"The supposed transformation of the characters is also extraordinarily pat and by the numbers. Several of Ezra’s concerns, like not wanting to eat with a metal spoon or not wanting to be hugged, are overcome instantaneously in an encounter with a young girl who is the daughter of Vera Farmiga’s character, Max’s old flame, whom they meet on the road. Such tropes perhaps have a place in movies wanting to be crowd-pleasers, but the execution here doesn’t do it any favors. They seem cynically applied to illicit aww reactions and tears from the crowd -- another instance of the film’s overreliance on narrative shorthands and templatized storytelling. The modest production is directed by Goldwyn in a strictly pedestrian point-and-shoot manner, rendering it anonymous and undistinguished. Overusing the score to generate emotion contributes to the overall feeling of manipulation."
The score album was released on streaming services at the end of May along with the film's wide release. It's a super short album with only about 20 minutes of score, but a very pleasant listen. It generally comes across as pretty restrained and intimate, and combined with being sparsely spotted I'm going to venture a guess that this is just another film critic who's allergic to any sort of noticeable melody in film music.
"The supposed transformation of the characters is also extraordinarily pat and by the numbers. Several of Ezra’s concerns, like not wanting to eat with a metal spoon or not wanting to be hugged, are overcome instantaneously in an encounter with a young girl who is the daughter of Vera Farmiga’s character, Max’s old flame, whom they meet on the road. Such tropes perhaps have a place in movies wanting to be crowd-pleasers, but the execution here doesn’t do it any favors. They seem cynically applied to illicit aww reactions and tears from the crowd -- another instance of the film’s overreliance on narrative shorthands and templatized storytelling. The modest production is directed by Goldwyn in a strictly pedestrian point-and-shoot manner, rendering it anonymous and undistinguished. Overusing the score to generate emotion contributes to the overall feeling of manipulation."
The score album was released on streaming services at the end of May along with the film's wide release. It's a super short album with only about 20 minutes of score, but a very pleasant listen. It generally comes across as pretty restrained and intimate, and combined with being sparsely spotted I'm going to venture a guess that this is just another film critic who's allergic to any sort of noticeable melody in film music.
I can only assume I had a brain-freeze where I conflated it with two upcoming films, Thelma (scored by Nick Chuba) and National Anthem (scored by Nick Urata).
Now I'm imagining a combined film where a scammed elderly woman goes on the road with her neurodivergent grandson and joins a gay rodeo. Definitely a Sundance winner and probably a "Black List" script as well.