I am a big Ethan Hawke fan, so when I saw he was starring in a movie where the IMDb description was simply, "An ex-felon discovers a live baby left in a dumpster," I couldn't wait to watch it. And Ethan Hawke, as usual, doesn't disappoint. The premise of the movie, however, kind of does.
If you're going into this movie expecting to see a heartwarming tale about a man who finds an abandoned baby and then raises it for his own, don't. That's exactly what I thought I was getting, and it's not a huge spoiler to say that Ethan's character finding the baby in the dumpster is not the main plot point, but instead the catalyst that kicks off a sort of road-trip style journey of redemption. In this way, I was disappointed, because I really was looking forward to a movie about an ex-con trying to get back on his feet, and who suddenly has to find a way to care for a baby; there's about 15 minutes of this type of film, before the movie pivots completely. And in the end, it'll be up to you to see if you enjoy the new direction.
If there's one thing that kept me engaged throughout the film, it was Ethan Hawke's performance. He was fantastic as a deeply traumatized and damaged man who has spent the majority of his life in prison, who is now trying to make an honest go of things in a world that doesn't necessarily like, respect, or care about him. His character clearly has social anxiety, which is evident in every conversation that he has with people. He always looks nervous, never makes eye-contact, and barely says anything to people, which is a testament to prisons tendency to leave people more damaged when they leave than they were when they entered.
The movie moves as briskly as you'd expect for an 80 minute film, but it does slightly slow down whenever the road-trip shenanigans start. With that said, the road-trip sections also feature some of the best character dynamics, specifically between Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix. They share many meaningful and emotional scenes together, where you can tell that both of them are starting to feel some sort of connection with each other; when their time finally comes to an end, Elaine has a moment that can best be described with a song title: "Should I Stay or Should I Go." And that moment is powerful as well as heartbreaking in its subtlety, serving as a painful reminder that one choice always cuts off another.
"Adopt a Highway" is a fine enough film, carried by Ethan Hawke's performance. He's really good in the role, and was the main draw for me as a viewer to continue watching the film. The movie didn't progress in the way I was expecting, and certainly not in the way I was wanting, but when the credits rolled I found myself having enjoyed my time with the film as a whole.
If you're going into this movie expecting to see a heartwarming tale about a man who finds an abandoned baby and then raises it for his own, don't. That's exactly what I thought I was getting, and it's not a huge spoiler to say that Ethan's character finding the baby in the dumpster is not the main plot point, but instead the catalyst that kicks off a sort of road-trip style journey of redemption. In this way, I was disappointed, because I really was looking forward to a movie about an ex-con trying to get back on his feet, and who suddenly has to find a way to care for a baby; there's about 15 minutes of this type of film, before the movie pivots completely. And in the end, it'll be up to you to see if you enjoy the new direction.
If there's one thing that kept me engaged throughout the film, it was Ethan Hawke's performance. He was fantastic as a deeply traumatized and damaged man who has spent the majority of his life in prison, who is now trying to make an honest go of things in a world that doesn't necessarily like, respect, or care about him. His character clearly has social anxiety, which is evident in every conversation that he has with people. He always looks nervous, never makes eye-contact, and barely says anything to people, which is a testament to prisons tendency to leave people more damaged when they leave than they were when they entered.
The movie moves as briskly as you'd expect for an 80 minute film, but it does slightly slow down whenever the road-trip shenanigans start. With that said, the road-trip sections also feature some of the best character dynamics, specifically between Ethan Hawke and Elaine Hendrix. They share many meaningful and emotional scenes together, where you can tell that both of them are starting to feel some sort of connection with each other; when their time finally comes to an end, Elaine has a moment that can best be described with a song title: "Should I Stay or Should I Go." And that moment is powerful as well as heartbreaking in its subtlety, serving as a painful reminder that one choice always cuts off another.
"Adopt a Highway" is a fine enough film, carried by Ethan Hawke's performance. He's really good in the role, and was the main draw for me as a viewer to continue watching the film. The movie didn't progress in the way I was expecting, and certainly not in the way I was wanting, but when the credits rolled I found myself having enjoyed my time with the film as a whole.