‘Sacramento’ Review: Road Trip Comedy Proves Life is in Fact a Highway

Advertised as the “‘Superbad’ for anxiety-ridden 30-year-olds,” “Sacramento” provides an overall refreshing take on “buddy comedies” but fails to put the pedal to the metal when it comes to balancing the emotional subplot with the near-constant absurdist humor.

Attempting to tackle the complexities of loss, anxiety, and human relationships, the indie dramedy tells the story of two childhood friends trying to revive not only their relationship but also their life trajectories. Built on the false pretense of spreading the ashes of Rickey’s (Michael Angarano) father in Sacramento, the journey to California’s capital gives the pair not only hundreds of miles on the road under their belts, but also a renewed bond, a realization of life’s impermanence, and a sense of security over their respective impending fatherhood.

Directed by Angarano, “Sacramento” appears to follow in the footsteps of Jesse Eisenberg’s fellow — but ultimately far more successful — emotionally driven comedy “A Real Pain” from just last year. Angarano’s film not only similarly features a core journey, both on a physical and psychological level, but also stars two of Hollywood’s other quirkiest male actors.

Indie icon — and, yes, co-star of “Superbad” — Michael Cera portrays Glenn, a father-to-be driven by his seemingly endless state of panic and paranoia, who is found at near-constant odds with Angarano’s humorous depiction of pathological liar Rickey. Both actors excel in delivering nuanced performances, despite the overwhelmingly comedy-driven nature of the film. In even the most mundane of settings, including the simple act of building a crib for his unborn child, Cera perfectly conveys the crushing weight of parenthood that proves crucial to making “Sacramento” more than a typical buddy comedy.

“Sacramento” does its share to reverse a number of overdone tropes. Among those is Rosie’s (Kristen Stewart) bending of the stereotypes of pregnant women, taking the lead in her marriage with Glenn as both the primary breadwinner and emotionally stable pillar for her family. Stewart is in her comfort zone throughout, with her deadpan, sarcastic portrayal of Rosie providing a foil to the more slapstick humor found throughout the rest of the film.

Layered thick with awkwardness and cringe, the underlying emotional plot about the anxieties of parenthood and the fluidity of relationships in “Sacramento” winds up taking the back seat in most scenes. But through this, the audience’s focus ends up being far too centered on sorting through the random and absurd moments rather than the subtle yet beautiful message that is hidden underneath. And just in case you’re still wondering, yes, you really did see Cera and Angarano duke it out in a fighting ring for what feels like five minutes without a stunt double in sight.

With a runtime of under 90 minutes, a miracle in this age of unnecessarily drawn out films, “Sacramento” demonstrates admirable self-restraint. By being mercifully short, the film also manages to still deliver somewhat of a punch despite not having one singular climax or turning point in the plot.

Consistently proving that filmmakers can do a lot with a strong cast, editing, and soundtrack, the pacing of “Sacramento” is surprisingly successful for a film that will have you pondering what the central plot was even after walking out of the theater. One of the most beautiful sequences in the film — a fairly simple montage of Cera clearly reaching his emotional limit and finally realizing it's time to ask for help — is driven by subtle, multifaceted cinematography, rather than flashy editing or dialogue.

For a film so heavily marketed as a road-trip comedy, the journey through California is actually a rather insignificant aspect of “Sacramento.” Despite this, its depiction of the state capital does exactly what it's supposed to do: highlight the local community and culture.

While likely to get the job done for viewers looking for a casual comedy, it is the untapped potential in the form of its perfect collection of versatile actors, strong soundtrack, and promising concept in “Sacramento” that makes it ultimately unsatisfying.

—Staff writer Sara R. Eyjolfsdottir can be reached at sara.eyjolfsdottir@thecrimson.com.