Undescribable Perfection

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This film was a very nice surprise for me for many reasons and will be for you too. IF and I stress If you are the kind of person who can relate to a movie thats very subtle. If you don't need things laid out for you. If you love to see acting done on an internal level. This movie is loaded with unspoken dialogue. To enjoy it you have to be able to fill in the blanks on your own. I cant explain to someone why they should like this movie but can give you one litmus test for it. If you read a poem and only see the words on the page, if you cant see the meaning behind the poem and in someway turn it into your own or feel the writers intent. Then don't watch this movie. This is the type of movie that will be interpreted by every viewer in a different way based on what type of person they are and that is why I thinked its ranked so low. It appeals to a small minority just as poetry does.Had a different lead actor been in the film, someone like Sean Penn or Robert Downey Jr, someone who carries a lot of emotional baggage that people can easy relate too I think it would have garnered a lot of attention. However I thought Crudup did an amazing job.I am not trying to sound like an elitist art house movie lover because I am not..rather I am just trying to pinpoint people who will like this film. To put it simply, If you felt the scene in American Beauty where the kid is watching the bag blowing around in the wind you will like this movie.

I'm not sure why this movie scores so low. Without knowing anything about it, I took a risk and rented it based on the cast of Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore. Both of them are very good, there are many supporting cast performances which are also very good. Simply put, the movie doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer. On the DVD commentary track the director mentions the resistance he got from many studio execs while trying to fund the movie, and he got lots of criticism that his main character (Crudup) was unlikeable. Seeing this movie while knowing that "hollywood" resisted mightily might lead to some insight as to the mindset of the power players. The main character has more of a human range of behaviors than seems comfortable to those who crave cartoon superheros.I don't think the title is great. I don't have a better one, see if you do after you see it. "Father" should be in the title somewhere.

Billy Crudup stars in this slow moving film as "Cal", an architect who one day just walks out on his loving wife and son. What Cal is in search of we know not, but he is full of self-loathing for leaving and begins a drunken trek cross country. In his travels he meets a series of people who he treats like crap and then wallows in more self loathing and drink. The movie does end up with a moral; Cal realizes that he had it pretty good at home, but we don't realize this until we've sat through at least the first ninety minutes wondering where this movie and Cal, for that matter, are headed. Adding to the confusion are some flashback sequences that are never explained and have nothing to do with the ending what-so-ever. The only bright spot is when Cal meets up with Dulcie (Moore), and you think "Aha! I know where this movie is headed", and then it doesn't go that way at all. And that's a shame. Dulcie's story line is dropped just as the movie takes a turn towards being remotely interesting, and we are sent right back on Cal's boring journey. There is nothing redeemable in the character of Cal, and what he needs is a swift kick to the butt. Add to that a soundtrack that is ninety percent Willie Nelson songs, and you can see where a good shot of caffeine prior to watching this movie will come in handy. On an upnote, the cinematography was beautiful; it just should have been saved for a better movie. If you really need to be told that there's no place like home, watch "The Wizard of Oz" instead.

After watching "World Traveler" I visited the film's IMDB.com page and read the plot outline. I'm glad I did because now I know what the hell the film was about.A sort of combo road trip and character study, "World Traveler" wraps a plodding nonstory meandering in a stylish shoot sprinkled with cameos by some good actors and backdrops of scenic middle America in Winter. For those who want to try to climb in the head of a not-very-interesting protag (Crudup), this flick may have value. For most, the story will probably not be sufficiently interesting to spend 1.5 hours with. (C+)Note - It will help you enjoy the film if you like Willie Nelson music.