Taking a few pages from the movie Gerry a more ambitions Scenic Route comes to DVD for home viewing. The test of wits and tenacity are at an incredible peak in the film that puts the audience in the middle of a meaningful intervention that goes wrong. Nicely paced, this acting tour de force should be a must for scholars of filmmaking.
The story opens with best friends Carter (Dan Fogler) an unemployed writer and Mitchell (Josh Duhamel) who’s got marriage problems taking a road trip together to California. The two have wavered in their friendship of late and find themselves at odds with each other. While Mitchell feels he’s just along for the ride, Carter has another plan in mind. Carter has taken a short cut through the rocky desert and as they ride along in his pickup truck it suddenly breaks down.
Now on the side of the road with no cell phone service, a little ice left in a fountain drink and no one in site, the two find themselves alone. Directors Kevin and Michael Goetz put the two in the perfect spot to work out the problems that have caused their relationship to slip away. The unforgiving desert has no televisions to divert their attention from a real conversation for the first time. Carter feels it’s the perfect place and he has all the time in the world to dig into his friends mind in an attempt to bring back the camaraderie that has been lost between them.
But, writer Kyle Killen (The Beaver) has something else in mind that makes the film a very nice piece of work. He interjects a car that just happens to be passing by and Mitchell flags the man down. What happens next in this taut suspense filled script turns the film into a nightmare that challenges the mettle of both in an attempt to survive the death defying situation in which they find themselves. The following line from the film will give you a little flavor of Killen’s taut script. Mitchell yelling at Carter “A 30 year old loser living in his car is about the last person I’m looking to for advice on how to fix my life. So unless you want to put out a book on don’ts based on all the ways you screwed up, which is the only thing you are likely to publish, you should just shut the f**k up”.
Not entirely original, the script does bring the film Gerry to mind where two buddies get lost in the California desert during a hiking trip. Much like the characters in that film the two try to find their way out and in the meantime create a great deal of animosity between them. While I am not a fan of Gerry, Scenic Route does provide a very good show with these two actors catapulting their broken relationship to another level of angst. I like what the Goetz brothers do with their script and how they handle a more realistic situation that turns into a shocker.
Both Duhamel and Fogler play their roles extremely well giving the audience lessons in acting with their fine performances. Showing many sides to their characters, working with very little scenery change and making their dialogue believable the two put on a very good show. Their acting plus some excellent direction by the Goetz brothers are good reasons to have the film in your collection, especially if you are a budding filmmaker.
The bonus feature for the DVD is perfect for those who want to study film. It’s audio commentary by the Goetz Brothers and Josh Duhamel. Turn it on after you have seen the film to get their take on the making of scenes in the forceful drama.
The DVD does have very good presentation value with both video and audio. The video played either through my DVD player or Blu-ray has a clean and clear showing. I especially liked the striking scenic views of the desert both daytime and night. The dark nights are totally visible with the use of special filters that take in available light from the star filled nights. I also liked the fact that the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 fills my whole 16×9 television screen.
The audio using the Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 provided is also high quality. I could hear the dialogue clearly and the sound effects coming from the desert night played well on my surround system. As the arguments escalate between the two lead characters, you can almost feel their emotions get red hot.
Scenic Route has been rated R by the MPAA for language, some violence and a scene of sexuality. The sexual scene takes place during a flashback between Mitchell and his wife. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some views that are very inappropriate for adolescents.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Josh Duhamel, Dan Fogler
Directed by: Kevin Goetz, Michael Goetz
MPAA Rating: R for language, some violence and a scene of sexuality
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr 26 min
Video Release Date: September 17, 2013
Original Film Release Date: August 23, 2013
Language: English
Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0
Video: Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Enhanced for widescreen TV’s
Subtitles: None
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Vertical Entertainment
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
