Bob Coonrod

Novalee Nation is a 17-year-old Tennessee transient who has to grow up in a hurry when she's left pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend on a roadside, and takes refuge in the friendly aisles of Wal-Mart. Eventually, some eccentric but kindly strangers 'adopt' Novalee and her infant daughter, helping them buck the odds and build a new life.

While he struggles to make rent by teaching defensive-driving courses and comedy classes, a small-time Dallas comic named Jerry Martin (Dean Lewis) sets his sights on a career-making comedy contest at a local club. David Wilk also stars as Jerry's annoyingly successful nemesis Jim "Buckeye" Marvin, who will serve as a judge at the competition. This mockumentary screened at a dozen international film festivals, winning awards at five.