I rarely cry at movies but several people around me started sniffling halfway through Windsor and the mood was contagious. This movie strikes close to the heart for anyone who grew up in a small Texas town or any town, really. The camaraderie between the six high school friends (two girls and four guys) comes across as realistic and natural. The cast is a Who's Who of young Hollywood up and comers. Nick Krause, the actor who portrayed the goofy kid in The Descendants with George Clooney, plays a polar opposite character in Windsor. Here he's the serious one, leaving most of the comic relief to Kat, portrayed by Quinn Shephard, and three old codgers led by Barry Corbin's character, Gil. The relationship between the old guys is touching and funny at the same time.

The young cast members provide laughs, but the funniest moments belong to Gil and the codgers as he tries smoking marijuana for the first time to deal with the painful effects of cancer treatments. Windsor is old fashioned in that it doesn't include profanities, nudity or graphic violence. But it is modern at the same time, introducing medical marijuana into the plot line without a big fuss. The movie doesn't make any declarations about whether pot should be legal or not. Corbin's character just hears that weed might make him feel better. He reluctantly gives it a try and likes it. That's about all the statement that's made. Watching Corbin go from being scared of pot to hording bags of it in a storm cellar is pretty funny but sad at the same time, since, well, he's dying. The movie's most obvious social statement is that GMO's suck and the agribusiness industry (hello Monsanto) is corrupt, monopolistic and detrimental to farmers and towns. And what better way to drive this point home than by filming some of Texas's most gorgeous, rural scenery? The wide- angle shots of pastures, fields and rolling hills – taken from a plane or a drone -- are breathtaking. The movie was filmed in a real town in Texas and every scene will look authentic to anyone who has ever lived there. Maisie's father is like David to Monsanto's Goliath. In this case, David doesn't slay Goliath but he dings up the giant a little bit. I liked this movie because it's funny, tender, melancholy, subtle, and sudden, just like real life.

This movie seems written for Barry Corbin. He is great as the wise, dying, but still young-at-heart Gil. Sonny Carl Davis also shines as his best buddy. Quinn Shephard's character, Kat, was supposed to be second fiddle to Maisie but Shephard turns Kat into my favorite character. Remember how sidekick Angelina Jolie ruled Girl, Interrupted? Or how Madonna took her bit part in Desperately Seeking Susan and became the star? The same thing happens in Windsor. You can't take your eyes off Shephard when she's on screen. But everybody does a splendid job. I hate to sound cliché, but the movie really did make me laugh and cry and, ultimately, feel good after watching it.