The Open Road (2009)

Movie centers on the adult son of a baseball legend who, together with his girlfriend, embarks on a road trip with his estranged father.

Director:

Michael Meredith

Writer:

Michael Meredith

Stars:

Justin Timberlake, Ted Danson, Harry Dean Stanton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Justin Timberlake	...	Carlton
Ted Danson	...	Coach
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Amon
Mary Steenburgen	...	Katherine
Kate Mara	...	Lucy
Jeff Bridges	...	Kyle
Bret Saberhagen	...	Himself
Robert Casserly	...	Moderator
Tony Sanford	...	Fan #1
Kevin Lee Foxx	...	Fan #2 (as Kevin Foxx)
Paxton Brown	...	10-Year Old Kid
Douglas M. Griffin	...	10-Year Old's Father
Wayne Douglas Morgan	...	Organizer
Clay Chamberlin	...	Impatient Fan (as Clay Chamberlain)
Yohance Myles	...	Convention Assistant

Storyline

Carlton Garrett, son of Hall of Famer Kyle Garrett, plays minor league ball in Corpus Christi. He's in a slump when his grandfather calls to say that his mother, in Houston, is refusing a heart operation she needs to prolong her life. She says she won't have the operation until Kyle, her ex-husband, comes to see her. So Carlton, with his close friend Lucy, who used to be his girlfriend, goes to Columbus, Ohio, where Kyle is signing autographs. They haven't spoken in four years. Will Kyle go to Texas or will he find a way to duck out, as he's done for years? In addition to the father and son relationship, what about Lucy, and what about the slump?

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Plot Keywords:

baseball | road trip | father son relationship | washed up star | singing in a car | 

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Taglines:

they've got a long way to go.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Avoin tie

Filming Locations:

Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,169 (USA) (4 September 2009)

Gross:

$19,348 (USA) (4 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

OddLot Entertainment, Perfect Weekend, Aqua Foxx Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 91 min (European Film Market)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In several scenes in the movie, Jeff Bridges' character mentions "Walter Henry Hagan" at the Dallas airport. Walter Henry Hagan was in fact head of Special Services for American Airlines up until his retirement in 1995, and remained on as a consultant in same capacity until his death in February 2000. Hagan was "the" man to talk to if you needed assistance in your travels with American Airlines. He considered former Dallas Cowboy, Don Meredith (father of writer-director, Michael Meredith) and his wife, dear friends.

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie, Carlton arrives at the airport with Kyle in a Jeep. There is a license plate on the front of the vehicle. In the next scenes, Carlton empties his locker then goes outside where Lucy is waiting near the Jeep. As it drives away, they show the rear license plate (same number as at the airport), but when they show the Jeep from in front, there is no license.

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Soundtracks

"Alright"
Written by Stoll Vaughan
Performed by Stoll Vaughan
Courtesy of Shadowdog, LLC

User Reviews

Bland, boring

This movie didn't do much for me. It's the story of another dysfunctional family, without much happening to make the family very interesting. I guess the theme is that no matter how rotten your Dad is, he's still your Dad, and can be loved and forgiven. I suppose that's true enough, as long as there are some good memories to outweigh the bad. But the Dad in this movie doesn't seem to have left too many good memories behind.

I like Jeff Bridges on screen. He's made some very good movies ("Fearless" for instance), and some that didn't impress me much ("The Contender", "Sea Biscuit", "The Fisher King"), but no matter the quality of the film, he always seems to rise above the material. In this movie, he plays such a rotten piece of work - a self-centred, boozy, sleazy, loud-mouthed jock living in the past - that I started to see the less redeeming features of Bridges himself. Maybe that just proves what a good job he did.

Justin Timberlake is OK, but he doesn't inject much life into his character. What the lovely Lucy (the totally gorgeous Kate Mara) sees in this sour, sulky, colourless character is beyond me. With her knowing grin, a flash of the eyes, a shake of the head, she makes it obvious that she understands this lot only too clearly. I felt like shouting "Run, Lucy, run! Don't get mixed up with these screw-ups! You can do better! Much better!" I could have added, but didn't, "Pick me!"

Basically, I found the film bland and un-involving. I gave it 5/10, and every one of the 5 points derives from the presence of Mara, who brings not just loveliness to the screen, but there's a fire in her eyes and a sense of personality that few others are capable of projecting.