Macy’s Rudderless an Emotionally Rockin’ Debut
Sam’s (Billy Crudup) son has died. The successful advertising bigwig’s life has been turned upside down, drowning in a combination of alcohol and despair as he tries to deal with this loss. Going through the teen’s things he discovers a box filled with demo tapes and lyrics, a treasure trove of musical ideas revealing a side to his boy the grieving father didn’t even know existed.
For reasons he can’t fully explain, Sam takes it upon himself to learn these songs, even going so far as to perform them during an open mic night at a local bar. It is there he meets Quentin (Anton Yelchin), a young musician who responds to these songs on an almost primal level. Striking up a curious, unexpected friendship, the duo decides to form a band, playing a few local venues developing a surprisingly large following in the process. But, more importantly, they strike up a bond that gives them both direction and meaning, each finding a reason to keep going and make more of themselves than either thought possible before their meeting.
If Rudderless were made for HBO or Showtime, it’s likely William H. Macy’s feature directorial debut would be getting showered with praise and talked about for a handful of acting awards, most notably for both Crudup and Yelchin. Not to say the movie is perfect. Not to say it is without fault. But it is a strong first effort on multiple fronts, quiet and subtle, Macy never overplaying his head or needlessly spelling things out allowing the audience to discern what is going on for themselves at a reasonably self-assured and confident pace.
More, and not that surprising considering the type of actor Macy himself has always been, Rudderless is a showcase for all involved, Macy coaxing superlative performances not just from his two stars but from a supporting cast that includes talents as varied as Felicity Huffman, Laurence Fishburne and Selena Gomez. He doesn’t rush them, allowing each to discover their respective characters as things progress, keeping the focus squarely on their central transformations rarely getting sidetracked by any of the melodramatic excesses inherent to this type of story.
Yet the script, credited to Macy along with fellow writers Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison, does get a bit full of itself at times, certain twists of fate and random contrivances pushing credulity to its breaking point. Stuff happens at times because it almost feels as if the filmmakers feel it has to not because it actually should, a few elements getting thrown into the mix for reasons I’m not about to pretend I come even close to being able to understand.
It is here, however, I think Rudderless will take some unnecessary and somewhat cruel knocks, criticisms it likely would not have received with as much vociferousness had it premiered on Cable. Macy’s debut isn’t perfect, doesn’t come together as crisply or as cleanly as it maybe could have. Yet it is still a remarkably entertaining effort filled with sensational bits of music and featuring a performance from Crudup that’s arguably his best or, at the very least, his most soul-searching and searing since appearing in Almost Famous 14 years ago. I’m singing this film’s praises, absolutely, and, more than that, when Macy makes the decision to direct again I’m making it a priority give said feature a look the very first moment that I can.
Film Rating: 3 out of 4
