Kodachrome

A man out of luck in his job at a recordlabel is surprised at work by his father's nurse. She tells him his father is dying and wants to take one last trip to Kansas to get his remaining kodachrome photo's developed. Needless to say the son is less than excited to go on a trip with his bad-tempered dad but he does it anyway. Though fairly predictable this is an enjoyable movie. The leads, Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris and Elisabeth Olsen give fine performances. Especially Sudeikis excells in a role you don't really expect from him. The movie has a nice soundtrack and is nicely shot. Recommended

It's hard to find good dialogue and good acting anymore. This film had both. Ed Harris is always compelling, young Elisabeth Olsen is perfect for this role. Loved her character in Wind River also. Jason Sudeikis is funny, as always, but really played the dramatic scenes well I thought. Good "date night" kinda movie. I guess I enjoyed it more than most because of SO many parallels in my life......BUT ISN'T THAT WHAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE ?? Many great life messages here. Big 2 thumbs up. Millennials will most likely HATE this kind of film because it doesn't have the edgy JUNO vibe but I would highly recommend this to anyone over 40. Best movie I've seen since Gran Torino. Cheers.

A stale relationship between a father and son for longer than a decade comes to an understanding and final conclusion during a road trip from New York to Kansas to develop the last roles of Kodachrome 35 mm film. Enjoyable story.

A friend recommended this film from Netflix and I clicked it on, but could only watch the first twenty minutes because I had an appointment to go to. This first twenty really got me into the story. The getting-to-know-the-people of the story was very entertaining, absorbing and drew me right in. I suppose the title got me very interested in the first place, I have personally taken about 5,000 Kodachrome slides in my photography, so I am very well familiar with the medium and this was of particular interest to me. Yes, Ben is right, we do it to freeze time and save a moment. Overall the film got me involved right from the start and I went along with the personalities shown and it made a good story. It was good to see the characters and how they interacted and how the story played out. Entirely believable and I had strong and tender emotions while it played. Great entertainment. I recommend it to all. No shooting, no violence, no dazzling display trying to impress us, just a good story told by really great actors, shot well, edited well, believable.

How much does a movie's originality in terms of storyline play into it's ultimate, overall quality? Should a film be seen only in terms of the movies that have come before it?

From it's title and poster to the actual film itself, Kodachrome sets itself up to be THAT kind of a road trip movie. The kind that features Hollywood jaw lines gazing into the setting sun as your quintessential bright red convertible speeds through a quiet countryside. This is accompanied with that melodious Indie track that rounds out the scene. Kodachrome is most definitely about something; it has meaning, it has purpose. The performances are affecting. The direction is largely unobtrusive and contents itself with letting the script do all the talking, exuding a tenderness that pervades and persists throughout the entire film.

Yet, all of these accomplishments are left denied by the aforementioned screenplay which not only resorts to a fundamental premise that is unoriginal but dialogue that routinely divulges into the perceived cliches of the 'road trip' movie. Characters repeatedly break into melancholy monologues about love, life and art, making biting observations on the human condition. From afar, the plot unfurls predictably and there is nary a moment where the viewer is surprised. Also, as a movie where the narrative is driven by the praise for tradition film format and analog technology, and despite having been aptly shot in 35mm film, photography as an art form itself does not play a more central role in dictating the nature of the storytelling. Given it's narrative simplicity, the experience could have been unique if the origins and vitality of preserving the old art form were entwined into the story, serving as an effective case for the preservation of the film format.

While these are my qualms with the movie, there is no denying that it is constructed with care and an eye for detail that could easily have been left out. The characters are fairly well realized through whom the movie commendably balances the humour with the drama. The performances manage to convey the gravity of the story and the simple confidence with which the movie progresses is sure to engage most viewers. Ultimately, Kodachrome stands as an undemanding, welcoming road trip movie; you won't feel new feelings, but you will revisit old ones, much the same way you might look at some personal Kodak photograph of old.