What a waste of my time!!!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Aside from some gorgeous color cinematography and BILLY CRUDUP's excellent performance as a man seeking self-discovery, WORLD TRAVELER has little to offer in the way of compelling situations or touching dialog. The character played by JULIANNE MOORE is slightly off kilter from the start, so it's not too surprising that she turns out to be a mentally ill woman talking to and about a non-existent child.But the real weakness of WORLD TRAVELER is that the script goes nowhere in search of "the truth." Even the reunion scene with Crudup's dad, played by David KEITH (who is only slightly older than Crudup), fails to give any depth to the characters they play. Nevertheless, thanks to their performances, this section of the film stirs the most interest.Any man who runs into the kind of boring characters that Crudup does should be more than willing to return home to wife and child. That seems to be the moral of this disappointing little tale, worth watching only to see Crudup emerge as a sensitive actor worth taking note of.

During the part of Cal's trip (with Julianne Moore) where he stopped at a state fair in Montanna, the song "You were only fooling but I was falling in love" was sung by a female vocalist. Could the singer have been KAY STARR?? Portions of the tune did in fact sound a little like her and then there were a few notes that sounded more like Patsy Cline.So I am betting that the song was not sung by KAY STARR. Anyone that can remember music from the 50's and 60's might offer up their thoughts on this topic. I believe that this recording was of another Country and Western singer. Overall, the movie was quite interesting but had a few discontinuities and unanswered questions, e.g., what was going on with Cal getting handcuffed as He gets off of an airplane in the first minutes of the movie?

"World Traveler" could be a video for Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" - "Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack/ I went out for a ride and I never went back/ Like a river that don't know where it's flowing/ I took a wrong turn and I just kept going. . ./Everybody needs a place to rest/ Everybody wants to have a home/ Don't make no difference what nobody says/ Ain't nobody like to be alone."Instead, writer/director Bart Freundlich uses that ultimate road warrior Willie Nelson and his songs, particularly some recent duets, as the expressive soundtrack, concluding with "Across the Borderline": "When you reach the broken promise land,/ Every dream slips through your hand,/ You'll know it's too late to change your mind./ 'Cause you paid the price to come to far,/ Just to wind up where you are,/ And you're still just across the borderline./. . . Hope remains when pride is gone,/ And it keeps you moving on,/ Calling you across the borderline./ And you're still just across the borderline." I'd follow Billy Crudup just about anywhere in the movies, so I gave this picaresque, existential introspection space, especially admiring Terry Stacey's cinematography. He has a European's appreciation for going across the U.S. Utilizing Crudup's chiseled visage to critical effect in the script as if it were written specifically for him, his character's alcoholic break-down is mostly visual, through akimbo body language and his dreams, as he knock-hockeys off a series of even more seeking or troubled characters until his meeting up with his past and what could be his future seem to straighten him out.The opening and closing NYC setting shots of the World Trade Center of course tell us what day this was filmed before. (originally filmed 5/4/2002)

I was disappointed to see the reviews that this film is getting here when I thought that it was a beautiful, subtle film that packed an emotional wallop. "World Traveler" is a love letter to anyone who has ever drifted or run from circumstance be it the way the protagonist of Freundlich's film did by jumping in his car and taking off or be it via emotionally resigning from a situation or relationship.If you are looking for a "set-up-pay-off" story line this is not it, nor is it a pretentious art film. It is an engrossing and emotionally honest film in the vein of a John Cheever short story and it is well worth the watch as is his Myth of Fingerprints.Oh, and watch it alone.