Scenic Route (2013)
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 13 | Rotten: 8
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 3
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 2,454
Movie Info
Mitchell (Josh Duhamel) and Carter (Dan Fogler), life-long friends who have drifted apart, are on a road trip when their old pickup breaks down, leaving them stranded on an isolated desert road. Nobody can pick apart a man like his best friend, and as the relentless elements of the desert grind them down, they start to attack each other's life decisions with unwavering brutality. As they question who they are and who they could have been, their agitation leads to physical confrontation and
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Cast
-
Josh Duhamel
Mitchell -
Dan Fogler
Carter -
McKendrick, Leah
Annie -
Peter Michael Goetz
Old Man -
Miracle Laurie
Joanne -
Randy Danson
Estelle -
Marilyn Jones
Lena -
Kevin Wade
Paul -
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Scenic Route Trailer & Photos
All Critics (21) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (8)
At the very least shows you how to make a smart, cheap little movie with only two actors, one main exterior set and no special effects.
Top CriticKyle Killen's script is generally uninspired and fairly predictable ...
It begins with energy, dulls in the middle stretches but redeems itself with a final destination that makes the trip feel worth it.
Fogler impresses with some brooding edge, but neither he nor the location photography is enough to recommend you join him on this doomed trip.
Mitchell and Carter never extend beyond the archetypes of Unhappy Family Man and Bitter Failed Artist. Nor do Duhamel and Fogler's inconsistent performances breathe life into their flat characters.
The howl of the desert wind and the unflagging hammer of the sun are the backdrop for every bad decision, lending them a plausibility they wouldn't have in comfort.
Just because moviegoers begin to know these characters intimately doesn't mean they like them, or care whether they perish in the harsh conditions.
Refreshingly intelligent and palpably suspenseful. Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler give the best performance of their career.
Perhaps even more effectively than The World's End - but in a less escapist fashion - this is a parable of responsibilities and foibles filtered through genre (horror, in this case).
Lined with a certain bruised grace... a spare, streamlined, desert-set psychological thriller that doubles as a study in masculine relationship drift.
It's actually a well-made, well-acted low-budget thriller that is more resonant than expected.
Scenic Route is an unsettling and wonderfully obtuse picture that will provide a different experience for every viewer.
...it doesn't seem to be the journey as much as the destination: seeing two sorta-friends wailing on each other feels like the shortcut a better movie never made.
Is there a worse cinematic punishment than a two-hander featuring dull, unsympathetic twits bickering for an hour and a half?
Scenic Route is a movie that crawls under your skin and stays there for a while, thanks largely in part to its haunting ending.
Scenic Route offers strong roles for Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, and while familiar in tone and structure it is watchable and well performed.
When Scenic Route works it really works, and it's definitely a trip worth taking.
It's beautifully shot, has awesome performances from its two leads but just ultimately is marred by its inconsistent storytelling and brutally awful ending.
This script, by Kyle Killen, and direction from brothers Kevin and Michael Goetz have resulted in a very powerful film that you should see with your best friend. Then take a road trip together. You both might need it.
Audience Reviews for Scenic Route
Super Reviewer
Great Film! The acting, dialogue, and desert scenery combine to make this an awesome movie. The deeper meanings and plot twists will keep you thinking about the movie and its implications for days. I feel that this movie wants you to get some perspective and appreciate your life and what you have, since many of us get stuck thinking about what we lack. It really is a unique film. If you are tired of movies that seem to copy old ideas, then this movie is for you. I highly recommend it.
The relationship between two old friends is tested as they are stranded in the desert.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Scenic Route (DE)
- Scenic Route (UK)
