All three of these leads act like they have just been plucked out of a community theater production and thrown on the screen. The only one who feels natural is Chris Hayes, but if he is anything like that in real life, he should probably invest in a cup. Everyone delivers their lines so awkwardly and so artificially that it doesn’t allow you to connect with the characters, even though I don’t know if you’re supposed to since they are essentially physical representations of ideas.
The Loneliest Road in America has one or two positive things going for it. First, the scenery is wonderful and it is shot well. Although it’s a low budget affair, the film does well what little it has, choosing to just shoot in the small towns and the outside scenery of the Nevada desert. Some of the shots are beautiful, and DP Tony McGrath needs to be commended for making the movie look great. Also, the best part of the whole movie is a man by the name of Dynamite Bob (I don’t think he’s named in the movie, but he’s the super perverted one and you’ll know what I mean if you see it). Apparently he was a local they just hired in one of the towns they shot in, and his three lines are the funniest lines of the whole movie. It’s sad, but he’s the best actor in the whole thing, and he’s not even acting!
All in all, The Loneliest Road in America is not worth the watch. It tries to say something, but the message is lost with a dumb plot and some of the worst acting and dialogue I have ever heard in a movie. This isn't something I would ever watch again.
You may feel differently though, so please check out the official website.
Article comments
1 - Jorah Wexler
Dynamite Bob has no speaking lines. He sits at the end of the bar out of focus. The character that you are talking about is Lewis and he is played by Craig Rose. So please give him the credit that he deserves, especially if you like his performance during the bar scene. Also, the URL to the website doesn't work. You have it listed down as www.loneliestoradinamerica.com when it is really www.loneliestroadinamerica.com.
2 - Jonathan Sullivan
My apologies on that, I forgot the o when I was typing the URL. Also, I didn't catch Lewis' name and he uttered a line someone mentioned Dynamite Bob uttering when they were scouting (in the press stuff) so I put two and two together.
I do apologize on those two fronts.
3 - NC Weil
I didn't see the whole movie because my husband & I walked out after about half an hour. What struck me most is that the characters exist in a bubble of privilege in which they do not interact with their surroundings - the whole point of a road trip is to interact with your surroundings! I longed for them to have serious car trouble in the middle of nowhere so they'd have to deal with actual people - maybe eventually that happens, but by then we were out of there. If in half an hour a movie can't produce a character one wants to spend time with, nor a story arc with some dynamism, it's a failure which deserves no more of our attention.
The pervasive misogyny (not just characters but probably the filmmaker) was not just offensive but depressing.