Am I Missing Something?

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

I watched this movie for two reasons. First, I am a huge fan of Blue Oyster Cult. Been listening to BOC since 1973 and have seen them about 60 times in concert. Second, I worked as a sound engineer, stage manager, production assistant and local crew stagehand at thousands of shows in Arizona. Though I only did a few "road" gigs and most of what I did was local work, I have many "roadie" friends that have been around the world with some pretty big named bands. So my love for BOC and my time spent working in the business is what drew me to this movie. While the story is a bit slow, I still liked it and could relate to many of the scenes. I remember going back to my old high school bedroom at my parent's house after moving away. It was pretty surreal just like in the movie when Jimmy comes home, puts on an old Robin Trower record and lays in his bed surrounded by posters of his rock heroes from the days of his youth and sings along at the top of his lungs. I can also relate to bumping into old friends after I had moved away and some of the dialog and reminiscing that takes place. Of course, I loved the soundtrack! Not many movies feature Buck's Boogie, Last Days Of May, See You in Black, Cities on Flames and The Red and The Black! Plus some Trower, Tull and of course Jackson Browne's tribute to roadies, The Load Out! One of my favorite parts is when they are in the bar and Jimmy is trying to describe BOC's music. Something that many have tried to do for years now and failed. Jimmy says "The Thinking Man's Metal" "That's how the critic's described them" and to me that best sums it up. Jimmy and Nicky are in the bar and Cities On Flame is playing on the juke box. Nicky says he never got BOC and Jimmy attempts to explain how good they were to him. The script goes something like this: "And the drumming, it would get all jazzy, but underneath all those f#@%ing heavy riffs!I mean Buck Dharma, his solo on Dominance and Submission is without question the BEST hard rock guitar solo of the era, hands down! It sums up everything that came before it. I mean Hendrix, Zeppelin, Townshend. Dharma, he takes a little bit from all of them and mashes it all together into one f#@%in' brilliant solo that says, THIS! THIS is what it's all about! It was like science fiction poetry on a turntable. All these weird worlds. They were just so much smarter than everything else that was around. Naw man, BOC, they were better. And they should have been even bigger!" For me the movie was just what I expected, no blockbuster, no action packed car chases, just a movie about coming home to your roots to see your aging mom, your rusted out old car, your old neighborhood, some old high school friends and the collection of vinyl and rock posters in your bedroom that would allow you to escape reality for just a little while.

This is a character driven film about a man who is a fan of music and couldn't be a rock star but as a fan of BOC, became on of their roadies and traveled with them all over the world for two decades... probably about a decade and a few years too long. He's not in the best health. He probably should have given up his roadie job a long time ago and taken his parents advice to become a teacher. He's had fun, but the the lifestyle and years have taken a toll on him. His mother is elderly, living by herself with some aging friends next door and she clearly needs help. She loves her son and kept his room as almost a shrine to him, just as he left it in the 1980's. His old rusted out Firebird sits in the driveway.I'm a fan of music and Ron Eldard and Jill Hennessy. It was cool hearing Jill perform in the film. She sounded great and she's nice to look at also. The BOC songs were great and I especially liked the perfect closing track by Jackson Brown.In the end I wanted to see Jimmy stay at home and take care of his mother. Maybe get in shape and go back to school. Maybe he could be a teacher. I wondered if Jimmy really could play guitar? Could he pick it back up and maybe he and Nikkie could perform together? This movie almost seemed like a pilot for a television series. If it were a series, it would be one that I would watch. I see people are watching this one on Netflix... hopefully this will be a money maker in the end.

It's not like this is a bad movie in any way but it's still one that will probably make you go 'so what!'. It's a redundant, little movie to watch really, that won't leave an awfully big impression on you afterward, though while watching it you also won't ever got bored or annoyed by any of it.You feel that the movie should had either gone for a completely dramatic and heavy approach or a fully comedic one. Now instead the movie feels somewhere stuck in the middle. It's a bit of both really, which makes neither work out as great or powerful as it could have. The movie never hits hard with any of its drama and it the characters and situations aren't quite quirky or entertaining enough to make you laugh. You could say that the movie plays things very safe and chooses the middle road.But having said all this, it's still a good enough, little movie, that's just lacking a certain edge. It's certainly good looking and well directed though. Movies like this are of course not every expensive to make but you could tell lots of time and care got put into this movie, along with a bit of love. You could tell the film-makers and actors all believed in the project and gave it all they got. Yes, I think it's foremost its acting that still makes this a maintaining movie to watch. The movie doesn't has the biggest stars but all are capable actors, who suit their roles well. It gives the movie its heart and still make this a pleasant watch. As far as these sort of realistic, little drama's go, that are being like a random slice of life, this is one of the more bland ones but it's definitely not an horrible movie. It's quite watchable really but it just doesn't leave a big, lasting impression on you.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

I caught this on Amazon.com before it hits the theaters in January. This is one of the few movies I really wanted to like before I saw it, and it did not let me down. I don't know what the nay-sayer movie critics are talking about who didn't like this film. The script has depth, there's great music, an engaging story-line, characters the audience member will care about, and humor in most ordinary, unexpected places. The actors bring their characters to life in unique ways that only those with skill and knack can bring.Ron Eldard and Lois Smith make such a great mother-son team. They had great chemistry. I hope both get Academy award nominations. They deserve it!I've always liked Bobby Cannavale ever since "Will & Grace". He and Jill Hennessy do excellent jobs in their supporting roles.The whole feel of the film is authenticity and spontaneity, as if we're truly eavesdropping on these characters' lives. There's nothing staged or "actorish" about this film.Love the BOC music. Its great to hear some of their lesser played, but no less great "other" hits. And its nice that Ron's character gives the band and Buck Dharma's genius permanent celluloid recognition that is overdue.