This is an ok movie - but it could've been better.
It is slow and it does leave too much unsaid - so you have to watch carefully. There are a lot of subtlties. Maybe too many. Or possibly, the director assumes you can just somehow automatically fill in the blanks. But I always say, if it's THAT vague, it's TOO vague.
As for Hawke, IF he was portraying a guy on the spectrum for Asperger's Syndrome, he did an excellent job; He was totally socially inept, a loner, a diligent worker, completely literal minded. Not naturally empathetic, but mostly practical minded. Saving the baby, for him, was almost like finding a kitten or a puppy. It was a breathing, living thing that he could connect with, which in spite of difficulties, did not say things as confusing as almost all people.
And there were a few other clues . . . Just one for example - the letter from his dad, including the line that said, 'Go find yourself.' which implies he has struggled all his life to fit in or be normal. Hence, the marijuana, which, by the way probably helped him socialize/cope. So, he was about 25 by the third time he was arrested for possession of an ounce 'with intent to sell' and served just over 21 years for what is now legal in places, or barely a misdemeanor. This punishment-doesn't-fit-the-crime is actually the main and only direct message of the movie.
If vague things totally frustrate you, this movie may well frustrate you, unless you watch it without reading a synopsis.
So here are two, huge lucid, reasons why this movie is utterly misunderstood;
First, the title is completely wrong. It makes no sense whatever. It really adds nothing to the movie, means nothing throughout the movie.
I think by now everyone has heard of 'Adopt a Highway'. In my state it's 'Adopt a Mile'. It's meant to be about keeping the right of way & medians along highways clean. Different groups, organizations, or even individuals can participate in removing trash from mile marker to mile marker & beyond.
So, the title creates some sort of expectation that is never addressed at any point in this movie.
Secondly, the synopsis for this movie focuses more on him finding the baby, and that is not the story! The synopsis here at IMDb is errant, and I happened to rent this from Redbox. The synopsis there too errantly makes you think it's all about him & this baby.
I also read a lot of reviews here where people complained about the movie changing midway thru. Likely because of the misleading synopsis, they expected the baby story as well.
In fact, the Russell-Ella story is basically over in the first quarter of the movie, except for one special thing near the end. So it does come full circle.
But you still gotta movie here with an illogical title, AND a misleading synopsis that both lead to certain expectations.
Most people think - basically, in essence, maybe this guy is gonna adopt/raise this baby to clean up highways, or travel together? Or some story line like that.
It's nothing like any of that.
I myself wanted to write a better synopsis - but it is difficult - because - what IS this movie about??
If only it had been made a little clearer - if only it had a more apt title. If only the director would have given us more insight, more backstory about Russell.
Aside from the penal-overkill message, I THINK it's simply about a loner guy who's been awkward his entire life, ends up spending most of his life in prison, and gets out of prison only to realize, in spite of the world's progress, he's still the same, and people are still very confusing. Again, finding the baby shows us how much easier it literally is for him to connect to a person who doesn't confuse him. He meets a girl on a bus and we see he likes her because she straight forward and blunt.
Both his parents are gone, and they obviously weren't living well-to-do because we see their graves in the area with the cheapest markers. Before Russell (Rusty) ever knows about his inheritance, at their gravesides he thanks his parents for being his parents. Then he comes to realize he was loved by his dad. And his dad has left him wealthy. And we know he makes at least one excellent choice with some of that wealth.
This movie is, ultimately a good redemption story, howbeit vaguely told & poorly titled.
A better title would've been the name of one of the more special stamps.
A better story would've been to eliminate gratutitus walking scenes, or bus-on-road scenes, replacing then with more scenes that help us understand Rusty.
It is slow and it does leave too much unsaid - so you have to watch carefully. There are a lot of subtlties. Maybe too many. Or possibly, the director assumes you can just somehow automatically fill in the blanks. But I always say, if it's THAT vague, it's TOO vague.
As for Hawke, IF he was portraying a guy on the spectrum for Asperger's Syndrome, he did an excellent job; He was totally socially inept, a loner, a diligent worker, completely literal minded. Not naturally empathetic, but mostly practical minded. Saving the baby, for him, was almost like finding a kitten or a puppy. It was a breathing, living thing that he could connect with, which in spite of difficulties, did not say things as confusing as almost all people.
And there were a few other clues . . . Just one for example - the letter from his dad, including the line that said, 'Go find yourself.' which implies he has struggled all his life to fit in or be normal. Hence, the marijuana, which, by the way probably helped him socialize/cope. So, he was about 25 by the third time he was arrested for possession of an ounce 'with intent to sell' and served just over 21 years for what is now legal in places, or barely a misdemeanor. This punishment-doesn't-fit-the-crime is actually the main and only direct message of the movie.
If vague things totally frustrate you, this movie may well frustrate you, unless you watch it without reading a synopsis.
So here are two, huge lucid, reasons why this movie is utterly misunderstood;
First, the title is completely wrong. It makes no sense whatever. It really adds nothing to the movie, means nothing throughout the movie.
I think by now everyone has heard of 'Adopt a Highway'. In my state it's 'Adopt a Mile'. It's meant to be about keeping the right of way & medians along highways clean. Different groups, organizations, or even individuals can participate in removing trash from mile marker to mile marker & beyond.
So, the title creates some sort of expectation that is never addressed at any point in this movie.
Secondly, the synopsis for this movie focuses more on him finding the baby, and that is not the story! The synopsis here at IMDb is errant, and I happened to rent this from Redbox. The synopsis there too errantly makes you think it's all about him & this baby.
I also read a lot of reviews here where people complained about the movie changing midway thru. Likely because of the misleading synopsis, they expected the baby story as well.
In fact, the Russell-Ella story is basically over in the first quarter of the movie, except for one special thing near the end. So it does come full circle.
But you still gotta movie here with an illogical title, AND a misleading synopsis that both lead to certain expectations.
Most people think - basically, in essence, maybe this guy is gonna adopt/raise this baby to clean up highways, or travel together? Or some story line like that.
It's nothing like any of that.
I myself wanted to write a better synopsis - but it is difficult - because - what IS this movie about??
If only it had been made a little clearer - if only it had a more apt title. If only the director would have given us more insight, more backstory about Russell.
Aside from the penal-overkill message, I THINK it's simply about a loner guy who's been awkward his entire life, ends up spending most of his life in prison, and gets out of prison only to realize, in spite of the world's progress, he's still the same, and people are still very confusing. Again, finding the baby shows us how much easier it literally is for him to connect to a person who doesn't confuse him. He meets a girl on a bus and we see he likes her because she straight forward and blunt.
Both his parents are gone, and they obviously weren't living well-to-do because we see their graves in the area with the cheapest markers. Before Russell (Rusty) ever knows about his inheritance, at their gravesides he thanks his parents for being his parents. Then he comes to realize he was loved by his dad. And his dad has left him wealthy. And we know he makes at least one excellent choice with some of that wealth.
This movie is, ultimately a good redemption story, howbeit vaguely told & poorly titled.
A better title would've been the name of one of the more special stamps.
A better story would've been to eliminate gratutitus walking scenes, or bus-on-road scenes, replacing then with more scenes that help us understand Rusty.