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The Go-Getter
By: Joey
Magidson
The Go-Getter is one of
the best films of the year so far...
Director Martin Hynes’s first film is a wonderful film,
taking what is one of the most standard and overused plots, the road
movie, and crafts one of the most unique and fresh films I’ve seen in a
long time. Perhaps the most apt description of this film is that it’s a
combination of the road trip from Elizabethtown, Into the Wild,
and what The Brown Bunny might have been like if it hadn’t been
unbearably bad instead. There are no wrong steps in this touching film
about a teenager searching for his brother, and maybe something more.
Hynes has made something that will stay with you long after the credits
roll. It is a fantastic film, one that is both dramatic and funny, odd
and poignant, one with a lovely sense of surreal realism (if that makes
any sense), and it is a film that, at this point, is the best film that
I have seen this year.
The protagonist of this film is Mercer (played by Lou Taylor
Pucci with a brilliance that suggests he is on the verge of breaking out
in a big way), a 19 year old kid from Oregon who, upon his mother’s
death, steals a car to go look for the half brother he barely knows,
mostly to inform him of her death, but perhaps for something more as
well. The car he steals has a cell phone in it, and when it rings we
learn that it belongs to a mystery woman (Zooey Deschanel, who has never
been more charming, sexy, or better) who oddly enough, isn’t mad at him
(in fact, she even knows who he is, but we won’t understand why till
later), but simply curious about why he needs his car. She wants him to
tell her about his trip in exchange for her car, and their many late
night conversions on the road are some of the highlights of the film.
By the time that the film comes to a close, Mercer will have met a hippy
(a goofy Judy Greer) that starts him off on his search for his brother
Arlen, found a girl from his past that he always had a crush on (Jena
Malone, playing far against type, but still somehow likeable, despite
her role as femme fatale of sorts), met a pornographer named Sergio
Leone, a liquor salesmen (Bill Duke) with a strict code to life, and a
pet store owner that plays in a “band” for her parole (Maura Tierney).
This doesn’t even take into account what happens when he finally finds
his brother, or when the mystery woman comes for him.
Part of the pleasure of this film is that it goes in a very
different direction than any other road movie that I have ever seen. It
really takes the “it’s not the destination but the journey” mantra to
heart. Every single stop Mercer makes is truly unique. He always seems
to learn more about his brother (for better or worse), and he in turn
uses his frequent chats with Deschanel’s voice to explain just what is
going on inside of him and why he needed to do this. The other pleasure
in this film is the acting. Lou Taylor Pucci is a revelation here. He
makes the character into someone that everyone can identify with. He
has a beautiful combination of naiveté and world weariness, which makes
his reactions to the myriad events in the film all the more exciting to
see. He is matched almost beat for beat by the lovely Ms. Deschanel,
who makes what could be a truly befuddling character and makes you fall
in love with her. Their chemistry on the phone (and later on in person)
elevates the film and makes them one of the most endearing pairs that I
have seen in cinemas this year. All of the supporting characters come
and go rather quickly but they all leave their mark, due in no small
part to all the wonderful turns by the actors and actresses. Equal
praise must be heaped on writer-director Hynes, who has an ear for
realistic sounding dialogue and an eye for strong visuals. He is a
filmmaker definitely worth watching, and so is this film. The
Go-Getter is nothing short of a triumph for all involved and is
a must see.
****/****
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