I basically watched Scenic Route because I enjoy Josh Duhamel. I expected an indie thriller and it certainly was that. I would imagine the budget for the film would have been very low and the film is driven by setting and dialogue and does fairly well on both counts. I think its relatively easy to build a film that builds suspense and survivalist drama in a desert but it is the chemistry and the conversation between the two men that really puts you on edge. The trailer and even the cover of the film implies this could be almost a survival horror film but I think it leans far more towards a survival drama. There is 10-15 minutes worth of footage of the two men brawling and fighting but nothing gets extremely gory by any means. This film is psychological through and through. Early in the film I wondered if the dialogue was improvised between them and because of that I thought parts of it felt a little forced. It was like they were struggling to find the right words but it got significantly better towards the middle and their chemistry seemed to be get better as well and they were believable as life long friends on very different paths.
Josh Duhamel was terrific in his role as a man with a seemingly perfect life. He has a beautiful wife and son and the perfect 9-5 job but he quickly shows that all that is a facade and driving him crazy. He has enough charisma to carry the role and the film and his downward spiral is really well done in the scope of his character. It all happens quickly and it is fascinating to watch. Dan Fogler seems like an odd choice for his best friend. He almost appears to look and act like the slapstick buddy in a raunchy comedy. However, it is this reason that makes their interactions so watchable. He isn't as good as Duhamel but he also isn't really the focus of the film. He is meant to be more of the supporting character I think to Duhamel and he does well at that. Its probably a very good turn for his career to show a different side of him and a little more depth to his abilities. That's about it for the cast. There are a few, very few, other characters that are on screen for literally seconds so this is a two man show essentially.
This is basically a first time outing for the Goetz brothers directing. I usually find most directors who don't have a lot of experience stumble through their first works. While I'm sure film critics smarter than I could pinpoint a few minor amateur mistakes, I think the film is very good. It is entertaining and has a very good pace to it. It isn't perfect mind you. Besides the forced dialogue in the beginning, I felt like it was trying very very hard to be an art-house surrealist film. I think it tries too hard to be smart and a thinker of a film when it really isn't necessary. In a bizarre turn of events the ending...I thought was almost unnecessary. It was another reason it was trying so hard to be though provoking. That being said...I'm going to be contradictory because I sort of loved the ending!! It had this whole Inception feel to it that actually worked somehow even though I didn't really think it was the best ending. Regardless, mainstream crowds and art-house folks could enjoy this equally. Its intriguing and well designed and entertaining. A very sold indie flick for certain! 7.5/10
Josh Duhamel was terrific in his role as a man with a seemingly perfect life. He has a beautiful wife and son and the perfect 9-5 job but he quickly shows that all that is a facade and driving him crazy. He has enough charisma to carry the role and the film and his downward spiral is really well done in the scope of his character. It all happens quickly and it is fascinating to watch. Dan Fogler seems like an odd choice for his best friend. He almost appears to look and act like the slapstick buddy in a raunchy comedy. However, it is this reason that makes their interactions so watchable. He isn't as good as Duhamel but he also isn't really the focus of the film. He is meant to be more of the supporting character I think to Duhamel and he does well at that. Its probably a very good turn for his career to show a different side of him and a little more depth to his abilities. That's about it for the cast. There are a few, very few, other characters that are on screen for literally seconds so this is a two man show essentially.
This is basically a first time outing for the Goetz brothers directing. I usually find most directors who don't have a lot of experience stumble through their first works. While I'm sure film critics smarter than I could pinpoint a few minor amateur mistakes, I think the film is very good. It is entertaining and has a very good pace to it. It isn't perfect mind you. Besides the forced dialogue in the beginning, I felt like it was trying very very hard to be an art-house surrealist film. I think it tries too hard to be smart and a thinker of a film when it really isn't necessary. In a bizarre turn of events the ending...I thought was almost unnecessary. It was another reason it was trying so hard to be though provoking. That being said...I'm going to be contradictory because I sort of loved the ending!! It had this whole Inception feel to it that actually worked somehow even though I didn't really think it was the best ending. Regardless, mainstream crowds and art-house folks could enjoy this equally. Its intriguing and well designed and entertaining. A very sold indie flick for certain! 7.5/10