IMDb RATING
6.1/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Three women take a road trip to Santa Barbara in order to deliver the ashes of one of their dead husbands to his resentful daughter.Three women take a road trip to Santa Barbara in order to deliver the ashes of one of their dead husbands to his resentful daughter.Three women take a road trip to Santa Barbara in order to deliver the ashes of one of their dead husbands to his resentful daughter.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Daniel D. Davis(screenplay)
- Christopher N. Rowley(story)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Daniel D. Davis(screenplay)
- Christopher N. Rowley(story)
- Stars
Videos1
Ivey Lloyd Mitchell
- Evelyn Brimmas Evelyn Brimm
- (as Ivey Mitchell)
- Director
- Writers
- Daniel D. Davis(screenplay) (story)
- Christopher N. Rowley(story)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
The distressed emotions that Arvilla Holden are feeling upon the death of her husband Joe Holden are compounded by dealing with Joe's adult daughter, Francine Packer. Joe and Arvilla were lovingly married for twenty years, and although they lived in Pocatello, Idaho - Arvilla's home town - they traveled the world on one adventure after another. Joe was from Santa Barbara, California, where Francine and the extended Holden family still live. Arvilla is certain that Joe wrote a new will after they got married, but since that will is nowhere to be found, the official will is the one that Francine has in her possession, which outlines certain things that Arvilla knows Joe would not now have wanted. That will states that Joe's embalmed body is to be interned with Francine's mother in Santa Barbara, despite Joe already having been cremated. Arvilla knows that Joe would have wanted his ashes scattered into the wind. The will also deeds the house in which Arvilla and Joe lived their entire marriage to Francine, which would leave Arvilla not only homeless, but shut out of the house in which she has strong and loving memories. Francine offers a settlement with Arvilla: Joe's ashes for the house. Arvilla reluctantly agrees. Arvilla plans on bringing the ashes to the memorial service in Santa Barbara in one week's time, accompanied by her two best friends, free wheeling and single Margene Cunningham, and "perfect" mom Carol Brimm, all three women being Mormon of varying devotion. The plan is to drive the three hours from Pocatello to Salt Lake City, Utah, to catch a flight to Santa Barbara. But upon their departure from Pocatello in Joe's refurbished Pontiac Bonneville convertible, Arvilla takes the three on a road trip instead to all the places she and Joe loved en route to Santa Barbara. This trip gives Arvilla time to decide ultimately what she will do regarding her deal with Francine, which is affected by her time with Margene and Carol, and by encounters they have with people they meet along the way, most specifically a young man named Bo who is on a search for his biological father who he has never met, and a long haul trucker named Emmett. —Huggo
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG for some mild language and innuendo
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaRose Ranger was commissioned to write and performed the song "Soul Sisters" for Bonneville's premiere screening at The Toronto International Film Festival.
- GoofsA stretch of highway with a large distinctive rock formation in the background is seen right before the scene in which Arvilla gives her friends their sunglasses and scarves. Much later in the film, when they are supposedly in another state, the same stretch of road with the unique rock formation (also same trees, etc.) is seen again.
- SoundtracksUnder the Waves
Written by Pete Droge and Elaine Summers
Performed by Pete Droge
Courtesy of Puzzle Tree Records
By Arrangement with Coda Music
Top review
A Little Film with Heart: Appreciating Fine Actors
BONNEVILLE creeps up on the viewer. It is a solid marriage of light comedy and sentiment and the somewhat slight story is brought to life by the natural gifts of a trio of superb actors. Why it did not find popularity in the theaters is probably due to the topic of death and the cast of 'older actresses', but it is a solid little film that deserves more attention.
Arvilla (Jessica Lange) has lost her husband of 20 years and promised to scatter his ashes over places the couple loved. Her step daughter Francine (Christine Baranski) demands the 'ashes' be buried next to her mother's grave in Santa Barbara, threatening her stepmother with eviction from her Pocatello, Idaho home if Arvilla doesn't comply. Two of Arvilla's friends - the restless widow Margene (Kathy Bates) and the oh-so-Mormon Carol (Joan Allen) support their friend and plan to fly with Arvilla to take the ashes to Santa Barbara. But circumstances begin to change when the threesome bond tightly and decide to take Arvilla's husband's old Bonneville on a road trip to California. From here on the film is a Road Trip - a time when the three women learn lessons about life and death and love and compassion from each other - and from a young hitchhiker Bo (Victor Rasuk of 'Saving Victor Vargas', 'Stop- Loss' etc) and trucker Emmett (Tom Skirrett). The trip from Idaho to California passes through some of the Southwest's most beautiful scenery, places once shared by Arvilla and her late husband, and slowly the urn of ashes is distributed along the way to the dreaded Santa Barbara funeral.
Christopher N. Rowley directs this sweet story by Daniel D. Davis with great respect for the gifts of the three fine actors, allowing them to show us just why they remain some of our finest talent on the screen. It is not a great film, but it has such a fine heart that we can relax and just ride along with it. Grady Harp
Arvilla (Jessica Lange) has lost her husband of 20 years and promised to scatter his ashes over places the couple loved. Her step daughter Francine (Christine Baranski) demands the 'ashes' be buried next to her mother's grave in Santa Barbara, threatening her stepmother with eviction from her Pocatello, Idaho home if Arvilla doesn't comply. Two of Arvilla's friends - the restless widow Margene (Kathy Bates) and the oh-so-Mormon Carol (Joan Allen) support their friend and plan to fly with Arvilla to take the ashes to Santa Barbara. But circumstances begin to change when the threesome bond tightly and decide to take Arvilla's husband's old Bonneville on a road trip to California. From here on the film is a Road Trip - a time when the three women learn lessons about life and death and love and compassion from each other - and from a young hitchhiker Bo (Victor Rasuk of 'Saving Victor Vargas', 'Stop- Loss' etc) and trucker Emmett (Tom Skirrett). The trip from Idaho to California passes through some of the Southwest's most beautiful scenery, places once shared by Arvilla and her late husband, and slowly the urn of ashes is distributed along the way to the dreaded Santa Barbara funeral.
Christopher N. Rowley directs this sweet story by Daniel D. Davis with great respect for the gifts of the three fine actors, allowing them to show us just why they remain some of our finest talent on the screen. It is not a great film, but it has such a fine heart that we can relax and just ride along with it. Grady Harp
helpful•81
- gradyharp
- Jul 3, 2008
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $488,393
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $174,571
- Mar 2, 2008
- Gross worldwide
- $1,338,570
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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