WHAT’S IT ABOUT
An energetic and free-spirited young man convinces his long-time friend, who’s settled into domestic life, to go on an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
In “Sacramento,” Michael Angarano and Michael Cera combine their talent in this road trip comedy confronting millennial friendships and parenthood. While both have a similar lighthearted style, and some of the jokes feel a little repetitive by the end, the film exhibits layers of complexity in feelings. Directed by Angarano (from a script co-written with Christopher Nicholas Smith), Sacramento follows two friends through their thirties—a real challenge for growing up or deciding what sort of lifestyle they should adopt. We open with Rickey (Angarano), who is meeting a woman, Tallie (Maya Erskine), and flirtation begins almost immediately as the impulsive Rickey suggests they swim toward each other. He changes into his underwear, and while Tallie is more cautious, she ultimately decides not to. After this, we finally see them hook up. All of this feels like an introductory prologue to the film’s action. Then, we flash forward a year, and Glenn (Cera), sometimes Rickey’s best friend, attempts to assemble a crib for his wife. Glenn’s anger at this point speaks to his desire for control and his obsession with cleaning and routines. His wife, Rosie (Kristen Stewart), is patient with Glenn’s eccentricities because he has only recently lost his job. She offers to be the breadwinner while Glenn stays home with their baby. Meanwhile, Rickey has fallen on hard times. After being kicked out of a grief support group that his late father once led (for being too judgmental), he shows up unannounced at Glenn and Rosie’s door. Though Glenn isn’t thrilled to see him, Rickey convinces him to take a road trip to Sacramento, claiming his father’s dying wish was to have his ashes scattered there—a lie Rickey creates by filling a tennis ball container with dirt when Glenn isn’t looking. What begins as a reluctant lunch turns into an impromptu 386-mile journey from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Although they both live in the same city, Rickey’s habitual absences for months before he calls out of the blue have strained their friendship. As they hit the road together, their relationship gets worse. Both men resist the urge to have honest conversations about the struggles in their relationship. They have happy moments mixed in with their time on the road, but neither seems emotionally fit enough to mature. Rickey appears sanguine, but his bravado is a cover for a lack of confidence and self-loathing. Glenn needs to be in control out of wanting to feel useful. Both men exhibit the specific and general characteristics of a millennial male – they know “the language of therapy” but lack the emotional skills that accompany it. They can pinpoint cognitive issues but fail to deal with them. Glenn’s worries about being a father (and his disappointment in his father) and Rickey’s father relationship reveal how much their emotional shortcomings impact their relationships with the women in their lives. During their road trip, they experience standard road trip humor, bickering, strange characters, and car troubles. Gradually, as each man sheds his own bares, they expose their vulnerability and let go of the secrets of their hearts. Former wrestler AJ Mendez’s brief yet memorable appearance as Rickey’s possible gym owner is presented in a bar scene, which steers the two men to discussions regarding being a dad and their goals in life. Although “Sacramento” does not break new ground, it stands on its own as a result of the specifically written characters and the natural chemistry exhibited between Angarano and Cera. The acting by both men makes it easy to believe in being friends, and it makes it easy to care about this volatile friendship presented at the center of the story. However, it’s not flawless. Sacramento trudges along as a compelling motion picture that skates the border between humor and self-reflection. Its approach to tattered friendships, questions of fatherhood, and even mental illness is an adventure worth taking. The charm of the movie is within its weaknesses, as are its character introductions. Though the movie sometimes frames Glenn’s concerning behavior as merely humorous mistakes. It accidentally becomes a powerful illustration of how men’s emotional blindness prevents them from seeing the harm they cause others, particularly the women who care for them. “Sacramento” might take a few too many detours, but once it finds its way back to the main road, it delivers an emotional gut punch worth the trip.
OUR RATING – A ROAD TRIP 5