Credible critics think well of think well of Tow, but I think it’s misfocused, and thus a middling movie.

This movie tells the trust story of Amanda Ogle (Rose Byrne), a Seattle woman living in her old Toyota Camary that is stolen while she is interviewing for a job and then towed and sold. She discovers that she needs more than the court order she obtains, so she accepts the offer from a non-profit lawyer named Kevin (Dominic Sessa) and the kindness of Barb (Octavia Spencer), a homeless shelter manager, and others who are staying there, and eventually succeeds.

The predictable focus of the movie, as written by Jonathan Keasey and Brant Boivin and directed by Stephanie Laing, is Amanda’s persistence. She is called a hero near its end by a reporter who wants to write about her experiences and efforts.

This focus is reinforced by a successful ensemble, which enables Byrne to make the most of this character. It is reiterated by the apparent replacement of these actors by the people whom they’ve been portraying in a closing scene, which lasts longer than expected.

The problem is that the Amanda’s efforts are less engaging than her need for connections and community. Amanda is reluctant when her car is towed to rely upon anyone, and must learn how to trust, and be trustworthy, again.

This process starts in the shelter where Barb tells Amanda for example that her failures are familiar, and thus ones she can overcome, and where Amanda in turn mirrors this tough love to Denise (Ariana DeBose) and supports Nova (Demi Lovato), who is pregnant. Beyond the shelter, she forms semi-functional connections to her lawyer Kevin and even a tow-yard employee named Cliff (Simon Rex).

Amanda admits to others in one of the support group sessions that she is an alcoholic and an addict who cannot without her car even see her estranged daughter (Elise Fisher). This admission initiates the emotional resolution much as if not more than the successful verdict.

These moments however aren’t enough to dislodge the hero narrative at the center of this movie, which makes it messy, and not one that can ultimately hold the attention of its audience.