INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present…and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
REVIEW
Kogonada is a great example of how a filmmaker can come from any background and carve out an auteur career. The Korean video essayist has, over the last few years, built a niche following with thoughtful, quietly ambitious work. In 2017 he debuted with the well-received Columbus, and in 2022 he followed it up with the equally praised After Yang. For a while now, there’s been this feeling he was on the verge of breaking out with a project that could push him into a higher tier of celebrated filmmakers.
Enter A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, undoubtedly his most ambitious and commercially appealing film yet. A big studio fantasy-romance adventure fronted by A-list stars Colin Farrell (reuniting with Kogonada after After Yang) and Margot Robbie, the project was even speculated by some to be his potential awards breakthrough when word first got out.
That, however, doesn’t seem to be the case. As I write this review, the box office projections are weak, and speaking as someone who tracks awards season closely, I can say with confidence this won’t be Kogonada’s ticket into the awards circuit. Still, I think it deserves more of a chance than it’s likely to get, because audiences may warm to it more than the critics will.
At the time of writing this review, the embargo is still in place (obviously lifted by the time you’re reading this), but the vibe among fellow critics has been that this is his weakest film to date. That might be true for some, but I find myself a bit higher on it than many of my colleagues, even if I share some of their gripes.
On paper, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey feels like a recipe tailored for me; unapologetic romance, sweeping adventure, touches of fantasy, musical numbers, a soundtrack meant to amplify the story, lush art direction, and gorgeous cinematography. And yes, all of that is here.
The problem, and it’s a big one in my mind, is that the film leans too hard into whimsy and manic-pixie-girl energy. Instead of soaring as an epic, life-affirming romantic masterpiece, it often tips into something a little too sugary for its own good. Add in some inconsistent pacing, and the execution ends up undercutting what the film is reaching for.
That said, Farrell and Robbie keep the whole thing afloat. They elevate shaky dialogue and overwrought monologues, albeit they can only do so much with the material they’re given. The film also has moments that show just how good it could have been. I never found myself doubting that two self-destructive people might somehow find a way to make it work together, a credit to how the leads sell their roles. Still, Farrell’s character comes across more convincingly written than Robbie’s, who could’ve used an extra dimension or two.
In the end, I liked A Big Bold Beautiful Journey more than I didn’t. Its ambition is admirable, its style occasionally intoxicating, and its potential undeniable. But its flaws hold it back from greatness. I legitimately think there could’ve been a masterpiece in this where it not for its stumbles. It might even make for a lovely date-night pick for certain cinephile couples. As for whether it grows on me, or fades, in the months and years ahead will depend on where Kogonada takes his own journey as a filmmaker next.
GRADING
