Colin Farrell as David Langley and Margot Robbie as Sarah Myers in a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” a fantasy for grown-ups that wears its heart on its sleeve, desperately wants you to believe in love. It's a flight of fancy that wafts off the screen like something that came from an alternate universe where star vehicles from major Hollywood studios never fell out of style. (Where is that universe and what wormhole do I take to get there?)
But what initially breezes through like a breath of fresh air grows stagnant and weak, its promise of a sweeping romance undone by uninspired writing, a concept that isn't fully fleshed out and two stars with the charisma the material requires but who simply don't click. It sputters well before it reaches its destination.
That's not to say the third feature from South Korean-born filmmaker Kogonada is a complete washout, and it doesn't hurt that stars Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie are keen to play in the director's loopy sandbox. Its modest pleasures arrive early, as chronically single David Langley (Farrell) follows the signs to the coyly coined The Car Rental Agency after his car craps out on him, just as he was about to head off to a friend's wedding.
Margot Robbie as Sarah Myers and Colin Farrell as David Langley n a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
The unnamed cashier (“Fleabag's” Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and mechanic (Kevin Kline, sporting hair that suggests Betsy Ross with a perm) greet David inside the agency, its barren interior looking more like an abandoned high school gym used for modeling auditions. The kooky, cryptic duo give David a 1994 Saturn, the first of many red flags in Seth Reiss' screenplay that signals an unhealthy attachment to 1990s/early 2000s pop culture.
David makes it to his friend's nuptials, in a cute, out-of-the-way location that's like a bougie couple's idea of rustic chic, thanks to his Saturn rental's anachronistic GPS, blessed with the voice of Jodie Turner-Smith. That's where David, scruffy and sporting a tan that cuts down his appeal by half, meets Sarah Myers (Robbie), a sassy, life-of-the-party commitment-phobe who repeatedly calls attention to the barrier she's built around herself. She overshares to the point that the film defines her character by the way she's torpedoed her love life.
Naturally, David is smitten, while Sarah feigns disinterest. How is it that they've never crossed paths, even though they're both friends of the bride? Kogonada isn't the least bit curious about something that would give texture to this potential matchup.
Colin Farrell as David Langley and Margot Robbie as Sarah Myers in a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
It's not until the wedding is over and done with that “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” embarks on its titular voyage, after twisting itself into a pretzel to bring David and Sarah together at a roadside Burger King. It's a product placement that could have been clever (look, it's Margot Robbie chowing down on a Royale with Cheese), but Kogonada is all thumbs about getting more mileage out of it.
David and Sarah end up in David's Saturn, as the car's GPS, a HAL 9000 type reprogrammed as a passive aggressive matchmaker, takes over and leads them to a series of doors that open to reveal parts of the travelers' past. It's a neat concept, not far removed from the premises from a fizzy Studio Ghibli concoction. Kogonada even hired the legendary Joe Hisaishi, a frequent Ghibli collaborator, to write the film's score. Alas, the “Spirited Away” composer's work here feels liked warmed-over variations on his work with animation giant Hayao Miyazaki.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Female Cashier and Kevin Kline as The Mechanic in a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
Hisaishi's listless score, and an even more lackluster soundtrack comprised of dewy-eyed pop songs that could make cynics break out in hives, aren't the only things that come across as secondhand goods. Kogonada and Reiss force our protagonists to confront and reconcile with past actions that have had a debilitating effect on how they view relationships, but the initial thrill of not knowing where David and Sarah will wind up once they walk through those doors gives way to disappointment. What lies on the other side of the threshold makes a movie that starts out as a cross between “Amélie” and “Before Sunrise” play like the cinematic equivalent of a “hang in there” motivational poster.
The high-concept regression therapy might be having the desired effect on David and Sarah individually, but it yields zero growth on the characters as a romantic pair. Which leads us to the sad truth at the center of this wayward “Journey”: There are no sparks between Farrell and Robbie. Sure, the actors have fun dissing each other during the early, more adversarial scenes, but when the movie asks us to feel the fireworks, there is no there there. Just two talented, attractive A-listers going through the motions against screen saver backdrops.
Margot Robbie as Sarah Myers and Colin Farrell as David Langley in a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
The one exception that suggests the movie that “Journey” could have been involves a walk down memory lane down the halls of David's high school and a student production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” that shows Farrell, and to a lesser extent Robbie, capably flexing their musical theater muscles. The sequence suggests this could have worked much better as a musical, and may be more effective if it is ever plucked from the obscurity to which it appears to be destined and resurrected as a stage play.
Kogonada has made grief a central thematic pursuit throughout his body of work. His touching sci-fi drama “After Yang,” also starring Farrell, had an intriguing, thought-provoking answer to his question, what makes a family? There is a similar exploration of the ripple effects of losing a loved one in his latest effort, but matters of the heart are a considerably more challenging mountain to climb for the filmmaker, and following a buoyant start, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” loses its way. It lets self-help bromides dilute an impish irreverence that had kept things interesting. You feel the pixie dust wear off on this not-so-magical mystery tour.
Margot Robbie as Sarah Myers and Colin Farrell as David Langley in a scene from "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." (Photo by Matt Kennedy, courtesy of CTMG, Inc.)
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is now showing across South Florida in wide release, including Regal South Beach, CMX Brickell City Centre, AMC Aventura 24, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Coconut Grove, The Landmark at Merrick Park, Regal Dania Pointe and Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway Fort Lauderdale.
