Writing a road trip movie these days is very tricky since most every subject, situation, and condition have been transferred by film to screens big and small. However, here’s a drama that sneaks through the cracks and gives fans of the genre an interesting, although a bit mundane, ride to nowhere.
Failed artist and now art thief Charlie Bond (Dane Cook) thinks he hit it big with a painting ordered by art dealer Anton (Udo Kier). At Anton’s office he hands over the valuable piece of art and is told he will get his percentage of the sale to his client. When he goes back to pick it up the money, figuring some kind of trick will be pulled, he brings his teenage son Leo (Levi Miller) to act as a decoy. It’s a daring trick and one both father and son will regret.
Now on the run, Charlie puts himself and his son in danger. Directors and writers Tim McCann and Ingo Volkammer do a pretty good initial job of setting up the road trip escape, but as the film progresses it gets a bit overemotional and then commonplace. Their actors seem to be adlibbing their lines and in some cases show very little emotion where the situation could have been helped by it.
You can probably see by the tone of this article that I was not impressed with the film. It may be because I have probably seen about every road trip that genre film has come to theaters and that’s a possibility. But, it’s not just that, the acting by Dane Cook (Good Luck Chuck, Dan in Real Life) falls apart in this film and becomes hurtful to watch the down spin of his performance.
As for Levi Miller, his character Leo never seems to change from beginning to end. Leo’s dad has been absent in his life since the divorce and he hates this man who left the family. He gives in to easy to his dad’s deal of paying off a bet he owe to his schoolmates, and throughout the car ride there isn’t much chemistry between the two actors.
SPECIAL BONUS FEATURE
“Car Ride Improv” is raw footage shot during the car driving sequence that includes a lot of ad lib and some director comments.
American Exit has been rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence and brief strong language. It is now available on DVD, Digital HD, and VOD. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: An average road trip. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Dane Cook, Levi Miller, Udo Kier, Claire van der Boom, John Savage, Sebastian Sozzi, James Kwong
Directors and writers: Tim McCann and Ingo Volkammer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, violence and brief strong language.
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Running Time: 1 hr. 26 min.
Video Release Date: May 14, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen 16×9, Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Released on: DVD, Digital HD, VOD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
