“The Go-Getter,” the film that brought She and Him together (the new, acclaimed indie favorite singing duo), is opening June 6h from Peace Arch Entertainment.
A vivid road movie, full of surprising twists (a little sex, some drugs and rock’n’roll score by M. Ward), “The Go-Getter” tells the story of Mercer White, a straight-arrow 19-year-old who, eight months after the death of his mother, steals a car and sets out to find the much older half-brother he hasn’t seen in 14 years.
Starring Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone, M. Ward, Judy Greer, Nick Offerman and Brian McNamara, the film is written and directed by Martin Hynes. The producers are Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Lori Christopher and Larry Furlong.
“The Go-Getter,” which world-premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Fest, is the film where Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward met and bonded, later forming the favorite new band, She and Him.
Left with an aching instinctual itch to explore America after a traumatic loss, teenager Mercer steals a car in Oregon and develops a life-altering telephonic connection with the forgiving and mysterious girl from whom he stole it. Mercer sets out with her phone calls for guidance, as he travels across the highways of the former Wild West seeking self-knowledge and a sense of belonging.
Played compellingly with truth by Lou Taylor Pucci, Mercer follows the clues and confronts various struggles, both good and bad, on his spiritual journey toward manhood and an end to his grief. Playing roles in his unlikely relationships and chance encounters is an eccentric cast, headed by Zooey Deschanel as the car’s owner, Jena Malone as a precocious distraction in Reno, and Maura Tierney as his brother’s old flame.
Byron Shah’s dreamlike cinematography and M. Ward’s original soundtrack add to Mercer’s emotional discoveries. Writer-director Martin Hynes vividly guides the viewer on this cinematic ride, suggesting that there are many roads still worth driving down.
MPAA Rating: R.
Running time: 93 minutes.