Sacramento, co-written, directed by, and starring Michael Angarano, presents a fresh perspective on friendship, grief, and mental health against the backdrop of a road trip from LA to Sacramento. The indie film prioritizes character development over plot, resulting in a raw depiction of the challenges of growing up and the anxieties surrounding parenthood and change.
After an idyllic scene that establishes the somewhat unlikely and very spontaneous relationship between Rickey (Michaell Angarano) and Tallie (Maya Erskine), we are immediately thrust into the anxiety attack that is Glenn’s (Michael Cera) life. When the crib he has just built seems to have a small flaw, he attempts to prove its structural integrity, only for it to collapse beneath him. This incident sets the tone for the chaos of Glenn’s life as he awaits his inevitable transition into fatherhood.
Rickey, in an attempt to reconnect and spend quality time with his childhood best friend, guilts Glenn into embarking on a 340-mile road trip to Sacramento under the pretense of needing to spread his father’s ashes. Although Glenn’s wife Rosie (Kristen Stewart) is due to go into labor any day, she seems a little too eager to send her husband away for a day or two, perhaps recognizing how much this trip would benefit his anxiety.
Angarano and co-writer Christopher Smith have infused the film with situational comedy that will make you laugh out loud just as often as it causes you to squirm with awkwardness and secondhand embarrassment. The directing and cinematography only add to this uneasiness—but in the best way possible. Rickey is the kind of friend who’s been through a few too many therapy sessions and will remind you of frustratingly circular conversations filled with excessive projection. It’s a bit that may feel overdone, but it also reflects real life, so I give the screenwriters some leeway on this one.
Glenn is a character we’ve seen from Cera many times, but his portrayal here feels deeper than in most of his previous roles. As the film unfolds and we observe more of Glenn’s quirks, Cera’s ability to express the character’s physical awkwardness and crippling anxiety becomes increasingly genuine. Cera possesses a distinctive style of physical comedy and delivery that never fails to make draw laughs, but this role also allows him to explore more profound themes, highlighting unique aspects of his acting talents.
The film pits high-strung, overly anxious Glenn against wild child Rickey in a way that is intended to balance them, but ultimately pushes the film in a circular direction. Rickey and Glenn end the film in roughly the same place they started—although at least now they’re talking to each other. Angarano and Smith expertly create compelling characters with deep-rooted issues, presenting them with scenarios ideally suited for growth and reconciliation, yet the characters don’t seem to learn as much as we’d hope.
In the end, Angarano placed too high a value on the nearly sketch-comedy nature of many scenes, resulting in genuine laughs but overlooking the deeper issues he places on his characters. It’s a shame because the film was ripely situated to examine the thoughts and anxieties surrounding becoming a father when you’ve lost your own and reconnecting with lifelong friends as you enter new life stages. Unfortunately, Angarano, while creating a great film, missed the mark on landing the ending.
