Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysHispanic & Latino VoicesSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Adopt a Highway

  • 20192019
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
19,146
2,795
Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn't recognize - including trying to learn how to use the internet - he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.
Play trailer2:07
3 Videos
14 Photos
Drama

An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster.An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster.An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster.

IMDb RATING
6.3/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
19,146
2,795
  • Director
    • Logan Marshall-Green
  • Writer
    • Logan Marshall-Green
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Christopher Heyerdahl
    • Elaine Hendrix
Top credits
  • Director
    • Logan Marshall-Green
  • Writer
    • Logan Marshall-Green
  • Stars
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Christopher Heyerdahl
    • Elaine Hendrix
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 65User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:07
    Official Trailer
    Adopt a Highway
    Trailer 2:09
    Adopt a Highway
    Adopt a Highway
    Trailer 2:07
    Adopt a Highway

    Photos14

    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke and Savannah Sucher in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Russell Millings
    Christopher Heyerdahl
    Christopher Heyerdahl
    • Jim
    Elaine Hendrix
    Elaine Hendrix
    • Diane Spring
    Chris Sullivan
    Chris Sullivan
    • Orankle
    William Stanford Davis
    William Stanford Davis
    • Hatty
    Betty Gabriel
    Betty Gabriel
    • Deeks
    Anne-Marie Johnson
    Anne-Marie Johnson
    • Tracy Westmore
    Mo McRae
    Mo McRae
    • Wilson
    Milauna Jackson
    Milauna Jackson
    • Detective Minardi
    Nate Mooney
    Nate Mooney
    • Homeless Man
    Chris Williams
    Chris Williams
    Diane Gaeta
    Diane Gaeta
    • Becca
    Loni Love
    Loni Love
    • Cher
    Dohn Norwood
    Dohn Norwood
    • Cato
    Rich Ceraulo Ko
    Rich Ceraulo Ko
    • Officer Marshall
    Juan Gabriel Pareja
    Juan Gabriel Pareja
    • Cashier
    Jorge Diaz
    Jorge Diaz
    • Internet Cafe Clerk
    Joyce Guy
    Joyce Guy
    • Ticket Woman
    • Director
      • Logan Marshall-Green
    • Writer
      • Logan Marshall-Green
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Logan Marshall-Green's directorial debut.
    • Connections
      References Rakkaus veitsenterällä (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Keep in touch
      Written by James Patrick Van Dyke, Darryl Murphy Jr.

      Published by Affix Alpha Music, Affix Beta Songs

      Courtesy of Affix Music, LLC

    User reviews65

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Just released convict tries to reconnect with outside life.
    My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library.

    I was expecting more, not sure what though. While this certainly isn't a bad movie it does move very slowly in many spots and in some ways lacks authenticity. However the overall message is a very good one.

    Ethan Hawke, who also produced, is Russell Millings. While it isn't really explained, a series of quick glances at old newspaper clippings tell us he was a California "three strikes" victim and was imprisoned for roughly 20 years for selling small quantities of marijuana. Now he is being released.

    I don't know what goes on in prisons but in his case he knows nothing about cell phones, email, and the internet in general. However when he learns and looks up his father back in Wyoming he finds that he has died.

    Russell gets a job as a general grunt at a restaurant, cleaning dishes and floors, taking out garbage. One night late, into the early morning, he finds a baby in the dumpster.

    The movie has an unusual name but the connection is why not adopt a young person, not a real adoption but a symbolic one? Find a way to assure it is taken care of as the person grows into young adulthood.

    My biggest issue is with how Hawke chose to portray Russell, almost as a nonverbal person. When asked to explain the sequence of events that led up to his discovering the baby, he stammers a very slight amount but doesn't explain anything. He plays him as a person who is severely handicapped verbally. I think the movie would have been more effective if he had played him differently.

    The movie is only 80 minutes long, with credits, and to me it comes across as overly simple for the subject.
    helpful•5
    2
    • TxMike
    • Jan 30, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1, 2019 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Дорожній опікун
    • Filming locations
      • Indio, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Divide/Conquer
      • Blumhouse Productions
      • Under the Influence
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway (2019)
    Top Gap
    What is the Brazilian Portuguese language plot outline for Adopt a Highway (2019)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View image
    Photos
    Trending: Stars to Watch
    See the gallery
    View list
    List
    IMDb's Top 50 TV Dramas
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    We Love These Hollywood Power Couples
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.