Route 30 (2008)

Pretty Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

After reading the reviews here on IMDb and the summary I was sure this would be an indie movie success .................. it's NOT!All the actors walk through the scenes and the three stories are just unfunny and uninteresting. And boring! The characterizations seem forced and silly. The only part I laughed at was the 'buckshot butt rolls'.To those that liked it - I can only think they have some connection to the area the story takes place in. Or a family member is in it. This sounds mean but honestly I can't figure out what they so enjoyed.

I like this film. It utterly charms and fascinates me. I rate it highly because it feels unique to me. First watching it without any forewarning about the nature of the movie, I felt a tad disoriented as the narratives seemed incoherent or rather not related to each other but then by the time I finished watching I was enchanted.For one thing, the film is lovely to look at. The setting is exquisite. The characters are quirky but not weird or straw figures. They are interesting. I especially enjoyed Nathalie Boltt, as the Jenny Wade obsessed Gettysburg tour guide. There is a splendid transparency about that character. On the other hand, the hunters seem a tad off and the visit to the Christian Scientist threw me, but the lovely section about the Amish woman feels satisfying. It is all played to perfection. I want to watch this one again.

This was certainly watchable, it just should be noted that the first story has nothing at all to do with the second and in fact, while it tries to connect them, it does so with one line of dialogue that makes no sense at all in retrospect.... outside of that, yes, the film was enjoyable, not sure I would recommend it or hurry to watch it again but I'd watch what else this guy made...has a good eye for detail and assembles a strong cast....heck, Dana Delany...yum in a bottle....Because the first story falls short, even thinking about it in relation to the second story is pointless....so just enjoy it as two movies

This comedy screened at The Palm Springs International Film Festival to a very enthusiastic audience. Many of them had evidently become familiar with writer/director John Putch's other works, especially 2006's Mohave Phone Booth, which was a hit on the film festival circuit. This time John goes back to his roots, to an area in Pennsylvania,along Route 30 and close to Gettysburg. He has assembled a great troupe of actors for this trip, some of whom you TV watchers will recognize right away. Three semi autobiographical stories intermix here with good comedic results. If this film plays near you or you have the opportunity to watch it, you too will probably become one of John's fans.