No assembly RequireD

Michael Angarano delivers his second feature and like most actors turned directors Angarano chooses a personal story to deliver a quick and charming look at the fears and sadness many men carry, even if they don’t realize it.

Rickey (Michael Angarano) needs to make connections. Whether it’s coming across a beautiful stranger in the woods or a long lost friend Rickey feels more alive when around others. Perhaps that’s why he spends his days at self help groups voluntarily playing therapist to the other men in the group even when there’s a hired counselor. He has tons of advice to dish out but is clearly the type of man who very rarely if ever uses his own words. Perhaps that is what caused the distance between him and childhood best friend Glenn (Michael Cera) a nervous man himself about to welcome his first child with his wife Rosie (Kristen Stewart). Angarano with a script he co-wrote with Christopher Smith does a humorous job at showing uncomplicated men with overly complicated problems. The only issue is the complications come from themselves. Glenn is terrified of everything for his future child so much so that he worries the crib isn’t sturdy enough only to find himself giving it a test shake until he himself breaks it apart. His wife knows that he needs to get out of the house so when Rickey literally stumbles into their backyard offering a road trip to Sacramento (a town Glenn has never been to nor has any desire to see) she sees it as a perfect opportunity to send the boys on their trip and hopefully to get some time to figure out their shit together. Angarano behind the camera is tranquil even for a film that relies on constant bickering between its actors. Cera and Angarano are hysterical together while also harboring a load of pain. With its calming folk music and jazz score the two on their road trip bring back feelings of early Hal Ashby. You can feel “The Last Detail” inspiration throughout. In fact the film is at its strongest watching these two go back and forth and when the reality of their trip takes its time to fully reveal itself.

It’s the connection of Cera and Angarano that makes the film feel stunted when it delves into an expanded storyline that reveals why this roadtrip is actually happening. The whole “men need therapy” is an obnoxious quibble thrown out way too often with films. It also degrades the entirety of even putting out a reaching hand for men who truly need the help. Thankfully SACRAMENTO avoids this by showing a balance of two men who are frustrated and scared but never need scene of grand gesture to prove it. Instead the entirety of the two lead performances are built up well that when they encounter other characters (often female) it feels underwritten and more of a way to keep things moving. Not every film needs equal time for every performer but it can feel like other actors (including a humorous Maya Erksine and Angarano’s real life partner) feel like a guide to the story rather than a full partner to the elements done well outside them.

SACRAMENTO is a film very much indebted to its short runtime. You enjoy the breeziness of it which makes the moments that drag stick out all the more. A prolonged freak out towards the end is great for laughs but feels misguided in keeping the film grounded. Stewart in the usual indie wife side role does well enough to bring the awareness that often it’s the luck of the draw in finding a partner who can keep their own cool. But the film like most under 90 minute films could benefit from that actually scene that brings things more into focus for everyone even those not at the forefront. SACRAMENTO wants to be a buddy road trip movie but it’s deeper inclusion of others requires it to allow a greater conversation that is often cut short. It’s the kind of film that is destined to be a comfort film for many and especially those that can connect with two neurotic men who desperately need a road trip more than anyone even if they can’t fully see what lies in store for them.

B

SACRAMENTO PREMIERED AT THE 2024 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. VERTICAL IS EXPECTED TO RELEASE THE FILM LATER THIS YEAR