The Go-Getter

Critics Consensus

A hipster take on the well-traveled road movie, The Go-Getter features nice performances, but ultimately fails to carve its own path.

42%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 24

61%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 4,062

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Movie Info

For the follow-up to his feature debut, 1999's The Big Split, filmmaker Martin Hynes took on this bittersweet road movie about a teenager responding to the untimely death of his mother. Overcome with grief that he's unequipped to deal with, Mercer (Lou Taylor Pucci) decides to steal a car and hit the open road. Along the way, he discovers himself with the help of a seductress (Jena Malone) and the owner of the car (Zooey Deschanel). The Go-Getter had its premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

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Cast

Lou Taylor Pucci
as Mercer
Zooey Deschanel
as Kate
Jena Malone
as Joely
M. Ward
as J.
Judy Greer
as Better Than Toast
Nick Offerman
as Nick the Potter/Dutch the Trumpeter/Joaquin
Brian McNamara
as Book on Tape
Erv Immerman
as Hospice Patient
Ann Ryerson
as Hospice Visitor
Julio Oscar Mechoso
as Sergio Leone
Alex Nicksay
as Masks/Ronald Reagan
Aaron Mitchel
as Anal
Michael Patterson-Crohn
as Shut Up!
Marissa Ingrasci
as Laurel
Sita Young
as Hardy
William Lee Scott
as Rid
Colin Fickes
as Cousin Buddy
Bill Duke
as Liquor Supply
Maura Tierney
as Hal's Pets
Corn Mo'
as Himself
Jsu Garcia
as Arlen
Saul Huezo
as Ensenada Hotel Valet
John Anthony Delgado
as Ensenada Helpful Guy
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News & Interviews for The Go-Getter

Sundance Reviews: Short and Sweet, A Review Roundup
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Critic Reviews for The Go-Getter

All Critics (24) | Top Critics (12)

  • The transition from the slopes of Sundance to the hard streets of everywhere else is the artistic equivalent of the bends.

    Oct 18, 2008 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

    Peter Howell

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • The first road movie that could fit into the mumblecore genre of dithering youth angst: The Go-Getter travels, but it doesn't go anywhere.

    Jun 13, 2008 | Rating: C | Full Review…

    Owen Gleiberman

    Entertainment Weekly
    Top Critic

  • Director-writer Martin Hynes shapes his first movie into something emotionally truthful, painfully funny and vibrantly alive.

    Jun 11, 2008 | Rating: 3.5/4

    Peter Travers

    Rolling Stone
    Top Critic

  • Strives for hipness but ultimately just feels contrived and derivative.

    Jun 10, 2008

    Frank Scheck

    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic

  • There are moments of beauty here, but not enough to make up for the mannered dialogue and hamstrung performances.

    Jun 6, 2008 | Rating: 2.5/5 | Full Review…

    Carina Chocano

    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic

  • Much of the dialogue is so quirky it sounds overheard instead of scripted. The performances are correspondingly spontaneous.

    Jun 6, 2008 | Rating: 4/5

    Stephen Holden

    New York Times
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (24)

Audience Reviews for The Go-Getter

  • Apr 25, 2012
    A directorial debut to be proud of, The Go-Getter has the feel of a really good 90's film, updated slightly for contemporary audiences. Zooey Deschanel and Jena Malone have stellar showings, being the perfect faces for an independent film such as this. Lou Taylor Pucci carries the lead well, as the gentle car thief that travels to inform his drifter brother that their mother has passed away. His naivety and along with the slow-moving pace of the film help create a mellow drama along the likes of All The Reals Girls and Dandelion.
    Christopher H Super Reviewer
  • Jan 04, 2012
    Manifesting the spirit of indie music (almost exclusively M. Ward, who appears on screen early on and also began his "She and Him" music collaboration with Zooey Deschanel after they met during filming), this movie wants to be sloppy and include an individual's smaller moments and dialogue because it's more real and intimate than exclusively polished, succinct scenes that methodically push a plot forward. The writer/director didn't really know his characters though, and so this movie felt so forced and fake that the individuals were unbelievable and unrecognizable as humans. 60 minutes in, I started wondering if this was just a vehicle for M. Ward songs.
    Matthew S Super Reviewer
  • May 14, 2011
    Against it's own self sabotage, I enjoyed "The Go-Getter." The film never really goes anywhere in terms of plot (which is odd since it's a road movie) but it's the quieter moments that make it bearable. Nice performances from Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone and a plethora of small side characters, this is a light, sometimes emotional, sometimes dumb coming of age film. It may be extremely 'indie' but it has it's moments.
    Steven C Super Reviewer
  • Aug 29, 2010
    Kind of in the middle about liking and disliking. The cast was great along with the storyline, yet it failed to deliver the way it could have. Zooey = AMAZING! And even though through the first half all you get is her voice, she really brings the film to life. Lou was stinkin' adorable...
    Leigh R Super Reviewer
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