The Go-Getter (2007)

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I rarely write reviews unless something really catches my attention, which this film absolutely did. I was hesitant at first to watch it, but I decided to anyway. I almost turned it off in the first few minutes, but I waited just a bit longer and was hooked.I believe both Lou Taylor Pucci and Zooey Deschanel gave outstanding performances and made this movie entirely believable. They were easy to connect with and hard not to like. Zooey, although you do not see her most of the movie, really adds depth and mystery to the movie. She seems to have that quality about her.The plot was addicting and perfectly executed. There were many quirky moments, some of them almost stupid, that really livened up the scene when needed. I don't feel I need to get into the plot in detail. All I have left to say is you won't be disappointed.

Lou Taylor Pucci is Mercer, 19, but still in high school because he had to drop out for a year. His mother had recently died, leaving him alone with no father, and his only brother, 18 years older than him, had not been heard from in a while. One day he finally arrives at a plan for his mother's ashes. He would go to Reno and get his brother, then both of them would drive to southern Louisiana where their mother grew up and scatter her ashes. A simple plan that was far from simple to execute. The movie is about Mercer's quest to finalize his mother's death.Zooey Deschanel is Kate, 24, and in a rare good mood for someone whose car was just stolen. Hers just happens to be to one Mercer picked at the car wash to make his journey. He isn't a thief, he will give the car back, but he didn't know what else to do.Jena Malone is Joely, the "hot" girl that Mercer knew a few years back when they were much younger. She lives near where Mercer thinks his brother is and hooking up with her provides a few laughs.But the movie is not a comedy. It is a sincere study of a young man dedicated to preserving something positive from his mother's memory. Certain inventive techniques are used. In one scene, where Mercer was talking to Kate back home via her cell phone which had been left in the car, "Kate" appears as if she is in the back seat, wearing the type of head lamp that miners use to see in dark mine shafts. When she speaks the lamp lights, when Mercer speaks the lamp is off.As plot would have it Mercer's brother was not in Reno where he thought he was. He was not at the next place either. When he finally found him in Mexico, his brother was not very happy to see him. Still Mercer managed to produce a happy ending to this saga. And even picked up a new girlfriend, Kate, in the process.

Apologies everyone, but I am totally in love with Zooey Deschanel. She coos on the phone, she dances in black and white, she even sings on the soundtrack in that dreamy, sleepy voice of hers ("When I Reach the Border"). And she does it all with casual grace, not nearly trying half as hard as most other actresses her age. I cannot wait to see her as Janis Joplin in "The Gospel According to Janis". Director Martin Hynes teams her up with a slightly quirky, yet very charming male lead (Lou Taylor Pucci). They take the laughter and the tears as the off-beat script sends them on a somewhat unusual road trip in pursuit of his past and her future, taking viewers right back to that magical nowhere land between adolescence and adulthood. They even get to play the identity game ("20 questions") twice, two thirds into the story and, again, in the closing scene. Essentially, "The Go-Getter" gives you romance minus the usual cheese. Think "Rushmore" meets "Elizabethtown", with a soulful indie soundtrack. Notable off-screen guest appearance by Brian McNamara as the voice of the book on tape.

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.Teenager Mercer steals a car and takes off across the wester United States to ease some of his recent personal grief. While driving, he makes an unusual connection with the girl he stole the car from, talking with her on the phone as he travels.Written and directed by Martin Hynes and starring Lou Talor Pucci (Thumbsucker), Zooey Deschanel(Elf), and Jena Malone (Saved!), the film is actually very good. After first viewing it, I wasn't sure what to think about it, I didn't really get much out of it. But now, a few days after seeing it, it's actually stuck with me. There are some great scenes throughout the film. It does drag at some moments, but when the film was over, I looked back and realized without those dragging scenes, it wouldn't have possible to tell some of the next scenes.The acting was great, with this and Thumbsucker, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Pucci's work. I particularly love the scenes with him on the phone with Zooey, the owner of the car. The two are so perfect together, even though they have never met in person. But the director does a wonderful during those phone scenes, making it more than just two people talking on a phone.The soundtrack is great. Songs from M. Ward, Elliott Smith, The Black Keys, and The Replacements, they all fit in perfectly with the film.The director Martin Hynes was at the festival and he was extremely nice and helpful. I talked to him a lot of over the weekend (I feel kind of bad, I talked to him so much he was probably sick of seeing me). But he one of the nicest guys I've met at the festival over the years. I wish him all the best and am looking forward to seeing his next projects.He had some great stories to tell about the making of the film. One actor in particular managed to get himself cast as three different characters in the film.Search out this film, see it, then spread the word.