A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (15)

Single strangers Sarah and David meet at a mutual friend's wedding and a surprising twist of fate propels the pair through a series of mysterious doors. This fantastical and mind-bending adventure allows Sarah and David to re-live the most important moments from their respective pasts. By looking at where they have come from, the two guests better understand how they can reshape their futures.

LondonNet Film Review

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (15) Film Review from LondonNet

When one door closes another opens – metaphorically and in real life – in director Kogonada’s fantastical odyssey of self-discovery, which takes big creative swings, as teased by that tantalisingly ambiguous title. Only a few of the swings squarely connect for me, but I greatly admire and appreciate the bold ambition when other filmmakers might seek refuge in conventional, genre-specific storytelling. I am an eternally hopeful romantic so the otherworldly optimism hard-wired into Seth Reiss’s script should resonate into the marrow of my bones…

There is a curious disconnect between heartfelt material that philosophises about the contradictory nature of love and luminous performances from Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, whose screen chemistry achieves a pleasing simmer. A slickly choreographed song and dance number materialises unexpectedly in the first hour, showcasing the former’s versatility and natural charisma. The innate star power of the two leads is reason enough for their characters to fall deliriously in love on screen as they tumble through space and time and gain insight into how to shape their futures by scrutinising where they have been. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey gives audiences plenty of food for thought about the masks and personae we wear to fulfil different personal and professional commitments. As one supporting character notes, “Sometimes we have to perform to get to the truth”. I’m not convinced Kogonada’s intriguing picture gets there.

Commitment-shy New York bachelor David (Farrell) prepares to drive to his friend’s wedding with the encouraging words of his father (Hamish Linklater) ringing in his ears: “Life is better when you’re open.” A wheel clamp on his illegally parked vehicle temporarily derails those plans so David hastily acquires a new drive from the mysterious Car Rental Company managed by two nameless agents (Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who are oddly familiar with his dating history. At the wedding, David meets fellow singleton Sarah (Robbie) and squanders an opportunity to dance with her. On the way home, the rental car’s GPS asks him if he would like to embark on a big bold beautiful journey.

When David agrees, the virtual assistant guides him to Sarah and the pair follow a winding route between physical doors that open into episodes from their respective pasts, including David’s star turn in his high school’s production of the musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. A fantastical, mind-bending escapade encourages the strangers to relive defining moments and reunites Sarah with her mother (Lily Rabe), who tenderly assures her: “You are capable of being content in this life.”

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a curiosity that sustains interest by virtue of myriad stylistic flourishes and the performances. Waller-Bridge is a thickly accented hoot in her two scenes, which bookend the soul-searching. If Farrell and Robbie provide the emotional slaps, she’s the exuberant tickle.

– Jo Planter