''Tow'' is a 2025 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by
Stephanie Laing
Stephanie Laing is an American filmmaker known primarily for her work in television. She has worked on shows such as '' Tracey Takes On...'', '' Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines'', '' Vice Principals'', ''Divorce'', '' Veep'', and '' Eastbound ...
, written by Jonathan Keasey and Brant Boivin, and starring
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994)
, and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...
,
Dominic Sessa
Dominic Sessa (born 2001/2002) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film ''The Holdovers'' (2023), portraying troubled teenager Angus Tully. His performance won him the Critics' Choice Movie Award for B ...
,
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
,
Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose (; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Ariana DeBose, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe ...
,
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy ...
, and
Simon Rex
Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), known professionally as Simon Rex and his stage name Dirt Nasty, is an American actor and rapper. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring i ...
.
The film premiered at the 2025
Tribeca Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
on June 7, 2025.
Premise
Amanda Ogle, a homeless
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
woman, fights her way out of tow-company hell to reclaim her life and the car that held it all together after receiving a tow bill for $21,634.
Cast
*
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994)
, and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...
as Amanda Ogle
*
Dominic Sessa
Dominic Sessa (born 2001/2002) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film ''The Holdovers'' (2023), portraying troubled teenager Angus Tully. His performance won him the Critics' Choice Movie Award for B ...
as Kevin Eggers, Amanda's lawyer
*
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
as Nova, a homeless shelter resident
*
Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose (; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Ariana DeBose, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe ...
as Denise, a homeless shelter resident
*
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy ...
as Barb, manager of a homeless shelter for women
*
Simon Rex
Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), known professionally as Simon Rex and his stage name Dirt Nasty, is an American actor and rapper. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring i ...
as Cliff, a tow truck company employee.
*
Elsie Fisher
Elsie Fisher (born April 3, 2003) is an American actor. They are known for their starring role in Bo Burnham's comedy-drama film '' Eighth Grade'' (2018), for which they earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motio ...
as Avery Ogle, Amanda's estranged daughter
*
Lea DeLaria
Lea DeLaria (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actress, and jazz singer. She portrayed List of Orange Is the New Black characters#Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Carrie "Big Boo" Black on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' ...
as Jocelyn, a homeless shelter resident
*
Corbin Bernsen
Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'', as Martin La Rosa, the lawyer for the tow truck company
Production
Casting
In February 2024, it was announced that
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994)
, and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...
was cast in the film, which she would also produce. Later that same month, it was announced that
Dominic Sessa
Dominic Sessa (born 2001/2002) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film ''The Holdovers'' (2023), portraying troubled teenager Angus Tully. His performance won him the Critics' Choice Movie Award for B ...
was cast in the film.
In March 2024, it was announced that
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
was cast in the film. In April 2024, it was announced that
Ariana DeBose
Ariana DeBose (; born January 25, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Ariana DeBose, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe ...
was added to the cast. It was also announced that same month that
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy ...
was cast in the film. Later that same month, it was announced that
Simon Rex
Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), known professionally as Simon Rex and his stage name Dirt Nasty, is an American actor and rapper. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring i ...
was also cast.
Filming
Filming occurred in
Cranford and
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...
in April 2024.
Release
''Tow'' is set to have its world premiere at the 2025
Tribeca Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
during the Spotlight Narrative section.
Reception
The film has a 100% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on 12 reviews.
Christian Zilko of
IndieWire graded the film a B-.
Pete Hammond of
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
gave the film a positive review and wrote, “Ultimately, Laing and company deliver a story of perseverance, heart,and real fight, the kind of small human story we see less frequently these days, but need now more than ever. ''Tow'' is a winner.”
Lovia Gyarke of
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
also gave the film a positive review and wrote, “Still, in its modest way, ''Tow'' sends a powerful message about how many of us have more in common with a person sleeping in a car than we do the billionaires we’ve been conditioned to admire.”
References
External links
*
{{Stephanie Laing
2025 films
American drama films
American films based on actual events
Films about automobiles
Films about homelessness
Drama films based on actual events
English-language drama films
Films directed by Stephanie Laing
Films set in Seattle
Films shot in New Jersey