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‘Big Significant Things’ is a road trip film that avoids the scenic route

‘Big Significant Things’ is a road trip film that avoids the scenic route

Big Significant Things Poster

Big Significant Things
Written & Directed by Bryan Reisberg
USA, 2014

Few cinematic genres offer the kind of broad palette for creating tales of self-discovery as the American road trip movie. Easy Rider, Little Miss Sunshine, and the upcoming Vacation are wildly varying styles of films, all firmly ensconcing themselves between dramatic and comedic in the road trip movie pantheon. Director Bryan Reisberg’s, Big Significant Things, is a quirky film that sits betwixt Little Miss Sunshine and Vacation in terms of tone. Big Significant Things never reaches the comedic highs or packs the dramatic punch to distinguish itself as a comedy or drama, relegating this movie to a murky tonal middle ground that is as nondescript as the lonely interstate highways and dusty back roads that road trip movies are famous for.

Game of Thrones alumnus (and former Targaryen tyrant) Harry Lloyd plays the role of Craig, a young-ish twenty-something taking a “business trip” through the American south. The film introduces Craig during the early stages of his journey as he arrives at his first landmark, the world’s largest cedar bucket. Craig’s excitement over his arrival and his overzealousness about having his picture taken with the tacky bucket make it immediately clear that the motivations for his travels are rooted in something deeper than work obligations. While on the surface, Craig appears to have it all together — he has a steady job in marketing and he is about to purchase a home with his long-term girlfriend — as the film spends more time with Craig, it becomes clear that he is actually escaping the trappings of his impending adult life. As Craig’s emotional pilgrimage takes him deeper into the south (visiting kitschy tourist attractions such as the world’s biggest rocking chair along the way), Reisberg deliberately peels back Craig’s emotional layers, revealing the wayward soul that exists beneath his unassuming surface.

Big Significant Things Harry Lloyd 01

Big Significant Things plays it fairly loose with the movie’s pacing and plot. Much like a real life road trip, there are long stretches in this film where it feels as if nothing of consequence happens. The particulars of Craig’s motivations for getting away are never explicitly revealed, so anyone that can’t handle ambiguity in their entertainment should skip this movie. Those who enjoy challenging films with relatable themes will feel right at home watching Big Significant Things. Even as Craig suppresses his own motivations from himself, there are enough subtle hints in the dialogue for the audience to piece together the current adversity he “perceives” in his life. Perceives is an appropriate term because Big Significant Things  examines how people often get inside of their own heads, turning problems into insurmountable obstacles, while people around them see those same issues with a clearer perspective.

Harry Lloyd’s performance as Craig is the very heart and soul of this film; Craig appears in almost every scene. In order for the film to succeed, the audience must emotionally commit to the character. The problem with Big Significant Things is that it presents Craig like a fugitive on the run. In fugitive movies, the audience roots for the prisoner to get away because they can vouch for their innocence and want to see them gain their freedom. In this instance, Craig comes off as a liar and a coward, one who is escaping responsibility instead of the law. There is never any reason to root for Craig, which is fine; films and TV often don’t require that their protagonist is a sympathetic character: Walter White, Tom Ripley, Nancy Botwin and Tony Soprano are perfect examples of flawed characters that captivated audiences. Craig never displays the level of charisma to make the audience care whether he wins or loses. Craig comes off like the annoying neighbor that folks try not to make eye contact with when they spot him at the supermarket. Unlikable characters work because viewers care enough to hate them; annoying characters cause viewers to simply tune out.

Big Significant Things Harry Lloyd 03

While Big Significant Thing’s story may meander too much for conventional tastes, the events taking place onscreen are always fun to look at. Lucca Del Puppo’s cinematography is inarguably on point. When Craig finds himself in a dumpy, middle-of-nowhere bar, the scene’s blue, pink and green hues create a welcoming respite from the winding grey roads and indistinct motels he finds himself traversing. The film does a remarkable job of visually transposing Craig’s bizarre southern encounters into intimate and relatable moments. In many films, house parties don’t feel authentic: they come across like rooms filled with extras that are told to stand around, chatter, and look like they’re having fun. Reisberg does an exceptional job of recreating the close quarters vibe that comes with having so many people partying in such a small space. Late in the film when Craig walks into a house party, the moment perfectly captures the feeling of being an outsider and entering into a room filled with a tight-knit group of strangers. Moments like the party scene are small technical flourishes, but always difficult to pull off and a sign of true film-making craftsmanship.

At times, Big Significant Thing feels like being stuck in the back seat of a station wagon with an annoying cousin during a long road trip. Big Significant Thing’s slick visual presentation doesn’t mask how slow and uneventful this movie feels. The film lacks the wit to be funny, enough charm to gain the audience’s empathy, and the type of charismatic performance from its lead to make a character as irksome as Craig palatable. Big Significant Things makes some shrewd statements regarding how people are affected by the shackles of commitment and responsibility, but the way the film hands over those delicious nuggets of wisdom is like getting an insightful message inside of a moldy fortune cookie. Those that don’t feel Craig’s personality reverberating through their core like fingernails on a chalkboard will find a well-produced, thought provoking character study that will resonate with  anyone that has ever struggled through the tribulations of young adulthood.

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