Back Roads

Despite the presence of two Oscar-winning actors in its cast, "Back Roads" has been forgotten for the most part. Seeing it, it becomes clear why it hasn't built a cult. I won't say that it's a terrible movie - there are a few good things about it. It's nice for a change to see a major Hollywood studio movie that is fairly downbeat in nature. Also, the acting by both Jones and Field is pretty good - in fact, while watching the movie, I never thought I was watching two movie stars, but instead watching two characters. But their characters aren't that interesting. We don't learn much about them, and their frequent bickering becomes ultimately tiring. Also, when the movie ends, it ends at a point where it seems unfinished. It's like the director said, "We've got a 90 minute running time, so let's call it a day." Only worth watching if you want to see why the CBS network wasn't very successful in making theatrical movies.