Rudderless (2014)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Crappy film

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The moment when i watched the trailer i knew it would be interesting because it was an indie drama and it has great musical scores. But there were more to the movie then the drama of losing your child.In the first part of the movie we see Sam wasting his life trying to cope with the passing of his son. He teams up with a music loving young boy to perform his songs at a local pub for covering his sons songs, relieving his sons memories As the movie progresses we get to know what happened to his son and what went down in the shootout. When we learn that his son was the shooter! From this moment the movie changes, its no more rainbows and sun shines. We get to see the perspective of Sam and his ex-wife. We see how they cope with the tragedy. This movie upholds unconditional love from father to son, The guilt of a father failing his son, the tears shed for the son, the public hate, the mix emotions & everything.Billy Crudup & Anton Yelchin were spectacular in there roles. The songs composed for the movies are beautiful. This movie makes you for once to think about the people who are directly related to the tragedy. If this movie gets into your head you will actually feel for the loved ones of all the terrible shootings that takes place every year somewhere in the US. A solid 10.

Phew. Remembering Crudup in Almost famous thought this was worth a shot. Started slow then the death of his son and then his reaction over 2 years was hard to grasp. But the hidden truth about his son and his music took hold. The music itself was what made this movie incredible and I'm in my late 60's. Why was he playing his sons music with his newly found disturbed young musician without explaining that his son was the writer. The late explanation took me by surprise and maybe many others. A tormenting tale left me in tears but then I'm a sad emotional soul. The torment and distress that the young today have to deal with is well told and apart from the expected glib moments a film well worth watching. I will have to wait sometime before I could watch again but so grateful I did.

While at times it threatens to become a little too lathered in cheese and schmaltz, William H. Macy's debut directional effort Rudderless gets by on a fairly unique idea and enough heart and humour to carry this tale of loss, grief, redemption and music through to a satisfactory and untraditional conclusion.Imbuing his film with the persona and comedic timing that has made him one of the industry's most well respected and most recognisable character actors, Macy shows himself to be quite the story telling craftsman here especially concerning Rudderless's narrative arc that at a mid-way point takes an unexpected and loaded turn that makes a somewhat fuzzy first half become a lot more tolerable in hindsight.Front and centre in this study of a man grieving the loss of his son in a college shooting is Billy Crudup and actor well known for sadly never reaching the potential he so clearly has within and it's safe to his turn as one time high roller now painter for hire Sam is one of his best, not only of recent times but in his career. Alongside both Watchmen and Big Fish, Rudderless will be an extra enjoyable experience for Crudup fans and he both convinces in his musical moments, his emotionally loaded moments and his comedic timing and it's great to see the actor take a role on and nail it.It's arguable the Crudup is the main reason to sink your teeth into Rudderless and it's a wise move that Macy chose to plant him in almost all of the films scenes as when he takes a back seat Rudderless's flaws are more glaring right down from some questionable leaps of story progressions through to unbelievable side players like Laurence Fishburne's kindly music story owner Del.Rudderless will be enjoyed more with the least amount of pre-knowledge possible and while it never hits a perfect note between drama and comedy, this is a Hallmark like movie that transcends its weaknesses and becomes a likable if forgettable music filled drama.3 ruined regatta's out of 5

I just watched the movie and brimming with emotions, gave the movie an 8. Maybe as I re watch it, I might bring the rating to 7; as I said, this is a movie that could have been great but falls short of it. The title not only signifies the band but the position in which the lead character finds himself in. And if a movie is about reviving one's life with music and revolves around music, the makers need to deliver on that front. And they did !Rudderless has some soulful lyrics with music that doesn't overpower the vocals thus making it a good entertainer. Coupled with Billy Crudup's acting and a strong character based story, the movie delivers. Selena Gomez looked completely out of place thus proving how one can weaken a movie a tad even if they have a 2min role. Somewhere I believe they could have worked on Crudup's character a little more and bind the entire story more tightly..