Tribeca Film Fest 2022

Max (John Cho) learns he has a fatal bone tumor and decides to take his daughter Wally (Mia Isaac) on a cross-country road trip. Unbeknownst to Wally, Max wants to take the opportunity to try and teach her the lessons she may need for the rest of her life and introduce her to her mother, who abandoned her years before since she had no other family to speak of. Cho and Isaac have great chemistry, which is key because the entire film wouldn't work without it. It's a sentimental father-daughter road trip film about chasing your dreams vs. settling on the "safe" or "responsible" choices. Whether this film lands for you depends greatly on how you feel about the ending. This journey reaches a definitive fork in the road in the last act where, as a viewer, you know that only one of a few things IS going to happen. I'd bet that most people will not like the road this takes. (The film's opening line, "You're not gonna like how this story ends, but I think you're gonna like this story," even presupposes that notion). I appreciated the ending, however, and not just because I'm a road-less-traveled kind of guy. It reframes so many of Max's choices for his life with a new context. What were the consequences of living his life entirely for others, and where did that leave him? An enjoyable watch on Father's Day of all days—and hits Prime Video on July 15th. 

— 4 / 5 ⭐