A cualquier precio

This film tells the story of a seed seller whose life is turned upside down due to a series of devastating events.

"At Any Price" tells a touching story about a man striving to achieve at work. He does not put as much effort into his family, and his family falls apart. It is touching to see the wife hoping to do something to reconcile the situation, but sad that she is quickly dismissed by the husband. Then, one thing after another, the family's problems spirals out of control. Denis Quaid is great as a troubled father, while Zac Efron is surprisingly good and is convincing as a rebellious son.

The situation towards the end is very touching for a prolonged period. For many minutes I was touched to the verge of tears. The story is a big tragedy, and I was really feeling the family's pain and guilt. One can only hope there is sunshine after the rain. I hope there would be a sequel about redemption and atonement.

after watching I was surprised by its low IMDb rating (5.6 currently). I liked it, it held my attention, felt on its own it was entertaining and was one of those I think to myself "I'm glad I watched that". I'm not a film critic or film-making buff so don't know mechanically what makes a movie good, it's more a thing of you know it when you see it.

to be fair before writing this I read some of the less favorable reviews and can see they have their points. but in imd-land the mid-5s kinds of movies are getting into the range where a movie is clearly not well-thought of and it's hard to see how that can be true of this one. also I don't watch previews/trailers or really read much besides the brief IMDb synopsis at the top so maybe my lack of expectation helps.

I watched this because I like dennis quaid, he's one of those actors that on the screen I find easy to like and his performances are usually good. this isn't the kind of role I'm used to seeing from him (the clever/charming/gregarious kind of guy) but I thought he played it quite well.

the overarching theme seems to be there's no overarching theme. it was more or less an hour and a half of stuff involving people that happened to be in iowa, some of which happened to be farmers. it didn't seem to me it was pushing any kind of viewpoint, we just get to witness some unusual things that can make one think "what would I have done in that spot?" it almost had the dryness of a documentary in that there's no crescendos (musically or otherwise) trying to tell the audience what to feel where. to me the movie was more about what's inside the characters rather than what happens externally when they interact. from that standpoint I wasn't put off by some of the disjointedness other reviewers rightfully point out.

I did notice in hindsight once the movie was over that much of it seemed formulaic and had many of the kinds of twists every other movie has, but what struck me was being engrossed enough that as it unfolded I didn't really notice until it was over with.

bottom line for me is it was entertaining and worth the time spent watching it.

At Any Price shows the nasty little ordinary things we do to get us ahead of others, and the not so ordinary or little.

The good. It's a frank view of what industrial farmers go through in regards to GMOs. You also really get into the shoes of the father.

The actors. It's was difficult for me to see Dennis Quaid, who usually plays heroic figures, if only family ones at time, give life to such a flawed character. To his credit, he did it very well.

The bad. There's a number of scenes where we don't relate very well to what's happening. The director doesn't make us feel or understand what's on the screen.

Ugly. Lack of depth in most secondary characters. The B and C stories are too thin.

At Any Price (2012)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Ramin Bahrani's latest deals with farmer Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) who sees himself in trouble over the family business but he also finds his relationship with his youngest son (Zac Efron) slipping away. Both men appear to be wanting something they can't have and after a tragic accident their love for one another is tested. AT ANY PRICE certainly contains some good performances and it's heart is certainly in the right place but if you take away the profanity you're actually left with something that probably wouldn't be workable as a TV movie. Director Bahrani clearly wanted to make a simple film about simple people in a bad situation due to greed and there's no question that he wanted to give out a message but sadly his screenplay is just too simple for its own good. If you've ever seen a family drama in your life then I think it's going to be pretty easy to see every twist and turn in the story coming a mile away. You know that the father is eventually going to realize that he isn't a great father. You know that the son is going to hurt those around him. You know the two are going to have to have something happen that brings them together. Even the supporting characters are all rather predictable and especially the entire subplot dealing with someone turning Whipple in for illegal activities. Again, there's no question that the director had his heart in the right place but sadly there's just not enough here to keep the viewer entertained or at least caught up in everything going on. Quaid turns in one of his best performances in years as he does a very good job and especially during the scenes where he's trying to sell his skill. The character is certainly a flawed human and Quaid does a very good job at showing his good side as well as his bad. Efron continues to impress with these independent films and he too is good in his part. Clancy Brown, Kim Dickens, Red West and Heather Graham are all good in their supporting roles but it's Maika Monroe who easily steals the film in her part. AT ANY PRICE still contains some mild appeal to make it worth viewing if you're a fan of the cast members but there's no question that it needed a richer screenplay to make everything work.

'AT ANY PRICE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron both give outstanding performances in this tragic drama about competitive farming directed and co-written (with first time writer Hallie Elizabeth Newton) by Ramin Bahrani. I haven't seen any of Bahrani's previous films but I know he's garnered a lot of critical praise and attention. Roger Ebert, in 2009, said "Ramin Bahrani is the new great American director". He also praised this movie as "a great film" as well but it hasn't been loved by everyone and has received mixed reviews at best. I found it to be a good film (but not great). I'm not a big fan of tragedies and while this film does find 'hope in the darkness', like all good films should, it's still a little too dark and depressing for me (great performances though).

The film is about a family of farmers (the Whipples), who are desperately trying to stay successful in the increasingly competitive modern world of agriculture. They're lead by Henry Whipple (Quaid) and the film centers primarily on his relationship with his second eldest son, Dean (Efron). Having already lost his eldest son, from following in his footsteps (he left and is climbing a mountain somewhere far away), Henry desperately wants Dean to continue the family business. Dean wants to leave town as well though and dreams of becoming a race car driver. When an investigation into illegal seeding practices, by the Whipples, begins to haunt the family, and threatens to destroy their business, Dean and Henry are brought closer together (but tragedy also strikes).

The film co-stars Kim Dickens, Heather Graham, Maika Monroe, Chelcie Ross and Clancy Brown. They're all adequate in the film but it's Quaid and Efron that really shine. Some say it's Quaid's best performance ever (like Ebert had) but he's always been a good actor. It's Efron that continues to surprise me! Having started out as a prettyboy teen star I never thought he had much talent but he continues to prove me wrong (especially here). Bahrani's directing is good, the cinematography is beautiful and the story is involving and believable. Like I said it's just a little too dark and depressing for me, although there are positive moments as well. I prefer to see life as more positive than negative and this isn't a movie I'd say reinforces that notion.

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