Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

thepooles-1 I feel the script failed to make the subject matter meaningful to mainstream viewers. One cannot expect the director, writer or actors to worry about the commercial viability of the project. Producers and backers should have a say and they perhaps failed to warn that the story would not be compelling to regular folk. One is free to make any movie one can imagine but just don't assume that it will make a profit for those who put up the funds.The character of Jimmy had no redeeming aspects. He was a teenage slacker and continued that pose for his entire life. A father breaking his guitar would have not made most rebellious teenagers totally quit. The viewer is left wondering what will become of such a callow male. Living with his mom for a few years? Maybe getting a job stacking cans at the local market? His mother's unconditional love won't save Jimmy. A compelling film just doesn't portray human failure. It must offer an uplifting epiphany or catharsis. Jimmy confessing to his mother about his mundane duties with BOC is hardly a notable catharsis that might lead to viable adult goals. Again, one can have skilled actors but if the story can't truly resonate with regular folk then expect to lose your investor's money. One DOES have an obligation to think of them as well as your own "artistic" ethos.

rayok OK the good news is as there are only 12 reviews on this film so there is a chance someone will actually read mine, woohoo. The bad news is I'm not sure many people will watch the film, especially to the end and be bothered to come here. For a start I doubt if anyone under the age of 30 could understand the situation the lead finds himself in, let alone sympathise with him. For a second not a lot happens. The film seems like a play, scenes in the house and the bar with 2 or 3 people talking take up a large part of the footage, feelings and emotions are aired but there is no moving on or culmination, let alone redemption. The movie only steps up a gear in the motel but then you are left frustrated and more disheartened with the characters. The film has a downbeat, melancholic feel and lacks complexity, there are no surprises. The characters enter the film with nothing and leave with less. I watched it for the culture links and the expectation of the big man returns to small town play out but it never really happened. Fine acting, interesting concept but failed to catch fire.

bdgill12 After 20 years of lugging gear and setting up equipment for the Blue Oyster Cult, Jimmy (Ron Eldard) is unceremoniously fired and abandoned by the band members he considered to be friends. With no identity outside of his status as a roadie and no life plans, Jimmy ends up heading back home for the first time in a decade. After crashing in his old bedroom, Jimmy comes into contact with Randy (Bobby Cannavale), his high-school nemesis who happens to be married to Nikki (Jill Hennessey), an old flame he never really got over. With nothing to show for his time away from home, Jimmy begins making up stories and eventually draws Randy's ire, creating an uncomfortable situation that further messes with Jimmy's already fragile mental state.Roadie is like a conflict between two mountain goats (I know that "bighorn sheep" would be a more scientifically correct title but "mountain goat" just sounds better): one goat represents the acting in this film, chiefly that of Eldard, and the other represents the storyline and general exposition of said storyline. The Acting Goat is an outstanding specimen. Eldard is one of my very favorite character actors, a guy who always draws my attention no matter how big or small his role in a given movie may be. (This makes him a member of the "Barry Pepper All-Stars", a list of actors I really need to write a piece about one of these days.) This is a rare leading role for Eldard and he shines brilliantly. Jimmy is easy to root for despite not really showing many qualities that usually make one likable and that is due to Eldard's ability to convey a measure of truthfulness, or perhaps relevance, to his character. The lack of purpose and the search for meaning in his life work make Jimmy an appealing protagonist in this sort of slow- paced, character-driven drama. There is also an edge of genuine desperation to Jimmy and through this trait Eldard gives real weight to a character which otherwise might have been pointless. The supporting players around Eldard are all solid as well, though none quite measure up to the work of the leading man.The Story Goat, however, is an equally impressive beast but one that works for evil instead of good. Simply put, the events of Roadie are about as bland as you can get. It isn't what I would call "boring" necessarily and yet nothing much happens. Jimmy comes into town, Jimmy pals around with some old friends, and then Jimmy threatens to leave town once more. That's about it. The settings that Roadie inhabits are uninteresting and the dialogue within is unimpressive. As a result, the story undermines Eldard's work and leaves him virtually trapped in a dull and somewhat meaningless world that serves as a stark contrast to the appealing lead character. In the end, neither the Acting Goat nor the Story Goat really win; instead, the two tire out and settle in for a nice nap, a genuine shame considering all that this film had going for it. Check out my reviews at ieatfilms.com and thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com

Matthew Stechel Roadie is a pretty good movie that's only about so-so while you're watching it, however the movie really resonated with me in the days after watching it. I appreciated the effort to make Ron Eldard's character more then just a one dimensional lump of regret...i also like his constant flip flopping between "what have i got to be regretful of? i did what i wanted to!" and "i've totally wasted my life" throughout, as i think that's exactly what a guy in his situation in real life would think upon coming home after twenty five years on the road only to realize he's right back where he was when he first left. While the interactions between Ron Eldard and the rest of the cast kind of go back and fourth on the believable scale (Bobby Cannavale and Jill Hennessey are merely so-so as respectively a guy who used to taunt him in high school and his wife who was a long ago crush for Ron Eldard's character..it probably doesn't help that neither of these characters are likable in the least.) Its Ron Eldard himself who keeps this movie going forward...there are a lot of little moments throughout where his reaction to what's going on in front of him is perfect. Eldard really captures both the self-centeredness and the basic good heartedness of this guy...and while the director and the writer deserve all the credit for keeping this character from veering too far into either direction--it really falls to Eldard to keep him from appearing to be both a selfish jerk and a mopey sad sack punching bag for the rest of the clearly unhappy people in the film to abuse. It really is a good performance that makes the whole film really seem a lot better then it prob would be with somebody else in the lead. Again as a whole the film is only all right--but as a character study of this guy trying to figure out the rest of his life while burdened with guilt about how he led the majority of his life so far--it was quite well done. Also as someone who lives here--i did love the full on location shooting that's happening here, while i could do without Jill Hennesey's condescending attitude towards "never leaving queens" i did love seeing certain locations on screen--enough to wanna shout "that's near my house" to anyone who was in the theater with me (of course seeing as how there were only about two other people there--i wisely did not.)