[yasr_overall_rating]
Coming-of-age story about a young adult who is living out of his car and his journey to get his life together.
Written, directed, filmed, and edited by Alex Magaña, “29 to Life,” starring Murphy Martin and Diana Solis, reminded me of other films over the years. In particular, “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Lars the Emo Kid,” or even “Nacho Libre.” The directorial style here is similar to the previous titles, but the payoff is less substantial.
While we suspect that Barnaby, played by Murphy Martin, is smarter than he looks or acts, that rarely comes through forcefully enough in the course of the narrative. His periodic snippets of insight cannot assuage the fact that Barnaby too-often appears to be tediously idiotic and socially awkward. His nuggets of searing social insight and wry humor sneak in only after long stretches of setup and backstory.
It’s possible that I would have more fully appreciated the film in a packed theater or with a large group – without question, the best settings in which to view movies. Initial responses to “The Graduate,” for example, when shown to a handful of studio executives, was that the film was unremarkable. Shortly thereafter, it screened for a test audience in a packed theater that laughed and cheered enthusiastically throughout.
When we first meet Barnaby, things are not going well. His girlfriend dumps him. His parents kick him out of the house. Forced to live out of his car, this quickly becomes a source of embarrassment when Barnaby attends his high school reunion. The only high point of the evening is a chance encounter with Madison, an old high school chum.
Diana Solis is charming as Madison, who takes a genuine interest in Barnaby’s plight. In a couple of scenes, Ben Nesbit provides some levity as Barnaby’s nemesis on the basketball court. However, after a while, the film begins to feel like a series of improvisational skits that have been stitched together for the 100-minute runtime.
Perhaps the most surprising plot development is finding out that this ostensible loser can actually cook, though it takes quite a while to work up to that revelation. However, after witnessing talented cooks in films such as “Ratatouille” and “Burnt,” Barnaby’s culinary faculty feels a little like a watery soup.
Can you bring the down-and-out exploits of a millennial to life in an interesting fashion? Of course. Although that doesn’t quite happen here, the film does boast some lovely shots of west coast beaches and aerial views of downtown that reinforce a laid-back LA atmosphere. At the end of the day, Barnaby’s transition to becoming older and wiser would have benefited from some additional twists or pleasant surprises along the journey. Perhaps if you don’t take the film too seriously and watch it with friends over a few beers, you may find some delicacies to savor in “29 to Life.”
Now available to rent or buy on Amazon
