Directionless ‘Sacramento’ is hardly a capital idea
Timing is everything. And Michael Angarano has the misfortune of debuting his road-trip buddy dramedy, “Sacramento,” directly in the wake of Jesse Eisenberg’s vastly superior “A Real Pain.” Had the latter not arrived on the scene, perhaps Angarano’s second turn as a writer-director-star would have been slightly more palpable.
It certainly possesses the scruffy charm of Eisenberg’s Oscar winner, courtesy of its stars, Angarano and Michael Cera. But it has none of the depth or heart central to the appeal of “A Real Pain.” Nor is it as effortlessly funny.
With “Sacramento,” you can always see the cranks churning in a blatant attempt to tap into our emotions. But its inane style of comedy is constantly interfering. It’s as if Angarano and co-writer Chris Smith are incapable of subtlety and nuance. Everything must be obvious and slightly over the top. There are countless scenes in which the writers have us in their grasp, only to squander the opportunity by allowing it to devolve into silliness.
As actors, Angarano and Cera are a highly winning pair. And you’re all in on believing their respective characters, Rickey and Glenn, are lifelong friends who have drifted of late, with one growing far more mature and dependable than the other. It’s the same setup as “A Real Pain,” but the films diverge in terms of the quality of writing. Eisenberg knows how to create characters we can relate to and empathize with, whereas Angarano and Smith merely present broadly drawn types. I also don’t appreciate how they use Rickey’s and Glenn’s mental health issues as fodder for quirky comedy rather than a potential examination of two men struggling to cope with the rigors of adulthood.
If an estranged friend suddenly reappeared by leaping from a tree in your backyard, you’d likely lock the doors and call the police. Not Glenn. He agrees to go to lunch with the visibly unstable Rickey, who is fresh out of rehab after suffering a nervous breakdown. His shrink has urged him to seek refuge with a close friend. That would be Glenn, his dear pal from high school who has evolved into a husband and soon-to-be father, unlike Rickey, now friendless and without family in the aftermath of his father’s recent death.
Rickey also proves averse to the truth, using a fib to trick Glenn into riding shotgun on a six-hour odyssey from L.A. to scatter Pop’s ashes in his beloved Sacramento. Glenn is justifiably leery, but a phone chat with his pregnant wife, Rosie (a wasted Kristen Stewart), convinces him a weekend away is just what he needs to quell his sporadic bouts of anger fueled by his fear of impending fatherhood.
So, off we go, in the vintage gold convertible the boys drove back in high school. Rickey recently had the ride restored for five grand, far more than the value of the car. Where did he get the cash? As far as we can tell, he has no source of income. And it’s the lack of such detail that becomes more blatantly apparent over the movie’s 85 minutes, demonstrating that little thought went into writing this hodgepodge script that opts for a series of spoofs and escapades instead of a cohesive throughline.
Angarano apparently assumes he’s being clever by withholding the real reason behind the trek north until late in the picture. But if you were paying attention during the film’s meet-cute opening – depicting a brief romantic encounter between Rickey and a lovely hiker named Tallie (Angarano’s wife, Maya Erskine) – you have an inkling of what’s freaking him out. A remedy for his psychosis is as quick as it is easy. But not before Rickey and Glenn bicker and bond between such diversions as a night on the town with two female gym owners (Rosalind Chow and Iman Karram), a kidnapping and a low-speed scooter chase.
If not for the potent chemistry between the two leads and their endearing portrayals of a pair of Peter Pans fearing responsibility more than death, “Sacramento” would be an utter waste of time. With them at the center, it has a shaggy-dog vibe that holds your interest – barely.
Again, I can’t help wondering if I might have felt differently were “A Real Pain” not still fresh in my mind. That was a movie! “Sacramento,” in keeping with its namesake destination, is a journey to dullsville. As with Saoirse Ronan’s angst-ridden teenager in the Sacramento-set “Lady Bird,” you’re willing to do just about anything to escape the cultural void. Sorry, Sacramento. You deserve better. So do we.
Movie review
Sacramento
Rated: R for language
Cast: Michael Cera, Michael Angarano, Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine
Director: Michael Angarano
Writers: Michael Angarano and Chris Smith
Runtime: 85 minutes
Where: In theaters April 11
Grade: C+
