Evergreen

Saw this film as part of the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival and was intrigued by its concept and big, beautiful settings. It did not dissapoint on either front.

The acting is hit or miss, but with more more, time, and budget they'd be fixed, too!

First off, the acting is atrocious and the dialogue is cringe worthy. The parents and grandmother are portrayed as hokey, over the top cliches of doting or protective relatives. The parents of the boy are noteworthy for their bland unoriginal clunky performances. The interactions ring false at every level, and the PC crapola is enough to induce nausea. The story had great potential but unfortunately squanders it going nowhere. The lead girl is such a little snot ya wanna shake some sense into her. Who goes into a wallet and cleans it out while the owner is just a few feet away? Anyone knows you take some and leave some. It's this kind of lazy writing that detracts from any emotion one might feel. I dunno. It all just felt too contrived and silly. I'm not sure why the immigrant element was introduced, as it absolutely nothing to advance the plot. If anything the horrendous fake accent by the old lady was a severe distraction. Her superior attitude was a huge anchor on the proceedings. Hopefully the director looks for work in another field so we are spared more garbage such as this.

This beautiful movie touches the chords that resonate in all of us, the healing harmony of true connections, and it matters not whether those connections are brief or forever. An early decision to follow a different road than planned leads these two young people to form a bond, have unexpected adventures, and experience a gorgeous part of the world. I was happy to go along with them. A gem of a movie.

I love road trip films. This was very middle of the road as far as those go. Some interesting characters encountered along the way, decent dialogue at times but not throughout.

But my main issue...I just could NOT buy into the compatibility/connection between the two leads. I tried, I really wanted to, but they just did not click for me romantically whatsoever. I couldn't BELIEVE. It made for moments that could otherwise have been touching so cringeworthy for me.

This is a delightful little movie with great acting, beautiful scenery, and likeable characters who are believable as regular people who meet and make a story that is their story.

The direction is good and the script is well written. Both done by Paul Goodman -- while undergoing chemotherapy to boot.

The soundtrack is even good.

After a bad day, it made me feel good.