If you've seen the trailer for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, you know before walking into the theater that you're about to watch a fantasy. It's the story of two strangers -- David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) -- both intentionally single, who meet at a wedding.
The moment you realize this isn't going to be a straightforward tale is when David walks into a car rental place that just happened to have a flyer taped to a building right where his car was parked -- with a wheel clamp on it for a parking violation. Without time to get that sorted out before he has to drive to the wedding, he goes to the car rental agency and discovers it's a desk at the other end of a dark, empty warehouse, managed by two odd people, at a single desk. They only have one type of older model car without Bluetooth to connect a cell phone, so he agrees to get the GPS included.
That's all fine as he goes to the wedding, where he meets Sarah. They have a conversation but don't really click. When he leaves the next morning, on his way home, the GPS asks if he'd like a big, bold, beautiful journey.
Startled, he replies in the affirmative and is shown the way to a Burger King, where Sarah also happens to be enjoying a Whopper. She joins him as they eat their burgers, and when they leave, her car won't start, so he's directed by the GPS to offer Sarah a ride. Thus begins their journey together. They follow directions to several different doors that are not attached to anything, but once they go through, each one offers a different experience from their past, which enables them to learn something about each other.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a whimsical fantasy, one that needs the audience to suspend their disbelief, but there is a point to the story -- it just takes a while to get there. Colin Farrell, as always, gives a wonderful performance, even though for most of the movie, there doesn't seem to be any chemistry between the two leads. The female role would have been served better by someone who portrays a lovable quirkiness, like Rachel McAdams, although Robbie does give it her all. Her acting in the emotional scenes from the past -- especially the ones with her mother -- are believable and moving.
Fans of romance will enjoy this entertaining fable, which puts all the pieces together in a totally unique way from other movies, allowing us to understand the two lead characters at the same time they're getting to know each other. ~Alexandra Heilbron
3.5 out of 5 stars
If you have seen A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and you would like to rate/review it yourself, click here.