FILM INFO: A man is tasked with driving his embittered 80-year-old father-in-law cross country to be legally euthanized in Oregon, while along the way helping him rediscover a reason for living.
WRITTEN BY: Andrew Eisen DIRECTED BY: Joel David Moore GENRE: Drama, Comedy TIME: 105 min
Although I love low and no budgeted indie gems, and the creativity driving these sometimes awesome productions, I have to say that I also love getting my hands, and eyes, on an independent film that does have some money behind it. A lot of movie magic can be gleaned from skilled and seasoned actors, and the technical limitations of true no budget films is generally not in existence. "Youth In Oregon" presents a final road trip scenario for our 80 year old lead. He's decided to end his life and heads to Oregon to be legally euthanized. Death on his own terms, while he's still able to decide for himself. Sounds like an interesting enough concept and it is, although the branding of the film really makes it look like it'll be one big party. Interestingly enough, "Youth In Oregon" is also weirdly categorized as a comedy as well as a drama. We all know and love the now common mix but really, this film has very few comedic segments. I'll admit that I did get a chuckle here and there, but really... this is more or less a straight faced film. I can't help but wonder if the addition of the word comedy, was to appeal to a larger audience than would normally be interested in this movie. One thing is for sure however, anyone who hits the play button, expecting a comedic romp through the states will be sorely disappointed. The "front and center" dramatic elements by themselves are good enough to pick a genre and stick with it, not roping in unsuspecting viewers who in turn, may completely dismiss this film. When you take "Youth In Oregon" for what it really is, and enter into Andrew Eisen's world, who penned the script, there is a lot of charm within the bright yellow box. Maybe not the "Haha" kind of charm, rather the kind that makes you think of yourself a few decades down the road. If your golden years are not what you expect, and to boot, you feel like a burden to your family, would you be able to simply take things in stride? Even if the family burden aspect was, in fact, imagined? Or maybe ask if you would become said "burden," simply because bitterness overwhelmed you. Now imagine yourself as a proud man, given the chance to take your life, or death, into your own hands and on your own terms. Would you take the olive branch? These questions really are the heart of this movie. Sure, we have little distractions and side stories, teenagers being teenagers and coping parents. These are all just little arrows pointing to the same thing however, the relevance of the modern parent. Now, follow the arrows back another generation and we have the exact same scenario, only with an older crowd. The real comedy here was the sneaky-clever way this families children, with their modern day problems, mirror the dynamics of the parents and grand parents of said children. However, it all leads back to good old grandpa and the true nature of this movie. If you manage to realize this early on, you'll end up getting so much more from this film. Since this is a budgeted movie, my normal technical ranting will be brief. Essentially, everything looks nice and polished. As it should. A nice fluid edit pushing the narrative forward, and everything plays just as it should, showcasing the excellent work from the cast. Director Joel David Moore displays a knack for keeping things slightly laid back, even during the more dramatic moments, yet getting your screen to show you just what he wants. As expected, technically I really have no complaints. Now, this isn't a perfect film. A few unusual choices, such as the whole "drive to Oregon" scenario do make you question the validity of the characters at times. Maybe an outright rant about wanting to see the countryside would have been a better way to set up the trip, rather than the one used. The entire party atmosphere the trailer, and branding presented, also hurt this production. If I happened upon this movie, thinking it was akin to a college romp, I would be dreadfully annoyed. However, if you take it for what it is some real entertainment can be had here. Dramatic, not comedic. The small amount of comedy does fit well, lightening up the dark emotions contained within. There's simply not enough to actually call this a comedy, and rightly so. I can't help think if this were a sillier film, I would probably have hated it, or at the very least something would have been lost. But yes, you have seen similar stories before. Maybe even ones done a lot better, but that doesn't change the fact this is an entertaining film that's done well. Take it for what it actually is, and I'm sure you'll be more than happy with the outcome. -MC
