World Traveler (2002)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Aside from some gorgeous color cinematography and BILLY CRUDUP's excellent performance as a man seeking self-discovery, WORLD TRAVELER has little to offer in the way of compelling situations or touching dialog. The character played by JULIANNE MOORE is slightly off kilter from the start, so it's not too surprising that she turns out to be a mentally ill woman talking to and about a non-existent child.But the real weakness of WORLD TRAVELER is that the script goes nowhere in search of "the truth." Even the reunion scene with Crudup's dad, played by David KEITH (who is only slightly older than Crudup), fails to give any depth to the characters they play. Nevertheless, thanks to their performances, this section of the film stirs the most interest.Any man who runs into the kind of boring characters that Crudup does should be more than willing to return home to wife and child. That seems to be the moral of this disappointing little tale, worth watching only to see Crudup emerge as a sensitive actor worth taking note of.

Bart Freundlich, the talented young director, has created an enigmatic piece of film making with "World Traveler". Mr. Freundlich, writing his own screen play, shows he has a keen insight to these people he presents in the movie; he knows them well. Thanks to Billy Crudup, the star of "World Traveler", this is a film worth taking a look. It will stay with the viewer for weeks to come.If you haven't watched the film, please stop reading.The beginning of the film will disorient viewers not paying attention to this story about a man who one day, walks out of his present, prosperous life. What could he want, when for all appearances, he has it all. What we don't realize is that Cal's journey will bring him to deal with his own life and find closure, as he gets involved in all the situations one sees him in the film.There is a point in the middle of the film where Cal meets an old school mate. It's clear that Jack, played brilliantly by James LeGros, has seen into Cal's soul and he didn't like what he saw. In a way, Cal has such a personality that provokes a dislike in many of the people that comes in contact with him. In Jack's view, Cal will never do anything that will matter in his life, but obviously, this long forgotten friend has no clue as to what's going on inside the drifter's head.What we don't realize is that Cal, in turn, is looking for the elusive father that abandoned him when he was young. In fact, this is the surprise that is saved for the end and it rewards us by staying with the film, that plays at different levels, provoking us. Billy Crudup's work is extraordinary. This young actor proves he was meant to play Cal. No other actor comes to mind that could have projected the range Mr. Crudup shows with this depiction of Cal. In minor roles we see a lot of excellent actors. Julianne Moore is perfect as Dulcie. Cleavant Derricks is the kind Carl. Liane Balaban makes a sweet Meg. Karen Allen makes a welcome appearance as Delores. Finally, David Keith is wonderful as Richard.The cinematography by Terry Stacey is gorgeous. The original music was created by Clint Mansere. The great Willie Nelson is heard in the sound track. Watch this film to see a new talent at work with a perfectly cast actor.

I'm not sure why this movie scores so low. Without knowing anything about it, I took a risk and rented it based on the cast of Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore. Both of them are very good, there are many supporting cast performances which are also very good. Simply put, the movie doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer. On the DVD commentary track the director mentions the resistance he got from many studio execs while trying to fund the movie, and he got lots of criticism that his main character (Crudup) was unlikeable. Seeing this movie while knowing that "hollywood" resisted mightily might lead to some insight as to the mindset of the power players. The main character has more of a human range of behaviors than seems comfortable to those who crave cartoon superheros.I don't think the title is great. I don't have a better one, see if you do after you see it. "Father" should be in the title somewhere.

Billy Crudup stars in this slow moving film as "Cal", an architect who one day just walks out on his loving wife and son. What Cal is in search of we know not, but he is full of self-loathing for leaving and begins a drunken trek cross country. In his travels he meets a series of people who he treats like crap and then wallows in more self loathing and drink. The movie does end up with a moral; Cal realizes that he had it pretty good at home, but we don't realize this until we've sat through at least the first ninety minutes wondering where this movie and Cal, for that matter, are headed. Adding to the confusion are some flashback sequences that are never explained and have nothing to do with the ending what-so-ever. The only bright spot is when Cal meets up with Dulcie (Moore), and you think "Aha! I know where this movie is headed", and then it doesn't go that way at all. And that's a shame. Dulcie's story line is dropped just as the movie takes a turn towards being remotely interesting, and we are sent right back on Cal's boring journey. There is nothing redeemable in the character of Cal, and what he needs is a swift kick to the butt. Add to that a soundtrack that is ninety percent Willie Nelson songs, and you can see where a good shot of caffeine prior to watching this movie will come in handy. On an upnote, the cinematography was beautiful; it just should have been saved for a better movie. If you really need to be told that there's no place like home, watch "The Wizard of Oz" instead.