On My Way (2013)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Awesome Movie

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

My score of 4 might be a bit high for this one, as there really wasn't a lot to love about this one. Catherine Deneuve's acting was nice....but apart from that I can't see much reason to see this film.The film begins with Bettie (Deneuve) working hard in her restaurant as well as dealing with a mother she really doesn't like. When she goes for a short drive, however, she just keeps driving...abandoning her business without notifying anyone. Soon, however, her freedom is interrupted when Bettie's very angry daughter calls and demands that Bettie drop everything to pick up her grandson...a boy with whom she's had very little contact. The two then go on a roadtrip together and you are supposed to think they've bonded...but I just thought the kid was in insufferable brat. The biggest problem about this film is that no one seems to like each other very much and the context for all this is missing...as if you've walked in a room with a family you don't know and you aren't introduced. And, to make it worse, you just find that you don't care about any of them. A misfire...with some decent acting.

about family. about the discover of the nuances of past. about ages and links and duty ad a road to yourself. about forms of joy, nostalgia, understanding of reality and humor. special humor. Catherine Deneuve is herself. master of exploration of the levels of role, giving more than a splendid job but a delicate homage to the force and fragility of an age, proposing a trip in the essence of appearances and the way to reconquest the lost time. a film who impress. for the science of director to present, in convincing manner, a story of every day, exploring each significance. for the young actor performance. for the moments of trip. for emotion. and, sure, for the transformation of Bettie. beautiful. and useful.

This movie aims at cute but suffers from a sloppy and tired script. It aims at realism, but instead gives us a fairy tale about the "rescue" of a bereft woman by a fine and -of course- handsome man. As that woman is in her mid sixties and her past clearly shows a lot of reliance on men all her life, this poor excuse for a scenario ("geriatric woman still attractive in France!") is not only flawed in its backward philosophy: it is also statistically improbable. No, granny, things don't happen so easily in life- sorry. I do not object to the loose threads and the little action in the script-that is actually what most human lives are about- but to keep a reasonable viewer's interest, whatever is presented to that viewer needs to be coherent and realistic. Instead, we have a disjointed road movie, where one cartoonish character after the other crosses the path of our spoiled 60ish heroine, and it feels like the director said to himself: " Oh, let's throw them in: this character is interesting! This character is fun! This character is edgy!" Unfortunately, no one in this film is either fun or interesting or edgy, or the opportunities to show them as such sadly fail to be exploited by the script. The grandson is an annoying brat, the great-grandmother is an annoying nag, and the older male rescuer is Mr Rochester (remember, Jane Eyre?): a gruff bear who transform into Prince Charming overnight. A feminist or even clever script, this ain't. An upbeat story on aging and possibilities? Not unless 1) you are Catherine Deneuve and the camera lingers on you lovingly 2) shows you smoking obsessively as if that were part of your charm (really? in 2014? How is that for a new idea!) 3) the script has young studs bed you eagerly even though you are in your 60s 4) and a strong man in your age range miraculously falls in love with you by the end. This script is a collection of magical-thinking inanities, and glorious Catherine Deneuve is wasted in them.

Meandering but always on target account of Granny and one time Miss Brittany Catherine, exasperated by the problems of her small town life to the point of getting into the car and driving across France, only to get caught up in the dramas of her daughter, needing her to supervise the grandson who she has to shuffle to his already ticked off paternal grandfather - and we end up with yet another out of doors meal.Though it avoids the touristy locations this one is a remarkable non judgmental cross section of 21st Century France, peopled by vivid characters just short of real. Deneuve continues to find vehicles which show off her stellar presence.