There is a moment very early on in ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ which underpins the whole point of the film.
Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell star as two people attending a mutual friend’s wedding, and they clock each other at the ceremony. In that moment, the mutual attraction they feel is so palpable it is undeniable. Yet when they speak for the first time, there is an unease to how they feel each other out. The banter is not just provocative, it is borderline combative. This sets the tone for the rest of their story, the more these two like each other, the more they pull away.
The movie seems to be exploring the idea of how we overthink something as simple and direct as being in love to our own detriment. Here are two good looking and educated people, they are comfortable asking big questions but consistently swerve when invited to provide answers. They can psychoanalyse themselves with ease, but only to support their comfort in pessimism – not growth.
So, what to do with these two who can’t get out of their own way? Well, they get given a shove towards predestination with a really neat premise. Both characters hire rental cars to attend the wedding, the rental agency is manned by Phoebe Waller Bridge and Kevin Kline (good to see you again sir) in a wonderfully quirky scene. The GPS in the cars allow them to travel through time and space, to memories both real and unknown. Director Kogonada easily provides fairy tale visuals but also reveals a strong, understated elegance. We switch between natural settings and close-ups that makes us live in the moment. There are conversations that sound real and simple.
But the two tones of the film never get quite gel, the fanciful imagery does not take full flight into whimsy and imagination. The honest meditative dialogue never articulates passion boiling, ever. These are two people so scared to feel, they barely raise our heartbeats even though there is real chemistry between the leads. There seems to be a clash between the aspirations of the writer and the sensibilities of the director. The greatest moments come not in the romantic scenes but in the ones involving their parents. This is where cast and crew are unapologetic in tapping into the emotions of the moment.
That might lead to this movie being reassessed down the lines. This is a fascinating choice for Margot Robbie ascendant in all her ‘Barbie’ glory to make. Like a rock band coming off their biggest album yet, Margot has followed up with something small, intimate and just a little experimental.
A choice to lean in harder to the quirkiness and feelings of the narrative would have yielded bigger and better results. The ambition is admirable, but the restraint kills the momentum. Lacking courage to both tear up the formula or play for the big moments, the early promise of the premise gives way to inevitability. Like a philosopher who thinks they are more profound than they sound, the film starts to drag.
We recognise where we are going and furthermore with two characters who recognise it too but want to agonise over it all the same. Yet, Colin and Margot do perfectly convey that need to not hurt anymore and how you will believe so much just to avoiding realising one simple truth. . . This is your life; don’t you want to start living it? Don’t you want to go on a big bold beautiful journey?
