A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

Director: Kogonada

David (Colin Farrell) lives alone in New York. He’s happy alone, he travels and lives alone. But his life takes a turn after hiring a car from a mysterious car hire firm, to attend a wedding. Here he meets the intriguing Sarah (Margot Robbie) another single New Yorker. After a brief flirtation, they head off expecting not to see each other again. But David’s GPS has different ideas as it sends him on a big bold beautiful journey, a journey that takes him and Sarah on a road trip, punctuated by mysterious doorways that allow them the opportunity to reflect on their lives and the people they’ve become and want to be.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, is a romantic fantasy that has not been overly well received by critics. But in the main, I found it a charming, interesting look at life and how experiences shape us. But it is a film that struggles to keep the intrigue and the interest as it moves into its final act and loses its way a little.

There is plenty to enjoy, nothing more than its central performances, Farrell and Margot Robbie play off each other well and are both believable and deliver some wonderful scenes together. Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge bring an entertaining cameo as the staff at the mysterious car rental company. And some of the vignettes that are delivered as they pass through the doors into the major moments of their lives are touching and well judged, and the scene where they visit David’s high school is a joyous musical interlude.

Unfortunately though it doesn’t manage to sustain its charm, as it meanders its way to its conclusion, and even at under 2 hours it dragged towards the end.

A Big Beautiful Journey is a fantasy romance, that doesn’t quite hit it off. There are things to enjoy and for a good part, l found it charming and intriguing, with two enjoyable performances at its centre. But it did lose its way in the final act and felt it dragged a little to the end. A promising journey whose destination is a little disappointing.