Sacramento is the second feature film of Michael Angarano, who many my age might remember from the hit Disney Channel movie Sky High. As the star and the director, he crafts a buddy road trip movie with Michael Cera that follows two distant friends reconnect as they begin new chapters of their lives during a spur of the moment trip from LA to Sacramento While it never does anything to stand out from other movies within the subgenre, I found that Angarano brought a lot of charm to Sacramento and added interesting themes about friendship and parenthood.
The story follows two childhood friends who have drifted apart; for one, it was by chance, while the other was by choice. Angarano’s Rickey is a very charismatic character. He is bubbly and outgoing, never seemingly without a friend in a crowded room. Cera’s Glenn, on the other hand, is what you’d expect from Michael Cera: an awkward adult who feels like he never feels comfortable in his skin and would rather vanish than have an uncomfortable social interaction. The dynamic is not unique, but the two play it so cool and casual that you can believe their relationship, just as much as you can believe why they are at the position they are at in the present. The movie hinges on this dynamic, and it worked.
Glenn and his wife Rosie (Kristen Stewart) are expecting their first child, and he is battling his anxiety over whether he can be a father. Rosie is very much a strong woman who feels like she can handle herself, but Glenn seems to make things more stressful, which can be seen when he shakes the baby’s crib apart because he heard it squeak a little. The last thing he needs is a free spirit, which is exactly what Rickey is. Rickey is fresh out of a relationship with Tallie (Maya Eskrine) when things became very serious, as the movie reveals later. They have to both decide how they want to approach this next chapter of their lives and if they want to even be a part of each other.
The poster would suggest that Eskrine and Stewart would play a larger role, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed that they were both sidelined for the majority of the film. Stewart plays the independent soon-to-be-mother very well, and you can see her emotions get to her as she has to deal with her pregnancy and her husband’s emotions as well. Eskrine is just a spark plug when she’s on screen, from her and Angarano’s meet-cute to the very end.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sacramento is fun and plays well into the tropes of a buddy road comedy. Michael Angarano and Michael Cera are great foils of each other, which makes their friendship very believable. I wish Eskrine and Stewart were utilized more in the story, but I’m glad they tried to tell a much more grounded story about fatherhood and friendship instead of something more outlandish. While it is small in scale, it is large in heart.
3/5
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I've always been a movie fan, but I first got big into cinema watching Whiplash when I was younger. That movie led to a greater appreciation of films and got me to dive into the medium. My favorite genre is horror movies, but I’ll always have a secret soft spot for rom coms and musicals. When I'm not podcasting or watching movies, I love working out and going hiking, and I currently work in business analytics with the degree I got from Western New England University.
MY FAVORITE MOVIES: Good Will Hunting, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, Whiplash, Moneyball, Top Gun: Maverick