It is bold and beautiful.
Some critics may call A Big Bold Beautiful Journey a sappy romance wannabe, all style, no substance. That may be true, yet multiple moments of truth emerge such as the difficulty of connecting romantically with anyone and the power of the past, carried by memory, to shape the present and let emerge success in love.
Delight in the way director Kogonada and writer Seth Reiss bring together two stars into a distributed exposition that may allow love to flourish is a result of little sappiness and much deliberation rather than typical Hollywood saccharine. Colin Farrell's David and Margot Robbie's Sarah resist entanglement even from the get-go cute wedding meet up. As they share the same strange rental car with a dangerously-directive GPS, each is cool to the idea of a hookup, occupied as they are with following the commands to enter various magic doors, usually to their pasts.
In a sense, when they cross time to his high-school musical and her home, they are telescoping the time it would take, maybe years to get to know each other. Never do the time-travel incidents provide soft sentiments; rather they help two potential lovers become grounded, quickly understanding the character of their fellow passenger.
Not all stops are felicitous, for death and disappointment accompany the travels as they do in real life. My amusement at this odd-ball romance is how real life intersects romance, a romance not adorned with hearts and flowers but with challenging past lives that give each one a chance to grasp love despite challenging unromantic memories.
Besides the reluctant romance for the two leads, minor roles help bolster the fantasy while exposing the challenges of finding and embracing romance. Katie Byron's production design from magic doors and rainy wedding to a highly-stylized high-school musical reinforces the glamor of memory and the disappointment of loss.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is both romantic and realistic, resisting cynicism, accepting reality, and embracing the possibilities that salutary moments bring even to the most guarded lives. Love turns out to be bold and beautiful.
Delight in the way director Kogonada and writer Seth Reiss bring together two stars into a distributed exposition that may allow love to flourish is a result of little sappiness and much deliberation rather than typical Hollywood saccharine. Colin Farrell's David and Margot Robbie's Sarah resist entanglement even from the get-go cute wedding meet up. As they share the same strange rental car with a dangerously-directive GPS, each is cool to the idea of a hookup, occupied as they are with following the commands to enter various magic doors, usually to their pasts.
In a sense, when they cross time to his high-school musical and her home, they are telescoping the time it would take, maybe years to get to know each other. Never do the time-travel incidents provide soft sentiments; rather they help two potential lovers become grounded, quickly understanding the character of their fellow passenger.
Not all stops are felicitous, for death and disappointment accompany the travels as they do in real life. My amusement at this odd-ball romance is how real life intersects romance, a romance not adorned with hearts and flowers but with challenging past lives that give each one a chance to grasp love despite challenging unromantic memories.
Besides the reluctant romance for the two leads, minor roles help bolster the fantasy while exposing the challenges of finding and embracing romance. Katie Byron's production design from magic doors and rainy wedding to a highly-stylized high-school musical reinforces the glamor of memory and the disappointment of loss.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is both romantic and realistic, resisting cynicism, accepting reality, and embracing the possibilities that salutary moments bring even to the most guarded lives. Love turns out to be bold and beautiful.
- JohnDeSando
- Sep 19, 2025