherry opens the drawer, she discovers her sister's gun and holds it up to the mirror, as if preparing to shoot. By that time in the film, Sherry is so unpredictable that basically anything can happen, especially when she takes the gun with her without informing the sister.

As it turns out, the gun figures prominently in the bizarre conclusion of the film. The ending involves a plot twist that makes the film inherently dishonest. One question to ponder at the end is the following: There are instances when people have won lotteries, and their lives take an ironic turn for the worse because of their good luck. It should be fairly clear that if Sherry won a Powerball jackpot, she would eventually return to reside in the shabby motel room.

I was surprised by this movie. I guess the slacker main character with plenty of slacker quality flaws brought he into this movie, and let me go at times. But it was a great movie to watch when bored with all the others. Definitely a good watch, and I was surprised by how good an indie film can get.

7 Stars!

This a rare case where the IMBD average rating is actually accurate, but still on the generous side. The lead is cast perfectly, and the majority of the supporting roles are handled competently. While our lead is beautifully flawed, the viewer is compelled to see what happens to her. Unfortunately the script is where this movie fails monumentally. This is no "gem" of any sorts, as one previous reviewer incomprehensibly said. Without spending too much time on this, the final 20 minutes were an absolute absurd waste of time and energy. It's like all of a sudden we are thrown into another completely different movie. I don't mind when a flawed character fails to find their way or redemtption or whatever as long it's handled in a decent manner by the director/writer. The abuurdity of the final 20 minutes ruined everything that came before it, and it's ashame because there were genuinely warm, funny, and powerful scenes. All wiped out by a nonsensical ending that defies reason, sanity, and just about everything else. This movie falls into the realm of disappointing and forgettable, where it shall rightfully remain forever.