Brandon at Random Reviews

*spoilers*ish

I like indie movies, I like a somewhat simplistic story with real interactions, I really like Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris, and I LOVE Elizabeth Olsen for acting reasons and because she’s the love of my life. But Wikipedia says she’s married nowadays, so that and that alone is why her and I will never be together, and it’s devastating.

Anyhoo, this movie is about a guy (Sudeikis) whose dad (Harris) needs to get some film developed, and boy is his dad a real d-bag. But his dad has a nurse or whatever, played by the captivating Elizabeth Olsen. They have to drive cross-country to the one place that still develops Kodachrome pictures all the while with his dad being such a total dickwad and old-school famous photographer. Sudeikis is in the music business.

Harris’ character is dying of cancer and he is clearly trying to make amends with Sudeikis before he dies. The two of them start off with a lot of friction due to what we understand is a less than stellar relationship/history. Olsen serves as an intermediary between father and son, a love interest to Sudeikis, and a nurse to Harris. There is a lot of chemistry here, they really interact well together and it makes for an authentic dynamic. The performances are also very well delivered, there is a lot of emotional range on screen.

I think the only bad thing I have to say about this movie is it’s fairly predictable. All of the beats of the story felt like you knew they were coming without even a hint of a doubt and it just all feels like it’s been done a thousand times before. But don’t get me wrong, the pros outweigh the cons here. The performances and chemistry are better than the poorly executed story. I can’t determine if this one is supposed to be a true story or if it just has true elements in it like the last film developer in Kansas or whatever, but regardless, it all feels like it’s been done to death.

I guess I’d say casually put this one on if you feel like half-paying attention to something, but I can’t give an overwhelmingly enthusiastic recommendation because it’s just not that spectacular, but I did like it so I hope you feel super on the fence about watching it for yourself. Available on Netflix atm. Enjoy! Or don’t.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

“Let me tell you something. Happiness is bullshit. It’s the great myth of the late 20th century. You think Picasso was happy? You think Hemingway was? Hendrix? They were miserable shits. No art worth a damn was ever created out of happiness. I can tell you that. Ambition, narcissism, sex, rage. Those are the engines that drive every great artist, every great man. A hole that can’t be filled. That’s why we’re all such miserable assholes.”