‘Northbound’ Review: Bruce Dern Revs Up a Road Movie With Its Hands Otherwise Firmly at Ten and Two
A rascally grandfather and his straitlaced grandson drive cross-country into Canada to visit the family's ailing whisky distillery in William Scoular's well-meant but weightless dramedy. There is a pleasantly peppery performance from a bewhiskered — and bewhiskyed — Bruce Dern in William Scoular’s “Northbound,” but its spice is lost to the coziness of an approach that sets a higher premium on amiability than originality.
Reported by 1 outlet — Variety. See all sources ↓
A rascally grandfather and his straitlaced grandson drive cross-country into Canada to visit the family's ailing whisky distillery in William Scoular's well-meant but weightless dramedy. There is a pleasantly peppery performance from a bewhiskered — and bewhiskyed — Bruce Dern in William Scoular’s “Northbound,” but its spice is lost to the coziness of an approach that sets a higher premium on amiability than originality. Kicking off to Trooper’s stadium staple “Raise a Little Hell” and closing out with the plaintive piano-rock of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know,” in between, “Northbound” plots such a straight line from one mood to the other, from mildly irascible rebellion to melodic, melancholic wisdom, that its central road trip feels less like a late-life adventure and more like a familiar commute. But the time of its overly neat wrap-up, the only unanswered question here is why we needed so many large-print signposts for an emotional journey that never leaves the well-trafficked highway.
Read the full report at Variety ↗
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- A rascally grandfather and his straitlaced grandson drive cross-country into Canada to visit the family's ailing whisky distillery in William Scoular's well-meant but weightless dramedy. There is a pleasantly peppery performance from a bewhiskered — and bewhiskyed — Bruce Dern in William Scoular’s “Northbound,” but its spice is lost to the coziness of an approach that sets a higher premium on amiability than originality.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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- 15m ago.
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‘Northbound’ Review: Bruce Dern Revs Up a Road Movie With Its Hands Otherwise Firmly at Ten and Two
Sources1TypeCoverageVariety