Review: The Way

The Way /

There’s a fine line between ‘old-fashioned’ and cliché, and Emilio Estevez’ The Way–a traditional road movie, only set on foot–ends up on the right side of the fence. It stars Emilio’s dad, Martin Sheen, as your average near-retirement American, who ends up walking the Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrimage in Spain, in honor of his dead son (Estevez). Along the way, there are a lot of quiet close-ups intended to be revelatory and some longer shots to help the viewer take in the scenery. But the tone is not exactly contemplative, either — typical hijinks with fellow travelers Joost (Yorick van Wageningen), a golly Dutchman who walks to lose weight; Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), a mysterious Canadian smoker; and Jack (James Nesbit), an aimless Irish writer, ensue. What separates The Way from your average old folks matinee are the strong performances — Sheen is earnest and believable in the lead, and the supporters don’t overplay their quirks to become ornate caricatures. Estevez’ somewhat pedestrian approach behind the camera–less sophisticated than that of his cross-cutting Bobby–works well, because the unobtrusiveness helps us focus on what we care about: the people. The movie can be a bit boring at times, but that’s almost refreshing in light of so many recent releases that constantly try to bombard us with sensory stimulation as if we forgot to take our Adderall. Rounded out with grainy cinematography that recalls the renegade road pictures of the ‘70s, The Way may not move you to book a trip to the Camino de Santiago, but it’s a nice two hours spent in the company of engaging performances.

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The Way (2011; USA, Spain). Produced by David Alexanian, Johannes Brinkmann, Emilio Estevez, Ramon Gerard Estevez, Julio Fernández, Alberto Marini, Lisa Niedenthal, Toni Novella, Janet Sheen, and John Sloss. Directed and written for the screen by Emilio Estevez. Starring Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Yorick van Wageningen, Deborah Kara Unger, and James Nesbitt. Distributed by Arc Entertainment. Rated PG-13, with a running time of 121 minutes.