The Long Dumb Road

By all rights, I should hate The Long Dumb Road. It has many elements in common with other movies that I have disliked. This type of road trip comedy with an annoying passenger is nothing new. However, this movie won me over because of 2 simple things. First and foremost, it starred Jason Mantzoukas, and I have a big soft spot for him. After years of listening to the How Did This Get Made podcast, I am in tune with his style of comedy, so every time he's telling a joke I laugh. Tony Revolori plays a relatable character that goes on this road trip with Mantzoukas, and I appreciated his performance as well, but it was the older Greek dude with all the hair that made this movie so enjoyable for me. I even forgave the excess of profanity and over-the-top sexual references because they came from someone I find naturally funny.

However, the more important thing that worked for me in The Long Dumb Road is the slow build to the wacky road trip adventures. Typically with a movie like this, the annoying person who comes along for a ride is overtly obnoxious from the first minute they climb into the car. It becomes so ridiculous that you feel like the sane person would be justified in abandoning the psycho or even calling the police after about 15 minutes. But here Mantzoukas's character is somewhat normal, and extremely friendly. They take time to build a bond between these two guys before taking everything too far. I could see how they became friends, and Revolori's reluctance to leave this nuisance behind feels justified. There are still plenty of elements in The Long Dumb Road that I didn't love, but it's a movie that did enough to entertain me and even make me think about watching it again someday.

When filmmakers title their project The Long Dumb Road, it's a nod to potential viewers - a tongue-in- cheek way of saying: "Yes, it's another road movie, but we think we've got a fresh take that will amuse you."

In this case, the secret weapon is Jason Mantzoukas (The Good Place, Dirty Grandpa), the current go-to actor for nutty but endearing characters. The Long Dumb Road is a showcase for Mantzoukas, who moves into a lead role after stealing scenes as a supporting actor in earlier films and television shows.

Mantzoukas' straight man is 21-year-old Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel). He plays Nat, who is leaving the family nest and driving from Texas to Los Angeles to begin art school.

Engine trouble brings Nat together with Mantzoukas' Richard, an itinerant mechanic in his 30s who has simply bounced around since he was Nat's age. After Richard gets Nat's minivan running again, the kid agrees to him a lift to a nearby town.

Circumstances conspire to extend their trip together to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and then north to Albuquerque. Along the way, Richard's antics yank Nat out of his comfort zone, effectively demonstrating the things he can and can't control and forcing him to overcome unexpected challenges.

The two men are bookends for young adulthood. Nat has a plan he thinks he can follow. Like many of us of a certain age, Richard looks into the mirror and wonders: What the hell happened?

A number familiar faces pop up during the trip: Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) as Richard's old flame from high school, Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot) and Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story, The Bling Ring) as sisters the guys pick up in a bar, Pamela Reed (Parks and Recreation) as a good Samaritan and Ron Livingston (Office Space) as Richards's frenemy Francois.

Without giving away the ending, suffice it to say that it's not the type of conclusion one usually sees in this sort of movie. Credit writer/director Hannah Fidell and cowriter Carson Mell (Silicon Valley) for finding that fresh take on a tired genre.

I actually just created an account because I saw a lot of people talk about how they weren't a fan of the ending but I personally really enjoyed the ending because of the realism. Not everything is a happy ending in real life, not that it was an unhappy ending, but to me this seems like something that would actually happen. They didn't go the stereotypical route and in the end they Didn't become best friends and he gets the girl that he met on the road.... Everyone went their own way

The worse movie ending I have ever seen in my life.

A perfectly fine and totally watchable coming of age / buddy road romp / odd couple riff. Firmly a part of an era which has been / still is very unkind for comedy. Doing its best to not offend but still, somehow, against all odds, be edgy. The lead actors (Tony Revolori, Jason Mantzoukas) have great chemistry and are very good in this overall. That it feels like it's carrying the torch for a subgenre that cannot and maybe should not exist is not at all its fault. But it's impossible not to see the shortcomings as it works inside that structure.