Buddy movie with plenty of laughs and feels
Jason Mantzoukas is funny. Full stop. Known mostly for being the oddest bird in smaller roles on several television series, with The Long Dumb Road Mantzoukas proves he has enough ha-has to fill up a feature length film.
The Long Dumb Road sees director Hannah Fidell take a turn into comedy, and the results show she shouldn’t make this her last stop. Inspired by a true story from a friend of hers, this movie takes the tired road trip flick and gives it heart, soul, and plenty of laughs.
The minivan at the center of the action is driven by Nat, a young man from Texas (Austin from the looks of things), who heads west to attend art school in Los Angeles. Life’s been good to Nat as he pursues his dream of becoming a photographer.
But along about Fort Stockton, his journey takes on a different character when he picks up a different character. Richard (Mantzoukas) comes into his story offering help and plenty of advice from a life lived with an attitude that says “fuck it” at every turn.
Rather than being an annoying presence in the car, the two men bond, with Richard matching his bravado with vulnerability. His life didn’t turn out the way he wanted, and seeing Nat at the beginning of his long road inspires the older party to do his best for the kid.
Often this assistance gets the pair into trouble, pushing Nat to go back to his solo existence. Along the way, the two run into some other interesting characters. Taissa Farmiga and Grace Gummer play a pair of sisters who quickly bond with the boys in a segment of the story that feels sweet and not tacked on.
Fidell does a great job of making sure that when the two part ways, there’s no hugging, no learning. Well, maybe a little, but The Long Dumb Road stays on the right side of the sappiness curve in this story of two people from different worlds who get to share a little time together on this earth.
Not so dumb, after all.
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