Simply A Masterpiece

Better Late Then Never

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Wow. Just Wow. I was blown away....at the horror of this bad movie. Clunky, crude, and lacking realism. So its artistic I guess. This piece of film festival crap had potential. Mercer our hero(?) steals a car to go tell the older brother he never knew about his moms death 8 months ago. starting off quirky and neat you kinda like it, but like a baby that just won't stop crying its cute but it drags on your nerves. Its a road trip movie in a stolen car, so you see a lot of driving and a oddball 19 year old having what looks like the worst trip of his life. His brother is a thief, liar, cheat, teenage pornographer, and con man. and in the process of finding him he does all those things too, sometimes to the same people. like all teen movies you leave the world behind. don't think such questions as: Where did he get money? with no money how did he get food or gas? what the hell was he doing in Mexico? how did a 19 year old with no money or passport cross the border or book hotel rooms? where did the back pack come from? and if it was her's why was his moms ashes mysteriously in it. why was he not arrested after stealing the car, being found by its owner and disappearing from school and home?if you like hipster crap this is the film you will love. Its bad camera work, clunky plot and hateable characters will warm your heart.

You somehow can find it feeling good. I don't know why, but the females overpower mercer greatly. Which is not something you want in a movie. You want to root with the lead. But it just doesn't happen here. I wonder would people get the feeling that is conveyed at times. Because of the corny dialogue is a bit awkward and hard to understand why they makes the movie at all. Should have done better homework with the dialogue and monologue, that is all I have to say. And for an indie, it does a lousy job of capturing the landscape. One of the reason I watch indie flick is too see what the camera on big blockbuster cannot reach. Reality.In the end the acting is weirdly captivating. The males really suck, but adequate job I guess. Love all the females. And for an indie movie to want to make me watch the same movie 3 times in a week, this movie has somehow struck a dashing blow to my sweet spot. You really want to feel the journey doesn't matter that you already know the ending. Great movie. Should do more comedy lines with it but the score is well in used.

This is a fairly enjoyable road movie that mixes elements of romance, comedy and coming- of-age genres. We follow young Mercer's quest to find his half-brother after their mother's death. He steals a car travels many miles and meets many odd characters along the way.Writer/director Martin Hynes probably tries too hard to concoct an odd story and as a result, the entire film feels a little too self-conscious at times. You can feel the writer's effort to make the various people odd, as opposed to organic and real. Lou Taylor Pucci gives a solid performance as the protagonist, Mercer. Jena Malone is great as usual, although her part doesn't add much to the story except as a plot element. I'm a big fan of Zooey Deschanel and here she shines again as Kate, the stolen car's owner who connects by phone with Mercer and has conversations with him. This not only provides the most interesting story elements but also serves as an interesting device for the audience to know what Mercer (rather the quiet type) is thinking and feeling throughout his road trip. Many other character appears, many of which are played by actors you will recognize and have enjoyed at one time or another. The one who stood out to me was Bill Duke, better known for his many roles in 80s action flicks. The cinematography is adequate, although a little distracting at times. Any road movie benefits immensely from a good score/soundtrack and this is definitely the case here. The music that is featured in The Go-Getter enhances the movie experience greatly and, along with the solid acting, is probably what prevents us from completely losing interest. Although I think Martin Hynes shows real talent, I think this is yet another case of an indie- movie that could have benefited from more people being involved in the formative stage. A second writer might have tightened things up considerably and led to a classic. As it is, the movie is enjoyable but we are left on our appetite considering the amazing cast and music featured here.

On first glance the Go-Getter seems like another cliché coming of age road film but it does a great job of taking the familiar plot but focusing the film in an unique way. Lou Taylor Pucci plays Mercer a 19 year old who steals a car in order to inform his half brother he has not seen in many years that their mother has died. Mercer is all alone with no family but starts to strike up a unique friendship with Kate the women whose car he stole played by Zooey Deschanel who gives a wonderful performance and is one of the most talented and beautiful young actresses working today. The road trip is just a backdrop for developing the relationship between Kate and Mercer. Martin Hynes does a good job developing this relationship while at the same time juggling Mercer's journey to find his brother as well as his journey of self discovery. Hynes also shows some of his skill behind the camera by setting up some beautiful shots. There is a dream sequence where Mercer and Kate are running across a beach with cowboy hats shooting at each other with old western style cap guns in slow motion with wash out colors and a glaring sun. There is even a great Godard reference with a recreation of that fantastic dancing scene in Band of Outsiders in addition to jump cuts used when Mercer and Kate first meet under duress. The conversations between Mercer and Kate are well written and shot and make up the core of this film. These conversations happen over the phone and as the film progresses and the better they get to know each other these scenes are shot with the actors talking directly to each other but with their voices dubbed with how they sound coming out of the phone. There is an impressive soundtrack with many great indie rock songs to set the mood such as tons of songs from M. Ward (who has a small cameo), Black Keys, Animal Collective and even an Elliot Smith song. This film may look like the same in a long line of "quirky" indie films but the cinematography, unique structure and acting really give this film a polish some of its contemporaries may lack.