The Wasteland Reviewer

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) Written Review

It is hard to make a film, isn’t it? You can have so many different ingredients that are excellent on their own but the second you put them together…they just don’t jell. You can have a big awards darling actor like Colin Farrell who has recently grabbed attention on both the big screen and on television like HBO. You have Margot Robbie who is still riding high on the cultural phenomenon that is Barbie. Kogonada is an interesting director whose films are some of the most compelling in the last few years. But sometimes you get a result that just doesn’t work…like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. 

What does Kogonada bring from a directorial standpoint? Unfortunately, the confident and meticulous atmosphere just doesn’t materialize here. Maybe it is the disconnect with someone else’s screenplay but there is just an overall awkwardness in the film. Where they were going for a quirky and fun vibe, the film just feels disjointed and clunky. You have two extremely charismatic individuals sitting across from one another and there still is a strange and adverse atmosphere around the film. The visuals are indeed sharp, meticulous, and colorful which helps engage the audience for sure. But the inconsistent and clunky presentation zaps the film of so much of its energy. The pacing of the film is the worst aspect as this film feels quite boring and sluggish throughout this almost two-hour runtime.

 Does Seth Reiss’ screenplay salvage much of the experience? Not really at all. This film has an interesting premise with these doors that whisk the characters back to key places in their lives. This allows the characters to process and navigate their paths that brought them together. Unfortunately, this element is not as consistently and effectively leveraged as you might expect. You can also feel like this film is trying to explore similar themes and ideas as beloved quirky and experimental film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey pales in comparison and struggles to add the needed depth and empathy to this central pair to get the audience to invest in their connection. The biggest roadblock for the effectiveness of the film is the stilted and awkward dialogue. The strength of your themes and ideas falter when conveyed through awkward, uninteresting, and unconvincing dialogue. Farrell and Robbie are extremely charismatic, but they could even make this screenplay feel genuine or meaningful in the way the film is sorely needed. 

The real question is…does this charismatic duo make this experience worthwhile? Not quite. The blame is certainly not on the cast for what is a lethargic and unengaging experience. Few actors could make much of the ridiculously bland and flat material given to them. They can only do so much when being stuck in a Burger King and trying not to feel so awkward in conveying this unexpected product placement. But it is not just the writing that distracts from their talents. Farrell is a handsome man, but his tanned skin and horrible dye job makes him look quite ridiculous and distracting throughout the film. But at least these two charismatic actors find some places to inject some genuine charm in (which feel almost certainly improved because they are charming unlike most of the dialogue in this lifeless script). The film is still a boring slog but at least this duo makes for some fun moments. They are trying their best to inject some real energy and emotion into it. 

Is A Big Bold Beautiful Journey any of those adjectives? One out of three is unfortunately quite bad. Kogonada at least makes this a gorgeous and striking looking film. Farrell and Robbie are too charming to be completely sunk by this uninspired script that is lacking in so many ways. A wasted concept for sure. It is quite clear this film is not nearly as bold or clever as the screenplay thinks it is. The big vision of the film even feels restricted and takes away some of the ambition of the concept as well. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is quite the misfire for sure.