All Roads Lead Home (2008)

It is a performances centric movie

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I saw this movie at my girlfriends aunt's place this past weekend, and I must say that it was an all around bad film. It had potential to be a decent to good family film about dealing with tragic loss for both father and daughter, but in stead it came across as a thinly veiled animal rights advert. Even the music was poorly handled, the sound track seemed to range from schmaltzy hallmark commercial stuff to over the top and melodramatic, not to mention that it was actually edited into the film poorly(at some points the music almost drowned out the dialogue), which pulls the viewer out of the film and probably only hurt the acting which was already on life support.The story itself seemed altogether forced, the mother dies at the beginning because she needs to reach something in the back seat, so she unbuckles her seat belt and stops watching the road. I was left feeling less bad about the mother dying and more thinking that she stupidly risked her husband and daughters life as well as other nearby motorists just to do something irrelevant. Why not have the car get plowed into by a drunk driver who runs a red light or something else equally tragic and realistic? ***SPOILER*** There were also these sub-plots about this tainted animal feed and the decision to put down this little girls favorite dog on the ranch which didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to waste time. And then there was the part where Peter Coyote orders one of his ranch hands to DROWN A LITTER OF PUPPIES, seriously that's the kind of thing they put in bad Stephen Segal movies to make the bad guy even more evil.Finally, and this is just a nitpick, but Jason London looked like he belongs on the sex offender registry with his greasy looking hair and scraggly goatee.All around I was left thinking that the biggest tragedy wasn't the little girls mothers death, but that this would stand as the last film in Peter Boyle's otherwise remarkable career. Fortunately for him, unlike Raul Julia in Street Fighter, most people won't remember this movie.

****** SPOILERS !!! ******I rented this film and watched it with my teenage daughter. Overall good, with many issues that are food for discussion. I won't repeat those here.My problems have to do with portraying the rancher and his help as barbaric. It's one thing to humanely cull animals that are not useful, or too sick and expensive to be cost-effective to keep. This would have been distressing enough for a tender-hearted city girl. When it came to (apparently) drowning unwanted puppies, though, I began to wonder if I was watching a propaganda film for a certain animal- rights group. This is NOT, in my experience, typical behavior for a livestock operation, it's also illegal, and the girl should have called the law on 'em.

All Roads Lead Home is a great family movie everyone can enjoy. The movie will make you laugh and cry! It is a wonderful movie that you can walk away talking about and feel touched. The filming and choice of scenery was well done by Dennis Fallon and his crew. We enjoyed watching Peter Boyle in his final acting role. Peter Coyote did a wonderful job in portraying the grandfather in the movie.The selection of actors and actresses for this film was properly chosen. The movie has a strong message for animal rights and animal welfare. The movie also shows the respect and love for all creatures small and large. I attended the preview of the movie at the Mall of America in August 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed the film along with my other 9 friends. They as well had rave reviews that there was finally a good family movie out there to be seen. Each one of us had the opportunity to meet Dennis Fallon the director in person. He answered our questions, and explained how scenes were made. This is definitely a must see family movie that can be enjoyed for years to come. I believe this is a movie in its infant steps towards the betterment of animal welfare. We are all hoping that there will be more movies similar to All Roads Lead Home that can be produced. I would highly recommend this movie to families with children 7 years and older. Anyone who has a sincere appreciation for animals will certainly enjoy this film.

Posted by Mike FryThis evening, I had the privilege of seeing a private screening of a film titled "All Roads Lead Home". The movie is a must-see for anyone who feels a connection to nonhuman life forms. It could be the most powerful animal-themed film I have seen. It features a stellar cast and a story beautifully told. Those who may shy away from a movie labeled as a "family film" will appreciate the boldness with which "All Roads Lead Home" tackles tough issues. Be clear: This film is perfectly acceptable for all members of the family. However, it is far from the cliché, formulaic sorts of "family films" one might associate with that genre. All Roads Lead Home has already begun racking up some pretty nice awards, including one for Best Feature Drama at the International Family Film Festival. It also got kudos at the Palm Beach International Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. In some ways, these last two mentions are extra remarkable, because family films are not typically the kinds of films that do well at film festivals. The success of THIS "family film" at these international film festivals is a testament to the broad range of appeal "All Roads Lead Home" has. Put it on your "must-see" list.