The Neon Highway

I'm a musician so I always gravitate and like watching any movie based on music. I lived in Nashville for several years as a singer songwriter so these kind of things appealed to me. This movie has its moments but like other people said it's kind of all over the place. First thing I thought was bizarre Was there was a scene where the main character goes to Beau Bridges Characters house, and looks like he's right on the verge of death. Looking scraggly and old and needing to go to the hospital for alcohol abuse. He turns him down with the offer of getting his song placed then in the next scene The young singer songwriter shows up and it's like they've been buddies for 20 years now?? Also Bridges character looks like he took about 20 years off his life. I had to stop the movie, Pause it and say to myself did I miss something here like I fell asleep and skipped an hour and a half of the movie. It was also kind of strange that it felt like a period piece which truthfully would've made it better anyway, but it wasn't. At the beginning It felt like it was maybe set in the 70s or 80s then we come to find out it's modern time. Hollywood anytime you see a movie based in the south everything looks like it's about 30 years behind because I guess everybody there thanks people From there are slow and dumb. The song was mediocre at best, but that definitely goes with modern times because modern countries God awful. There were some good moments with acting. Beau Bridges did a great job his friend that ran the hotel was a good actor as well. I like the movie at least I got all the way through it. There were Strange choices from the Director. What was the point of having the autistic guy play beautiful violin and never never play it? I mean, how many times when you were watching the movie did you think, the younger songwriters was going to go OK let's what you got or use him in a session or something? Nope nothing! These are the things that happen I guess with inexperienced directors actors that probably never made too many movies before.

Beau Bridges' character of an old timer country great Claude Allen didn't ring true as his very ordinary voice adds nothing to support the conceit. His brother Jeff did a much better job with his songs in "Crazy Heart." If the viewer doesn't buy the Beau Bridge character, the whole movie falls apart. If the record producer wanted a hit record, he should have released the composer's singing version with nice harmonies which was quite good. He could have given Claude half his earned money if he respected him so much. The ending was soppy with the brother doing a 180 turnaround for the brother character. Not quite sure of how the composer got his song on the radio. Still, the old timer who went for one last stand was quite sad as he couldn't accept that his time had passed.

6.9 stars. I suppose the story could have been great if perhaps they cleaned up the script and added a bit more consistency. Some of the pieces are missing, so the flow is off. It's like a chess game, missing a rook, the king and a few pawns. It would be tough game. This film can't make up for it. Maybe that's not the best metaphor, nevertheless, there is something missing. The song the story revolves around is pretty good when sung by the young lead male, but whatever rendition Bridges' character sings, cuts it off at the knees. It loses the spark that makes it modern and alive, and it feels more like a b-side from the 70's. The side plot, if that's what you call it, was good, with the two young guys talking and dealing with stuff. The movie starts off really good, to be honest, Bridges kind of makes it a bit of a bummer. I don't know why. Maybe he played the character too well.

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(no spoilers, I always mark it that way) It's an adequate film but it just...the timeline doesn't work. It kept entering my mind while I watched it. The beginning has a couple of guys on stage and I thought, "Be good for the 1970s." Then the car ride before the accident (that could be a spoiler) it appears like an 80s to 90s jeep and then it goes to a woman talking on a phone and another woman standing a bit behind a lamp and I thought, "The 1960s?" Then it said '7 years later' and the main character is holding a Smart Phone. 'Ok', I thought. Then, the main character's son got into a program at a university in Tennessee but it costs $4,500. The song is okay. I've listened to a lot of country music in my life going back to the 1930s to today, and that song is mildly okay. However, since the story takes place today my thought is: put it on YouTube or Patreon, Amazon Music, Spotify etc., so many options to get one's music out there and that's why this film feels like it's in the wrong time period. If it was set in the 1980s and it went to the 1990s, then, I think the story would make more sense but as is: it just seems out-of-place; I also think it would have been better for Bridges' character, especially at the end. And the brother who got hurt: you see him in the beginning and basically just the end as if the character development was a bit offset. I just think the whole film would have been better in a different time period; and, why do they always have to have a bad guy? The record exec who steals an okay song... Anyway...

Caught this movie on Netflix on its first night. Closely resembles Crazy Heart. Old drunk makes good. Bit slow, but enjoyable enough. Resembles a Hallmark style movie. The main song when Mr Bridges sang "Neon Highway" was more enjoyable at the end of the movie. Little bit corney the motel room is on the house, was real nice to see getting back with his presumed dead brother. Should have included a second hit song-Crazy Heart had a few enjoyable tunes. Most people cannot up and leave their jobs when supporting a family. But this is the movies. Netflix is Definetly stepping up their game. Definitely worth the watch.

source: The Neon Highway

Over and over there are huge gaps in the story. It almost seems like whole chapters of the script were lost, and the director said hell with it, just do the scenes we still have. Add the fact that the story is slow moving without justification. The only interesting part is the wholly unexpected "dues ex machina", and even that loses its appeal when it's absurdity hits you and you figure out it's the only reason the antagonist is given the job he has at the beginning of the movie. Finally, what's the deal with the autistic man who plays beautiful fiddle, but never does and doesn't figure in the story anyway, even though you are sure he wiil sooner or later? Very sloppy, poor movie.