The Way (2010)

A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the "El camino de Santiago," and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.

Director:

Emilio Estevez

Writers:

Emilio Estevez (written for the screen by), Jack Hitt (book)

Stars:

Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Deborah Kara Unger

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Sheen	...	Tom
Emilio Estevez	...	Daniel
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Sarah
Yorick van Wageningen	...	Joost
James Nesbitt	...	Jack
Romy Baskerville	...	Eunice
Renée Estevez	...	Doreen
David Alexanian	...	Roger
William Holden	...	Cal
Spencer Garrett	...	Phil
Joe Torrenueva	...	Father Sandoval
Tchéky Karyo	...	Captain Henri
Stéphane Dausse	...	French Mortician
Ángela Molina	...	Angelica (as Angela Molina)
Simón Andreu	...	Don Santiago

Storyline

"The Way" is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his "California Bubble Life". Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt), who is ...

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Plot Keywords:

journey | father | traveling | dead son | spiritual journey | 

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Taglines:

Life is too big to walk it alone.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

19 November 2010 (Spain)

Also Known As:

El camino

Filming Locations:

Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$193,552 (Spain), 19 November 2010, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$110,418, 9 October 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,430,650, 11 March 2012

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,158,000, 31 August 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmax Entertainment, Icon Entertainment International, Elixir Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When one takes the 500 mile Camino de Santiago, they carry a scalloped shell with them as an identity. Emilio Estevez was given such a shell by a man who made that journey six times. When he made the journey while filming the film, he kept the shell with him.

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Goofs

After Burgos, they stop at a house where Jack writes up his notes and Tom ties his bootlaces. This is in Tosantos at the Albergue Municipal. Before they reach Tosantos Jack is twirling his stick and throwing it up in the air like an Irish drum major. When they leave Tosantos they are all trying to twirl their sticks, unsuccessfully. But they are at the same spot as when Jack was twirling his stick earlier.

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Quotes

Sarah: Well, Jack, maybe a dog fight near a cheese farm is simply a dog fight near a cheese farm.
Jack: [Excitedly] AH! Okay... That's good. That... is very... good! Maybe I should adopt a more conservative attitude instead of trying to tickle meaning out of every curve in the road. Oh, Christ... I haven't had an original thought in months! Writer's block...

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Soundtracks

Buen Camino
by Tyler Bates
(P) & © 2011 Tyler Bates Music, Inc/Under Exclusive License To Milan Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Simple but engaging road movie

Like most road movies, this is as much about the characters' inward journey as it is about getting from A to B. At times it is too sentimental for my taste and some of the encounters seem rather artificial. But it has considerable warmth, humanity and good humour.

I saw this at the BFI in London at a screening attended by Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen. They are very proud of their film and it obviously means a lot to them, as father and son. They came across as intelligent and socially aware people, which was great to see.

During the discussion, a member of the audience pointed out the parallels with "The Wizard of Oz", something which I confess escaped me while the film was on but seemed perfectly obvious when I heard it. So watch out for that if you see the movie, and also look out for a cameo by Matt Clark, veteran character actor and, apparently, good friend of MArtin Sheen.