Been there, done that...

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2006)

Okay, so I guess I'm the only person on the planet who didn't think this movie was anything special. Don't get me wrong. It was funny, a little dark, and paced well (almost). My big problem with this movie is the fact that I didn't care at all about any of the characters.
When Grampa died, I didn't care. I didn't cry, I didn't laugh, didn't feel one iota out of the ordinary. And it didn't seem like the other characters did, either. His death comes out feeling like another bump in the road. Rather than dealing with it, they decide that Grampa is only holding them back and Linda, the bereavement lady, won't let them just dump the body on the hospital. The family didn't grieve over Grampa's death except for about thirty seconds! For Christ's sake, the character doesn't even have a name! He's either Grampa or Dad. How impersonal can you get? Furthermore, there is only one dynamic character here: Dwayne. Paul Dano's character is the only one I even felt remotely sympathetic for. That may only be because he was given a better role here than in other films he's been in (The Emperor's Club, The Girl Next Door). The change he makes is rather dramatic and is an example of fine acting.
I'm also getting very tired of the idea of a "road movie." The "road as a journey" metaphor only works so many times, and it only really works when the characters are actually changed by the challenges they face. It's losing its metaphor status and quickly taking the plunge into Clicheland. It works well in Stand By Me (in which friendships are strengthened and manhood is achieved by the time the destination is reached), decently in National Lampoon's Vacation (over the length of which the family's bond is first weakened and then finally realized), and not much at all in Little Miss Sunshine (where the destination is reached after several tribulations and still, nothing has changed).
I appreciate the comedy, our laughter at how pathetic the characters all are (and thereby how pathetic we are). I think the film is well-shot with truckloads of unbalanced shots which throw us deeper into the chaos of this dysfunctional family. All-in-all, it's decent entertainment. I just don't think there's much here to be said that hasn't been said before and better.