A BIG, BOLD, BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY

US, 2025, 108 minutes, Colour.

Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kevin Kline, Jennifer Grant, Hamish Linklater, Billy Magnusson, Sarah Gadon, Lily Rabe. Voice Jodi Turner Smith.

Directed by Kogonada.

The title certainly sounds big and bold. And, the popular stars, Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, can be considered beautiful. And the question is how this all comes together.

While it can be labelled as a romantic comedy, the film is also an imaginative fantasy, and the clue is given in the tag for the advertising: relive the past, change the future.

The initial focus is on David, in New York, American mother, Irish father, Irish accent. He has to drive to the wedding of a friend. And, almost immediately, the storytelling takes on the touch of the surreal. When he goes to rent a car, there is a difficult door to open, a vast open space, two cars, two strange characters at the desk, The Mechanic (and it takes a while to recognise this white-haired gentleman as Kevin Kline) and The Cashier, the immediately recognisable Phoebe Waller-Bridge, her English strangely German-accented. David goes through some puzzling tests, like an audition, but eventually gets the car which has an interactive local guide.

Then, at the wedding, there is Sara, up-front but this covering some diffidence. They meet, don’t exactly click, but then find that The Mechanic and The Cashier have contrived to bring them together. And so the journey begins.

The way that they relive the past is going through a strange set of doors, many of them out in the woods. David goes to a lighthouse that was a refuge in his past, relives an episode from his school days. Sarah goes through a door and enters a Museum that she frequented with her mother, as well as a visit to her mother dying in hospital. A moving sequence is where David encounters his father at the time of his birth – and then later has to identify as his father reaching out to his younger self. And, there are several other episodes with the two encountering each other.

In fact, it would be interesting to hear a marriage counsellor or a therapist and their response to this film, because in many ways, the reliving in the past to change the future means a lot of discussion, a lot of self-reflection, a lot of challenges to honesty about the self, experiences to appreciate the influence of parents, discover what is special about themselves.

Because of the status and the ages of the two stars, this is a film to appeal to a middle-aged audience rather than a younger audience. And it will give older audiences their opportunity to think about reliving their past and its effect on their present and future.

There is quite some beautiful American country scenery. Margot Robbie has proven that she has quite some charm on screen. But, it is very interesting to see Colin Farrell in this role, a great number of close-ups and the fact that throughout the film he is communicating a great deal through his intense facial performance. And to this extent, he is more endearing to the audience than Margot Robbie.

Audiences who surrender to the film’s imagination, will enjoy it and appreciate an occasion for reflection. But, there is the danger with this kind of film that audiences in a hurry will not have the patience to slow down and surrender to it.

1. The title and expectations? The stars and expectations?
2. The advertising tag, relive the past, change your future?
3. The blend of realism and fantasy? Romance? Touches a romantic comedy? Surreal storytelling?
4. The American setting, the city, streets and apartment doors, the lane, the rain – and continuing throughout the film, the rental car door, difficulty opening, the vast space, the two cars, the Cashier and her manner, dialogue, comic, mysterious? The help of the Mechanic? The interview with David, the photos, the car, the GPS, his taking the car, the drive to the wedding, the voice and the directions?
5. The wedding, rain, his friends, the encounter with Sarah, tantalising, his not dancing, smoking, conversations, Sara dancing, his saying he didn’t dance, later denying it, and the scene during the final credits?
6. The conversations, the revelations of character, David, Irish-American background, reserved, diffident, the focus on Colin Farrell’s face throughout, acting through his facial responses you audiences? The focus on Margot Robbie, beauty, glamour, upfront, discussions about hurting? Their leaving?
7. David and his driving, diverted, the hamburger, seeing Sarah, the tone of the conversation, developing interactions, the car not starting, travelling together?
8. The nature of the journey, audience accepting the realism of the characters, yet the contrivance of the car rental, the voice, the directions?
9. The doors in the woods, the different doors, going back into the past, experiencing the past as adults but reliving the past, characters, discoveries, new awarenesses?
10. David and his journey, visit to the Lighthouse, unsatisfactory, the high school, his age, in the musical, How to Succeed in Business, song and dance, the girl and his infatuation, telling Sarah about her response, going through the process again, the performance on stage and the disruption, the actress saving the situation, Sara saving the situation with singing? The audience and the applause? David’s parents and their response?
11. David and his parents, the hospital sequence, seeing his father, learning about the difficulties of his birth, his father’s sadness? Encouragement? His journey into the past, seeing his younger self, the issue being special, his self-doubts? Being his father, reassuring his younger self?
12. Sarah, her visits to the past, her devotion to her mother, her absent father and disregard, her mother’s death scene, confession that she was in an affair with her teacher, missing her mother’s death? Her participation in David’s story, especially singing in the school? The scenes in her room, the posters for musicals? Her going back into the past, aged 12, her mother’s devotion, watching Big and Sara’s previous explanation of her mother’s self giving? The conversation, on the bed, peace, reconciliation, her leaving? Her mother letting her go?
13. Sarah and her visit to the Gallery, her mother’s favourite place, friendship with the guard, the range of paintings, the couple with their heads painted over – and David and Sarah later in the same position, the discussions, Sarah and her mother’s death, the Gallery, the relationship with the teacher?
14. The scene at the table, the two couples, coming together, the woman and the conversation with David, love, leaving her, the issue of loving too much? Loving too much with Sarah, the man at the table, her walking out on him?
15. The parting, David driving home, his wanting to go home, Sara driving and her wanting to go home? David and the intervention of the Cashier and, at the hotel, of The Mechanic? Challenging David? His returning the car, talking about Sarah, the meaning of the journey, going home?
16. Sarah, returning the car, her having to make a decision, going to his house, his sitting on the steps, using the GPS?
17. The final speech, their both understanding themselves, having spent time together, knowing each other and their compatibility, the difficulties and tensions, love, the final kiss in the future? Dancing in the final credits?