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Cast & credits
Mercer: Lou Taylor Pucci
Kate: Zooey Deschanel
Joely: Jena Malone
Arlen: Jsu Garcia
Pets: Maura Tierney

Et Cetera Films presents a film written and directed by Martin Hynes.
Running time: 93 minutes.

“Martin Hynes writes and directs a road movie that drives straight to the heart.”

Director-Writer brings us a bittersweet movie about life on the road that tugs at your heartstrings, playing the most melodious tunes ever, making you wish the ride would never end.

There’s one thing that stands out about most road movies. They have a really good soundtrack. And The Go-Getter isn’t any different. Featuring the indie flavoured music talents of M. Ward on the background score and snippets from other artists like Elliott Smith and the Replacements, this is one soundtrack that will take you into a really nice zone, just like Elizabethtown managed to, a couple of years ago.

Mercer is a 19-year old who suffered a recent misfortune. His mom passed away, leaving him to live his life alone, as his father had abandoned them a long time ago. Mercer continued with his usual life routines for over 8 months after the tragedy until he realised that enough was enough. Just like real life, Mercer’s grave decision to jump school, steal a car and drive across the country to meet his half-brother Arlen and inform him about their mother’s death, happened randomly. And that too, with the exact sense of righteousness that initiates any emotionally driven endeavour. A sense of purpose and a longing for some form of connection, in Mercer’s case to the brother he hadn’t even seen for over 15 years. On his way there, Mercer hopes to also get together with Joely, a ‘really hot girl’ who he’s had a thing for since they were eleven years old.

Mercer hops into a car at the local car wash and drives away, feeling a deep sense of regret, but with every intention to return the vehicle once he had found his brother. He barely covers a few miles when a mobile phone on the dashboard rings. Gathering his courage, Mercer picks up the phone and converses with the car’s owner, a young woman with a barely threatening tone, who strangely enough, happens to know him.

This is where the film becomes interesting. Mercer sets off on his trip, meeting the people that Arlen used to associate with, and along the way he figures out the dark side about the brother he hasn’t met for over a decade. Some of these people throw punches at him; others are more patient and forgiving. But all in all, Mercer discovers that his brother is just a few pennies short of a felon.

Just when you think everything is going downhill, the car owner calls again, this time bringing a new sense of rejuvenation to the film. The sequence when Mercer tries to figure out what the lovely voice over the phone probably looks like in person was done exceptionally well. Even the later sequences, when Mercer finally finds the car owner’s gym card, he begins fantasising that she’s actually with him on this journey, are done heartwarmingly well.

This movie is wonderful because it’s got everything that a road movie should have: deep characters with varying, but profound insights on life, a great soundtrack, great shots of the road and the wonderful sense of solitude. But it’s better than most road movies because it’s also got everything that a love story should have. It has a beautiful, pure-soul of a girl who is as interesting to Mercer as she is to us (played to perfection by Zooy Deschanel) and the other girl who’s really hot but is also nothing but big trouble (Jena Malone’s all grown up, gentlemen).

Wonderful cinematography, including a lot of light-plays, burn outs and lens flares bring a very bright visual dimension to this story, while the production design by Damon Fortier and Art Direction by Rob Howeth and Charles Nance give this film a warm, earthy feel that lingers even after the film is done.

I think everyone should take a road trip at least once in their lives. But just in case you don’t get to, the Go-getter is compensation to a good measure.

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