Backseat

This was one of the best coming of middle age style stories I've ever seen translated into a film. Wonderful job to both the writer and director on truly capturing the anxiety, the indecision, the confusion and the loneliness of middle age restlessness. A very touching, very real, very relatable story of two good buddies just trying to break away and find direction for their lives in the process. Very good overall. The characters were engaging, the story was real, and the situations were something anyone in that age group can and should be able to relate to. The desire to find that one "thing" in your life to give it meaning was really told in a very touching manner, that give a real and sympathetic view to the choices we all make life that are made out of necessity at times, and not because we really agree with them.

I was lucky to have had the chance to see this fim at the 2006 Atlanta Film Festival, where the main character and director were both present- and I got an autograph. Though there are some who compare this film to Sideways, amazingly enough, the screenplay was written before Sideways was heard of, in 2001. Backseat is a roadtrip movie for the 20-30 year old generation, an East Coast version, one with likable characters that the audience can vest an interest in and come to care about fully. It's unpretentious, non-sleazy and hits on the reality of male friendships that goes deep below the surface level of a couple of guys talking about "chicks". Watch for this film on the festival circuit or in theatres if someone is wise enough to pick it up soon. It's wonderful.