Waterwalk (2012) User Reviews

father / son bonding or adventure

[witz-2 · 6/10 · 24 June 2012]

This is a wonderful true story of ? I am not sure whether it was a father / son bonding movie or an adventure movie.

A man, Faulkner, loses his job and is seemingly on the brink of losing his 18 y.o. son. The son convinces him to go on a canoe trip. They agree to retrace the route of Marquette and Joliet from St. Ignace, MI to St. Louis, MO.

Along the way there are adventures both with nature and with the people that they meet along the way. The cinematography was wonderful. The acting was first class. Chase Maser, the son, has a bright future ahead of him.

This was a low budget film with some technical challenges that could be hard to overcomewithout big budget equipment. One of these was the sound. There were certainly scenes where the sound was not what we are used to in a feature movie. However, it doesn't spoil the movie and I am sure that next time they will do much better.

I didn't read the book, but have to believe that the relationships were much more fully fleshed out than they were in the movie. For me, that was the disappointing part. The relationship evolved during the journey but, for me, I really didn't see exactly how. There didn't really seem to be a turning point and the son has one outburst that comes completely out of left field.

There was one scene near the opening that tied in towards the end, but nobody that I spoke with really quite understood why those scenes were there.

Overall I did enjoy the story and would recommend it for the whole family, especially father and son.

Review

[wjmchenrylaw · 8/10 · 23 February 2014]

Being a father of three, an avid outdoors man, kayaker etc I really enjoyed this movie. There's lessons in it for all of us not the least of which is that sometimes there are no shortcuts to the greatest rewards in life.

And it's never too late to be a good father or a good parent even if you have some catching up to do...

I've watched it twice with my kids. The movie is an inspiration for me to be a better parent. There's more to life than the perpetual rat race and the pursuit of material things that won't matter in the end. Love your family.

Congratulations to the cast, crew and director!

Great Acting and Cinematography

[roger-368-736148 · 10/10 · 12 May 2012]

An inspiring family friendly film, based on a true story Waterwalk features co-star Bob Cicchini (Godfather III, Six Feet Under, The Mentalist) who also directs. The film introduces 19 year-old Chase Maser in his first lead role. Maser, who is in four other films out this year (AWOL, Family Weekend) , plays the role of Justin Faulkner who persuades his father Steve to join him in an attempt to become the first single canoe team to paddle the 1,000 mile Marquette.Joliet discovery route of the Mississippi. Beautifully acted with a wonderful supporting cast, this is a showcase for the American heartland. Funny, heartwarming, beautifully shot by Bruce Schermer (he filmed Sundance Grand Prize winner Chameleon Street and most of Roger & Me), Waterwalk is a film you won't want to miss.

Father and son journey

[tulajaffe · 3/10 · 10 June 2013]

I am usually very supportive of alternative movies which are not the usual Hollywood pap. However the actors who played the father and son were terrible. They were the antithesis of charismatic and not all interesting to watch. The dialogue was boring and seemed pointless. The incidental characters added nothing to the movie and just seemed to be interjected into the movie without any real purpose. The father and son dynamic left much to be desired. The saving grace of the movie could have been the scenery, but even that was a disappointment compared to many other movies in which nature plays an important part. The book on which the movie was based is probably very interesting. Save your money and read the book instead of going to see this movie.

One of those great family films!

[cjwsurvey · 9/10 · 19 May 2012]

It is so nice to be able to view film that is great for the whole family. The fact that is based on the book by Stephen Faulkner adds to the enjoyment~ knowing that it really happened.

The cinematography was great, even my husband commented on how great the visuals were. The only problem was with some of the audio. It was a little distracting but passed very quickly.

The one thing I didn't understand was that they were in Iowa after Hannibal. I don't think that's possible.

All in all, I would definitely recommend seeing this movie. Great for such a low budget film.