Sacramento is hilarious, as ex-best friends with issues become adults overnight on an unplanned road trip. Writer director and co-star Michael Angarano hit the bullseye when he crafted this endearing maturity tale for grown-ups. Maturity isn’t guaranteed; that’s what he’s trying to tell you in a funny way. There is a time when being immature, irresponsible, and manic runs into reality like a brick wall. How we deal with that moment says everything about who we are as people. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, or to say “I don’t know”.
Rickey (Michael Angarano) hangs out beside a beautiful lake located nowhere. Out of the blue he notices another person waving at him across the water and it turns out the person is Tallie (Maya Erskine). From her voice she says they are alone in the whole place and suggests that they both jump into the water and swim towards each other halfway Mark. Earlier in Los Angeles somewhere Glenn (Michael Cera) appears very nervous seeing his wife courting their first child. The railing doesn’t please him because it looks shaky till he decides to shake it off thereby collapsing himself together with its content.
Rosie (Kristen Stewart), Glenn’s heavily pregnant wife, comes home after finding her husband hyperventilating away into his underwear cradling him like an infant mama does calming baby’s breathing down while doing some exercises on how she would do breathing properly if only she was ready for labor then complains to Glen how handling small things can be better done by him than anyone else in this world ever will be able to do it, just like her phone starts ringing again for another voicemail from Rickey who has been ignoring Glenn since some days ago because of hatred borne out of his childhoodlike practical jokes played by him on others but later Rickey hides into a tree behind their backyard where he is heard by Glenn’s inability to handle simple stuff and crouches down to prevent his detection.
Rosie forces Glenn out with her. Rachael notices the ruined crib, but acts as if she doesn’t know Rosie is pregnant and asks Rickey for lunch. To wrap up their friendship, an unwilling Glenn finally agrees. After that lunch becomes tense when they take the freeway northwards. Let’s go to Sacramento for the fun of it. At first, Glenn plays along before asking to be taken back home; he cannot just leave Rosie alone because of such a foolish trip as this one off his mind. One more thing from Ricky: “Glenn, do me one last favor?” There’s a good reason for it, but Glen doesn’t know whether Rickey is lying or not.
Angarano and Cera are great as men who still think themselves boys. Rickey fancies himself something of a therapist too; he has no degree or practical experience, but believe he’s well qualified to give out advice that nobody wants or needs in many instances like these ones here that happened today at work. Glenn has been married for ages only now realizing that he will become a father some day soon and whatever comes with it is unimaginable to him causing his nerves get on edge every time she seeks some capable partner in order not let any single piece fall from her once so beautiful soul so deeply loved by him being presently broken after getting an agreement when she told him its okay if he takes few days off.
Sacramento offers plenty of surprises after the light first half hour has passed. Rickey keeps secrets because he can’t face them alone/simply won’t confront them head-on by himself without assistance from anyone else whereas Glenn does not have any intention of sharing what weighs heavily upon his heart because everyone already knows about his own problems, how then could glenn ever stoop low as rickey’s support system when he is hardly able to help himself and the resulting tension between them rises as both mask their true feelings.
Glenn doesn’t know why Rickey is here, but he’s also not being honest with himself. He uses peculiar methods in his quest for answers that only heighten his concern. So even though Rickey has seen Glenn spiraling downwards and believes this means he needs to keep lying or Glenn will go back home and sever their friendship. The two protagonists spend a great deal of time talking at each other rather than listening to what they are actually bothered by.
Angarano has appeared in more than 70 movies and TV shows since childhood. From Seabiscuit and Almost Famous to Will & Grace, he’s had supporting roles in classics. This breadth of experience is evident from clever camerawork that superbly captures the background action while keeping central focus. A clueless Glenn wonders why the heck Rickey is still putzing around Sacramento as the champion sprints about like a naughty squirrel.
A laugh-out-loud scene featuring Glenn eating at a window of a diner wholly oblivious to Rickey’s deceit behind him is deftly constructed. There are several of these throughout the film, along with creative lighting setups and changes in frame rate. Angarano knows what he’s doing before and behind the camera.
Cera always fits his bizarre characters like a glove. His idiosyncratic charm and trademark delivery are vital in an amazing climax that amusingly brings all parts of the story together. Let’s just say that Glenn has an unexpected response to Rickey’s actual reason for coming along on this trip. It strikes at the heart of something that frightens him when growth should be taking place but isn’t because it desperately needs it doesn’t happen overnight.This makes Rickeys effectiveness as someone whom people can trust get cast into stone.Everyone slips up.It has no shame when you reach out for help.
Sacramento is a fun movie, but it flies by too fast for its own good at only 84 minutes. A longer runtime would not have been frowned upon by Angarano. The adults in the room, Erskine and Stewart, are wonderful, although I could stand to see more from their perspective.
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