Open Road - La strada per ricominciare

Great actors (Jeff Bridges always delivers, but even Justin Timberlake and his "girlfriend" in the movie are great too). As the title suggest, you are aware that this going to be a road movie. With characters that have flaws and a story that is very close to the directors heart (see a review of crew member for more information on that), this has everything a road movie needs.

While a few story tweaks may seem a bit far stretched (for something that seems to be so close to life), the whole thing still feels very real. The relationships in the movie are explored nicely without much glamour and there are a few treats along the way. There is not one real bad guy (which you might see as a bad thing or a good thing, depending on how you're going to feel about it), which made me like this even more and might have to do with the influence Jeff B. had on the script.

I have not actually gotten to see this movie yet, but I was a camera operator on this film. I was very sorry to see that it didn't get a wider release. I thought that with a cast including Justin Timberlake and Jeff Bridges that it would have gotten more attention. It just goes to show how messed up the movie distribution business is. When we were shooting this film I thought that it was going to be good. It was a good story and had a great cast. They all were a dream to work with. Now that I know it is out on DVD, I am going to see about getting a copy as soon as I can.

One interesting little anecdote from my point of view: We shot the bulk of the film in the vicinity of Hammond, Louisiana which is where we all stayed. But one sequence required that the whole cast and crew go to another small town that was just a little too far to drive to and from for each day's work, so we all stayed in some tiny old "tourist courts". One night several of us on the crew got together in one of the camera assistant's rooms to play poker. I wound up sitting next to writer/director Michael Meredith. I mentioned that I lived in Dallas and Michael said that he lived in Dallas up until he was five, then moved around a lot. So I asked him what his dad did, half expecting him to say either military or oil business. No, he said his dad played football. I immediately put two and two together and asked him "Your dad is Don Meredith?" he said yes. Turns out the movie we were shooting was very loosely based on Michael's own story, only the sport was changed from football to baseball.

As I said, they were all great to work with, cast crew and production. I hope that this film eventually gets the attention it deserves. Definitely worth a look.

This movie has it all revealed in the title; we have the typical road movie, the open situations that need closure, the family gathering when almost-tragedy might happen, the girl that almost got away, the father-son estranged yet reliable liaison, the change in the hero's mind along the way.

And above that, it has the sparkling dialog, Jeff Bridges (I just love how he cries in most of his roles, because he can and he's so damn good), the wise replies that might (or not) mean something to you at some point. The open spaces, and a feel-good impression that will make it perfect for a late evening when you just don't feel like sleeping. Or you would feel like taking a long walk somewhere, only it would be wiser not to in the middle of the night.

I probably shouldn't give it a ten, but grades "don't mean nothing" to me, it's all about whether I liked it or not, and I sure did like it.

.. low key drama. Focus on the complexities of family dynamic. Love Jeff Bridges - but I thought all the acting was good ... authentic ..,moving and satisfying- I recommend it - low keyed but enters the heart. Not high end on peripheral stuff- gore, sex, or car chases- if that ticks your clock... move on

I thought Timberlake and Bridges were a good match as dysfunctional father and son. Good story line and nice set of subtle twists and turns. Timberlake was impressive as an actor, quite believable really . Kate Mara , soft spoken yet sweet girl next door kind of looks ... A believable , down home story that I thought was well executed. I especially liked that there were no Chase Scenes, Gunshots, , Violence, not much foul language. Good Music too by the way ... Lots of Bluezy ,Jazzy, Piano and Organ Background music, well suited for this flick. Id like to see more films with this kind of score.I especially liked the piano piece in the Lyle Lovette section of the movie! Im not sure if The Open Road will be a blockbuster, especially with whats out there these days , But i guarantee it will please young and Old alike in that it is a somewhat heartwarming, real laid back, enjoyable movie for all to see. I can imagine after a nice run in theaters, it will do very well on DVD and on the HBO and SHOWTIME kinds of movie networks !

I have two concerns though... first, It was a very limited opening in very few theaters in very few Cities ,and second ,not enough advertising,There wasn't even a Poster up in the 20 theater cinaplex I saw it in !

Not even the people who worked in the theater knew ANYTHING about this film ... Lets give "The Open Road" a fighting chance !