"To call A Big Bold Beautiful Journey a discount version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would be giving it way too much credit. First of all, this new film, written by Seth Reiss and directed by Kogonada, absolutely cost a lot more. Second, its main characters, David and Sarah, are nowhere near as tangible as Joel and Clementine, the hapless lovers in the 2004 Michel Gondry classic."
"Even before this cursed romantic fantasy takes its fanciful turn with a magical GPS and teleporting doors, they don't resemble real people at all, living in an emphatically unnamed metropolis with no mention of jobs or friends beyond the shared acquaintance at whose wedding they meet. After exchanging glances across the aisle, they have a flirty exchange while looking out at the rain on a break from the dance floor."
"When this meet-cute, awash in painstakingly enchanting overhead shots of color-coordinated umbrellas doesn't take, the universe itself intervenes to send the pair on a whimsical road trip on which they can travel into each other's recent and distant histories. And even then, these incredibly attractive singletons resist the siren song of a potential relationship for as long as possible, like endangered animals who, despite all the efforts of their zookeepers to create the right opportunity, simply refuse to mate."
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a high-budget romantic fantasy starring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie set in an unnamed metropolis. David and Sarah meet at a wedding, share a failed meet-cute, and then experience a magical intervention that sends them on a road trip through each other's recent and distant histories via a magical GPS and teleporting doors. The characters remain thinly sketched with no jobs or friends mentioned, and they resist intimacy despite persistent opportunities. Farrell and Robbie provide charisma and screen presence. The film frames a question about whether self-described singles should consider partnership, but treats singleness lightly.
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