Plucky Sisters Resort to Crime to Survive in Quirky Comedy ‘Deidra & Laney Rob a Train’

Sandra Miska

Two girls from (literally) the wrong sides of the tracks in a small Idaho town must resort to desperate measures In Netflix’s soon-to-be-released “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train.” When her overworked mother, Marigold (Danielle Nicolet), has a breakdown at work that leads to her destroying a flat-screen television and landing in jail, it falls upon oldest sister Deidra (Ashleigh Murray) to look after her sister Laney (Rachel Crow) and brother Jet (Lance Gray) and keep the household afloat. This, of course, complicates things in her academic life, even though she is currently in her last semester of high school and has put all her hopes into landing a college scholarship as her ticket out of town. In her corner is ambitious guidance counselor Ms. Spencer (Sasheer Zamata), who sees her star pupil’s future success as her own way out of a job at a subpar school.

Underclassman Laney, meanwhile, has her sights set on a different type of prize. Self-proclaimed as someone who excels at going unnoticed, she finds herself an unlikely potential pageant contestant being coached in a class taught by Mrs. Fowler (Missi Pyle). Originally there to support her best friend, Claire (Brooke Markham), no one is more surprised than Laney when she becomes Mrs. Fowler’s wildcard pick to enter the Miss Teen Idaho pageant – a competition Marigold won years earlier, although pregnancy put a stop to the momentum she gained from it. Claire, who turns out to be more of a “frenemy” than a friend, isn’t thrilled to be competing against Laney. The latter, however, becomes determined to succeed.

With her part-time gig doing homework for her classmates not cutting it financially, Deidra comes up with an elaborate plan to rob trains for their cargo. She figures out that about $11,000 is the sum she needs to not only pay the bills but also to bail Marigold out of jail. With Laney as her accomplice, robbing a train is surprisingly easy, and Deidra enlists a pot-smoking ex-boyfriend (Myko Olivier) to sell the loot for a cut of the profits. Eventually, her ex-con father, Chet (David Sullivan), gets in on the action. For a deadbeat dad, Chet is a surprisingly likable character, as he is well-meaning and appears to genuinely love his kids in his own way. However, this proves to be a liability, especially after an unstable railroad cop with something to prove, Truman (Tim Blake Nelson), ends up hot on their trail. Adding to the tension is Deidra’s decision to skim off the top of Mom’s bail fund in order to secure her own future.

At the end of it all, “Deidra & Laney Rob a Train” is both a funny and inspiring story about pulling up oneself by the bootstraps. The film has a positive girl power message – a gratuitous fight between two young ladies in the final act aside. Director Sydney Freeland and screenwriter Shelby Farrell also make a statement about the difficulties single mothers face in the U.S. So overwhelmed and overworked is Marigold that going to prison is something of a vacation for her, as she gets three balanced meals a day and a yoga class.

“Deidra & Laney Rob a Train” will be released March 17 on Netflix.