There’s a strange pull to this film, because the people in it seem so real. Director/writer Andrew Wagner actually uses his real family to play the lead characters. How much of the story is based off of these people is unknown, but we have to believe they are playing exaggerated versions of themselves.
Allen (Allen Wagner) and Judy (Judy Wagner) are a retired couple who have a bumpy relationship. After he loses money in the stock market, which we learn is something he’s done before, Allen goes out and buys a van — for family trips he says. However, Allen and Judy don’t see much of their kids, two of them living in Los Angeles. Their actress daughter Emily (Emily Wagner, TV’s E.R.) comes to visit from L.A. and with their other actress daughter Maggie (Maggie Wagner, ONE FINE DAY), Judy decides to take a spontaneous trip to L.A. to see their son Andrew (Andrew Wagner).
The road trip premise is Judy, and somewhat Allen’s, way of bringing together a family that is breaking apart. However, during the trip, old wounds will be opened and the fate of Judy and Allen’s marriage is at stake. Along the way, they meet up with Emily’s friend Bumpy (Judy Dixon, film debut) and Andrew’s friend Billy (Billy Wirth, BOYS ON THE SIDE), who makes a wonderfully profound statement about what someone should spend their time doing during retirement.
The key characters are Judy and Allen. Judy is a lively woman, who doesn’t have any qualms saying what is on her mind. She’s also a drama queen, who will change her mind on a moments notice. Allen is an emotional distant person, who is suffering from diabetes and a bad back. Judy still has a sexual drive, but Allen is way past fooling around with his old wife. In a side note, knowing that their real son is directing their intimate conversations about sex is actually kind of creepy. But I digress. Emily is very L.A. She jumps from every New Age trend to another, trying to find herself. Maggie is the older sister, who seems to have her life in more order, but also has less patience for her bickering parents.
Key to the film’s success is that all the Wagners are born performers. There’s a casualness between them that is so right, because they are a real family that other films just don’t have. Because of Judy’s lack of shame, topics are brought up and discussed that many families would never bring up in their lives. For Andrew the writer and director, this allows the story to reveal a lot of detail, developing the characters’ complex personalities fully.
However, the story is not a free-for-all either. Andrew takes his time, building the tension between Judy and Allen. Some moments might have been improvised, but you sense they are working off a tightly written script that they just happen to have already lived. We get a true sense that what happens has been building for years. It’s this real sense of a past history that the story excels in displaying.
Cementing the whole film is its humor and wit. It takes some time to build, but once Emily arrives the film takes off like a mini-van on rocket fuel. Once the family arrives in L.A., the story seems to meander around for a meaning a bit too long, however to some degree that’s what the whole film’s about. They’re one dysfunctional family, but it’s entirely entertaining watching them work out their problems.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
