World Traveler

I was disappointed to see the reviews that this film is getting here when I thought that it was a beautiful, subtle film that packed an emotional wallop.

"World Traveler" is a love letter to anyone who has ever drifted or run from circumstance be it the way the protagonist of Freundlich's film did by jumping in his car and taking off or be it via emotionally resigning from a situation or relationship.

If you are looking for a "set-up-pay-off" story line this is not it, nor is it a pretentious art film. It is an engrossing and emotionally honest film in the vein of a John Cheever short story and it is well worth the watch as is his Myth of Fingerprints.

Oh, and watch it alone.

Billy Crudup stars in this slow moving film as "Cal", an architect who one day just walks out on his loving wife and son. What Cal is in search of we know not, but he is full of self-loathing for leaving and begins a drunken trek cross country. In his travels he meets a series of people who he treats like crap and then wallows in more self loathing and drink. The movie does end up with a moral; Cal realizes that he had it pretty good at home, but we don't realize this until we've sat through at least the first ninety minutes wondering where this movie and Cal, for that matter, are headed. Adding to the confusion are some flashback sequences that are never explained and have nothing to do with the ending what-so-ever. The only bright spot is when Cal meets up with Dulcie (Moore), and you think "Aha! I know where this movie is headed", and then it doesn't go that way at all. And that's a shame. Dulcie's story line is dropped just as the movie takes a turn towards being remotely interesting, and we are sent right back on Cal's boring journey. There is nothing redeemable in the character of Cal, and what he needs is a swift kick to the butt. Add to that a soundtrack that is ninety percent Willie Nelson songs, and you can see where a good shot of caffeine prior to watching this movie will come in handy. On an upnote, the cinematography was beautiful; it just should have been saved for a better movie. If you really need to be told that there's no place like home, watch "The Wizard of Oz" instead.

I really enjoyed this entire movie. It is not fast paced, but that is appropriate for the story line. People who think it plods along may need more action, but that is their issue. It is not formulaic, not a flickering screen every 5 seconds. Good acting by all actors -- especially leading man Billy Crudup as the man who thinks he can walk away, and supporting actress Julianne Moore as a delusional woman who claims to be escaping from her husband. This is a tough story about a man struggling to handle being a responsible adult, who makes some terrible choices while searching for answers. I believe the character finds out there are no easy answers and nothing will help him fully understand "why." I think this movie speaks about the many people who at times feel like lost souls, trying to figure out how they ended up where they are and wondering what would it be like to just leave it all behind. Turns out you can't really leave it all behind because your past life follows you and haunts you wherever you go. I recommend it.

World Traveler's star is one of the best and most under-rated actors working in film today. Billy Crudup impresses every time out, but hasn't yet found the role that will propel him onto the A-list. Unfortunately World Traveler isn't likely to raise his profile. He plays Cal, a successful thirtysomething who suddenly leaves his wife and child in search of something intangible just beyond the horizon. On the road he meets people who force him to examine the painful corners of his life. Directed by Bart Freundlich, (Julianne Moore's real-life husband), the movie crawls along at a snail's pace, and never really exploits the energy inherent in a road picture – just being on the road with the top down and the pedal pressed to the metal. Cal is the typical `the guy who's trying to find himself,' but he is so self-centered that as a viewer I found myself wishing he would just get lost and never come back. There is some strong acting here though. Canadian Liane Balaban (New Waterford Girl, St. Jude) has a minor but satisfying role. The best work in the film, however, belongs to James LeGros who has a chance meeting with Cal in an airport. They knew one another in high school, and LeGros has been harbouring a grudge against Cal for fifteen years. In a scene that is almost worth the price of admission he unloads an avalanche of resentment on Cal, who listens and decides to change his life. It is a well written scene, wonderfully played by Crudup and LeGros, but not enough to carry the whole movie.

I'm not sure why this movie scores so low. Without knowing anything about it, I took a risk and rented it based on the cast of Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore. Both of them are very good, there are many supporting cast performances which are also very good. Simply put, the movie doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer.

On the DVD commentary track the director mentions the resistance he got from many studio execs while trying to fund the movie, and he got lots of criticism that his main character (Crudup) was unlikeable. Seeing this movie while knowing that "hollywood" resisted mightily might lead to some insight as to the mindset of the power players. The main character has more of a human range of behaviors than seems comfortable to those who crave cartoon superheros.

I don't think the title is great. I don't have a better one, see if you do after you see it. "Father" should be in the title somewhere.