A Big Bold Beautiful Journey – Film Review
Reviewed by Harris Dang on the 18th of September 2025
Sony Pictures Releasing presents a film by Kogonada
Written by Seth Reiss
Produced by Bradley Thomas, Ryan Friedkin, Youree Henley, and Seth Reiss
Starring Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Kevin Kline, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Cinematography Benjamin Loeb
Edited by Susan E. Kim and Jonathan Alberts
Music by Joe Hisaishi
Rating: M
Running Time: 109 minutes
Release Date: the 18th of September 2025
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey tells the story of David and Sarah (played by the charmingly laidback Colin Farrell and the enjoyably bubbly Margot Robbie). They are two lonely souls who serendipitously meet at a wedding of their mutual friends. Thanks to their original modes of transport being out of commission, they visit a car rental agency (led by the sedate Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, putting on an unfunny German accent littered with F-bombs) and are given a loaner car with an otherworldly GPS that jumpstarts their titular journey. As various doors appear in the countryside, chapters of their lives are relived to explain their self-institutionalised malaise. Through their journey, David and Sarah’s vulnerabilities bring them closer together.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is the latest film from acclaimed indie filmmaker Kogonada. He is best known for his pensive, thought-provoking, and beautifully tranquil work, such as the wonderful Columbus (2017) and the extraordinary After Yang (2021). With a script by Seth Reiss (best known for co-writing the sharp comedy The Menu) filled with whimsy, fantasy, and potential poignancy, Journey is a logical step for Kogonada to finally branch out into big budget studio filmmaking. While his directorial eye is unhindered, his latest film is also a big, brash, bland missed opportunity.
The production values are immersive enough to buy into the well-intentioned fantasy. Thanks to the efforts of Kogonada’s regular DP, Benjamin Loeb, and production designer Katie Byron, the visuals are vibrant, expressionistic, and strikingly moody. They bring substance to the fantasy and the flawed characters as they resolve their issues.
Ranging from unrequited love, fear of commitment, intimacy issues, and melancholia, the themes inherit emotional weight thanks to the actors (the supporting actors including Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe provide great work) and especially by the mighty efforts of renowned composer Joe Hisaishi. No stranger to fantasy films, Hisaishi’s sterling work balances humanity and fantasy with remarkable acuity and vivacity.
Due to Reiss’s script, Journey lacks the pensiveness and convincing emotional pathos of Kogonada’s earlier work. With heavy-handed dialogue, unfunny humour (the numerous F-bombs feel misplaced), predictable platitudes, and derivative plot points (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Melancholia (2011) come to mind), the film lacks a solid foundation for its craftsmanship and performers. The haphazard editing also suggests studio meddling. For example, scenes of emotional longing and burgeoning closeness are rushed or cut off, killing the characters’ introspection.
The film’s real letdown is the leading pair. Many mediocre romantic studio films confuse good leading chemistry with attractive pairings. Farrell and Robbie are fantastic, attractive performers who perform admirably as they manage their demons. However, as a romantic pairing, they sorely lack chemistry, passion, and spark. With Hisaishi’s emotionally stirring score doing the heavy lifting, the only chance of sympathy for the romance is due to the actors’ affable charisma not their romantic chemistry.
Overall, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a swing and a miss for Kogonada. While undeniably watchable due to its striking beauty and solid emotional throughline, the problematic script and mismatched pairing prevent the film from reaching its destination of true greatness.
Summary: Kogonada's latest film is a big, brash, bland missed opportunity.
2.5
Poor
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