You would think a romance with Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie would be a home run. But A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is big and beautiful but its dialogue is anything but bold.
The premise of the film is simple: David (Farrell) has to go to a wedding and when he sees that his car has a boot on it, he’s forced to go to The Car Rental Agency. Sarah (Robbie) also went to the agency and the two learn that their magical GPS wants them to take a journey through their pasts together.
In theory, a great way to get to know each other. The issue is that these two characters have not established a deep connection with each other. Their “meet-cute” is awkward at best and when they do have cuter moments, it is lost in the strange dialogue setting up these two. What’s worse is the dialogue paints a completely different picture to who Sarah and David actually are.
When we actually get to go on the journey through their memories, it is beautiful. I was captivated by David’s love of musicals and Sarah’s exploration of the loss of her mother but it paints a very weird contrast between these two and their emotional journeys. Sarah is dealing with grief and David is dealing with….once being a star who considered himself special?
What hurts the most is that I would have been fine with all of this if the dialogue did not way this movie down. Whenever it got me, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey lost me in the next breath. One moment of real connection between Sarah and David where she brings up her dead mom and he jokes about his still living and married parents gave me hope but the movie then loses that edge.
The surrealism worked, the dialogue did not
So much of what Kogonada was doing and succeeding at gets lost in Seth Reiss’ dialogue. Why are these two captivated with each other when their meeting was not cute? Yes, they share a sweet moment later at the wedding but Sarah ultimately doesn’t give David the time of day later.
I recognize that plays into her insecurities and is part of her overall arc but it doesn’t really work to make me care about their journey together. Individually, their moments in their past are beautiful and emotional but then whatever grace was awarded because of that is gone with a fight that doesn’t make sense.
To Robbie and Farrell’s credit, the two are ACTING in these scenes and for a moment, I can look past the baffling dialogue. But when I think of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, I am just left wanting more.
There is one beautiful sentiment through the film that while used too many times did make me feel something: The idea that happiness is almost unreachable but feeling content is achievable. It is a relatable thought and ends up unchallenged in the movie and is just another example of how this could have been more.
I do think it is a worthwhile watch. It is a stunning movie and watching Farrell perform in a musical was delightful. But just don’t go in thinking A Big Bold Beautiful Journey will change your life. It could have, if not for that dialogue.
(featured image: Sony Pictures)
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