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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (27) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (9) | DVD (1)
A lot of what takes place in "Roadie" feels overly familiar, and the film could have been a wallow in pathos except for the performances, especially that of Eldard.
The hugely sympathetic Eldard ("Super 8") gives this slim movie a real, beating heart.
While the excellent cast does its level, honest best with the material, the material itself feels secondhand throughout.
"Roadie" is short on narrative momentum, but it's a perfectly attuned character study of this rock relic and his middle-aged sorrows.
Roadie has the stench of freshman-year mandatory creative writing all over it, from its cribs of Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller to an ending that's embarrassingly, clangingly metaphorical.
Mr. Eldard, who brings layers of complication to his character, makes Jimmy's vulnerability palpable, while Ms. Hennessy shows you her character's carelessness and opportunism.
What makes this uneven film rock, is hearing music from groups like the legendary local rockers the Good Rats.
Eldard makes you feel for this broken-down rock and roll creep. That feeling might be that he needs a good slap in the face, but Eldard doesn't want to be loved here and he doesn't flinch in the process.
It's rare that an acting performance can carry a movie, but Ron Eldard gets a lot more out of his role than was on the page. Eldard invests his character with palpable vulnerability.
Provides a touching look at a man whose life is in a period of transition.
Imagine The Wrestler if Mickey Rourke had just wrangled spandex instead of earning his status as a has-been. This is why this movie never feels completely original or moving.
The raw ingredients are promising, but the plodding script and Cuesta's lead-footed direction prevent it from going much of anywhere, including the viewer's memory.
Ron Eldard, Jill Hennessy, and Bobby Cannavale's performances are the best reason to check out this film. They shine here. The film kind of feels like a stage play. The film does have some great music in the film. Lois Smith and David Margulies also offer solid supporting work here. My problem with the film was the pacing, which was off here. The film begins really well and takes off, then slows down and then gets back on, and then slows down. If they would have fixed the pacing, then it would have been a much better film. Still the film is worth checking out, especially for the performance.
Super Reviewer
The movie starts with Jimmy(Ron Eldard), a 42-year old roadie, being unceremoniously left behind by his employers somewhere in Michigan. Unable to land a gig anywhere, he goes to the only place where he might be welcome which is his mother's(Lois Smith) home in Forest Hills, NY, but is so distracted by talking on his cell phone that he forgets his bag in the cab. To console him, his mother promises to make him a tuna melt with peppers and provolone but lacks the necessary butter. So, instead of calling the cab company about his missing bag, Jimmy goes to the corner store but not before he goes to a bar where he encounters Randy(Bobby Cannavale) and Nikki(Jill Hennessy, laying on the Queens accent a little too thick), herself an aspiring musician, former high school classmates of his and now married to each other. "Roadie" is an underwhelming character study that is solely content to think of its lead character as a deluded fool and simply leave it at that, taking note of all not accomplished in his life. But life is not something to keep a running score of. While the life of a roadie probably contains more than its share of odd hours, back breaking work, long bus rides, greasy food and sub-par drugs, it should also give someone who has been around as long as Jimmy more than his share of stories to tell, none of which he is apparently willing to share with friends and family, including the reason for his being fired. What did he do? Pass a drug test?
The story of a 'could have been' rock star, that ended up as a roadie for 20 years. Not a very eventful film. A little on the slow side. All in all, not much to write home about.....
An indie drama with a familiar story that adequately hits all of its emotional beats, but never goes past that. Ron Eldard is fine in his role, but isn't given a lot to work with, as the script is seemingly unfocused, and the film itself really doesn't get into much depth. As derivative as it is, the film is always watchable, and does a few interesting things with Eldard's character that make it worth checking out.
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