A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

PopEntertainment
Sep 16
3 min read

Updated: Sep 18

A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY (2025)

Starring Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Billy Magnussen, Sarah Gadon, Brandon Perea, Chloe East, Hamish Linklater, Lucy Thomas, Yuvi Hecht, Calahan Skogman, Jacqueline Novak, Jennifer Grant, Shelby Simmons, Jason Kravits, Danielle Kennedy, Michelle Mao, Jennifer Woods and Julian Zane.

Screenplay by Seth Reiss.

Directed by Kogonada.

Distributed by Columbia Pictures. 109 minutes. Rated R.

Sometimes you just know.

I’m not talking about the couple at the center of this sweet and charming romantic comedy / fantasy. In fact, they spend much of the running time of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey fighting off their obvious attraction to each other.

I’m talking about the act of falling for a movie itself. Intellectually I know that A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is not a perfect film. Occasionally it is a little heavy handed. The story doesn’t completely make sense. The characters, one in particular, don’t always do what may be the best things for them.

None of that matters. I kind of loved this movie.

Sometimes something hits you just right and you are willing to overlook the faults. From the very beginning I was completely rapt with this sweet, if slightly surreal storyline. I know that the universe in general does not go to these extremes to get a couple together. But wouldn’t it be nice if it would?

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is the story of David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie), two completely commitment-phobic singles who both have to drive upstate to go to a friend’s wedding.

However, David’s car is given the boot at home, and he must go to a strange little warehouse which rents cars – although they only have two and they are both 1994 Saturns. However, he is desperate, and he takes it. He also allows the odd workers at the agency (Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline) to talk him into renting a GPS.

David and Sarah meet at the wedding and both fight their obvious attraction. However, when returning home, David’s GPS asks him if he is willing to take “a big, bold, beautiful journey.” This leads him to a rest stop near the highway, where Sarah is also there. Apparently, she had rented the other Saturn.

The GPS leads them on a tour of their past lives, letting them try to heal the wounds which make them afraid to fall in love.

It’s a bit of a crazy concept and like I said earlier it doesn’t make complete sense, but who cares? Sometimes it just comes to the question of whether you buy it or not. I was all in on A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.

Director Kogonada, who helmed a similarly beautifully-filmed and heartfelt but overlooked movie in 2017 called Columbus, has an incredible visual eye. That sort of makes sense, because before he directed any movies himself, he was noted for his video essays that analyze the content, form, and structure of movies.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey also has an evocative score by Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey isn’t a perfect picture. It is flawed, just like life and love are. But, sometimes, when you take a chance on the imperfect, you are rewarded with something wonderful.

Jay S. Jacobs