Life Inside Out

It's a tense time in Laura and Mike's household as LIFE INSIDE OUT opens. Laura's family creamery has closed; money will be tight until she gets a job; 14-year-old Shane (Finneas O'Connell, an appealing and believable young actor) is withdrawn and sullen; and Laura's sister and aging dad are increasingly in need of her attention. The beleaguered mom (played by Maggie Baird, who wrote the script, some of the music, and produced with her real-life husband) finds momentary solace when she pulls an old guitar out from under the bed and gingerly begins to play. Life has put Laura's music on hold for too long, and when she picks it up again, a long dormant passion for singing and writing music takes her by surprise. Summoning her courage, she signs up for Open Mike night at a local club, practices a song she wrote years earlier, and risks making a complete fool of herself. But she does it! As Shane watches his mother engage with this new-old part of her life, he becomes her ally and supporter, and he begins to engage in life, and music, as well. The struggles don't change -- family obligations, social pressures, growing up or growing older -- but as their relationship solidifies, it's certain that mom and son will team up to make the most of whatever comes their way.