Rudderless

William Macy is an actor who's been in a ton of TV shows, movies and Broadway and if you don't recognize the name, I can pretty much guarantee you'll recognize his face. He's also a very well respected actor--the sort of guy who plays great supporting characters or the occasional leading man. However, I did not know that he could not only act but direct films as well as co-write them. This is exactly the case with "Rudderless"--an excellent new film that has just debuted on DVD.

When this film begins, a young college student dies. A couple years pass and the dead guy's family has fallen apart. The parents divorced, the father is now an alcoholic who lost his high-paying job and now is a house painter. It's obvious that the family was destroyed by the death. However, when the dad, Sam (Billy Crudup) happens to find some music his dead son wrote, he decides to carry on his son's memory by performing these songs himself. Soon, he finds himself with some new friends...and a band with guys half his age and with a cult following! But he's still a drunk and a screw- up...and there is still something else about his son you'll have to learn that makes the whole story a lot more confusing.

The best thing about this movie is that it's unusual and I can't say I've seen anything like it. I love seeing a film that doesn't remind me of other movies--and this originality is a huge plus. The acting also is quite good. Crudup is quite nice in the lead and it's a treat hearing him sing. But it's also nice to see him with a lot of excellent supporting actors as well. Aside from some very talented newcomers, you'll also see Macy himself, his wife (Felicity Huffman) , Laurence Fishburn as well as Selena Gomez. I know this is a strange combination of actors, but they are all quite good. Add to this some very nice music and you have the recipe for a film that's worth your while if you are the sort of person that appreciates independent films .

By the way, the film is rated R but to me this seems misleading. While there is some cursing, the film seemed no worse than most PG- 13 films and is appropriate for teens.

Rudderless is one of those kind of movies which keep you seeing till the last second and don't want to end.

The movie has really good songs and a heartbreaking story. It one of those movies which make you think about the things that happen in your life in one way or the other and you don't want to look at them .But deep in your heart you always feels the guilt and struggle to change.

Billy Crudup gives one of his best performances as an actor and a singer. Anton Yelchin is a hidden singer. I thought there was a playback singer but all the songs were original and fresh and sung by the actors.

A must watch for all the movie lovers :)

I do love movies about music, even if I'm not a huge fan of the music, but the band Rudderless got an interesting start.

Sam Manning is a father who lost his son in a tragic campus shooting. As his life unravels, he discovers his late son's talent for song writing. As a way to connect with his son, Sam begins performing his songs. This is were he meets Quentin, a kid the same age as his boy who falls passionately in love with the songs he hears Sam plays, and convinces Sam that he can add something to the music. Thus the band Rudderless was formed.

This is the reason why I wanted to see the movie, but what's great about the film is that the story is deeper than that, especially when we start to learn ore about Sam's son Josh.

Billy Crudup as Sam was great. It was emotional watching him deal with something that he could not deal with. The scenes where he hit the bottle and then go into self destruction mode were just too real. Anton Yelchin as Quentin was terrific. The movie is split in-between Drama and music and while Crudup brought the Drama, it was Yelchin who brought most of the music.

The great Laurence Fishburne was also part of the cast, as well as Selena Gomez who did great in her small but meaningful part in the film.

Plus the Director himself William H. Macy has a small role in his directorial debut.

A passionate musical drama for the music lover in all of us.

Okay, so I rented this movie Friday night. The longer I watched it the more mad I was at myself for not buying it (which I did the next day). The movie,the acting,the music were wonderful. I am a big Billy Cruddup fan and his acting was a joy to watch. Lawrence Fishburn played the perfect role as well. Anton Yelchin did a great job with his character. I could go on about the whole cast. Bonus for getting to see and hear Ben Kweller. I immediately bought the soundtrack and played it two times through that night. This is my kind of movie. I've never seen a story told like this. William H. Macy should be proud of this film. I want to watch it again right now.

The music is the masterpiece of this film, set against a deep storyline & with some great performances, it is a very good watch indeed. It's not often a film can leave you confused, on how you should be feeling and reacting to what you are watching, but Rudderless does just that without really trying. You will smile, you will tap your feet, you will probably scratch your head, & you will definitely spend time reflecting on what you have watched, when the credits roll !!

A very good effort.

7/10

Sausage.