''The Open Road'' is a 2009
comedy-drama film written and directed by
Michael Meredith. It stars
Justin Timberlake,
Kate Mara
Kate Rooney Mara ( ; born February 27, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for work in television, playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the Netflix political drama ''House of Cards'' (2013–2014; 2016), computer analyst Shari Rothenberg in t ...
,
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...
, and
Mary Steenburgen and was produced by
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television se ...
. Country singer
Lyle Lovett and
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
are also among the cast. Filming began in
Hammond, Louisiana in February 2008, and continued in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
, at
Whataburger Field
Whataburger Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. It is home to the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. It also serves as a secondary home to the Texas A&M†...
in
Corpus Christi, Texas,
Houston, Texas and elsewhere in the
southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
.
[Goldstein, Gregg (March 25, 2008)]
Lovett and Stanton hit "Open Road"
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
. Retrieved on April 4, 2008. The film received a
limited release on August 28, 2009.
Plot
Carlton Garrett is the adult son of baseball legend Kyle Garrett and a minor-league baseball player with the
Corpus Christi, Texas Hooks. One night, after another game in which he continues to slump at the plate, Carlton gets a phone call from his grandfather Amon, who tells him that Carlton's mother, Katherine has fallen ill and is at the hospital. Katherine requires a surgery that the doctors recommend; however, she refuses to sign the waiver until Kyle comes to visit her. After Carlton agrees to find his estranged father, together with his ex-girlfriend Lucy, the two of them fly to
Columbus, Ohio to break the news to Kyle, who is there for an autograph signing and doesn't have a cell phone.
After a tense meeting, in which it's revealed that Carlton and Kyle haven't seen or spoken to each other in five years, Kyle agrees to fly to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
to see Katherine with his son and Lucy. The next morning, while preparing to get through airport security, Kyle realizes that he's lost his wallet and hence his identification, therefore he's not allowed to board the flight. Lucy suggests that the three of them rent a car and drive. While at a gas station one evening, Kyle asks Lucy to bring him his bag which contain painkillers for his various aches. Lucy notices Kyle's wallet in the bag, revealing that Kyle intentionally misplaced his wallet in hopes of not having to get on the plane and thus not make the trip; Lucy keeps this discovery a secret from Carlton.
As the trip progresses, Carlton and Kyle attempt to piece-together their fragile relationship. Also, Lucy tells Carlton that she's engaged to a new man; this creates a tension between the two, as their love towards each other remains. Many delays occur, as Kyle becomes increasingly anxious about seeing Katherine and becomes more and more unreliable. He seems to make up for this, however, when he tells Carlton and Lucy that he knows someone who works at the
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
airport who can get him through security without I.D. While waiting for their flight, Kyle tells Carlton that the employee he knows doesn't exist and it was a cover-up story. Carlton realizes that Kyle has had his wallet the entire time and has purposely been delaying the trip. He angrily storms off to talk to Lucy, leaving Kyle unattended. After an argument with Lucy, whom he finds out knew about the wallet the whole time, he returns to where Kyle was sitting to find him missing. Carlton and Lucy get on the flight anyway and Carlton exits the flight to look for his father but not before telling Lucy that if he doesn't come back before takeoff, to get off the plane. Mad at Carlton and their argument, Lucy decides to stay on the plane anyway and she flies home; Carlton is also unsuccessful in finding Kyle. Carlton calls Katherine and she tells him that if his father is anywhere in Memphis, he'd be at the
Peabody Hotel
The Peabody Memphis is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, opened in 1925. The hotel is known for the "Peabody Ducks" that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby. The Peabody is a member of Historic Hot ...
downtown.
When Carlton arrives, he finds out from the front desk that no one by the name of Kyle Garrett has checked in. Tired at this point, Carlton takes a room for the night. Later that evening, he has a conversation with the hotel bartender, who tells him that Kyle is indeed staying in the hotel under an alias. Furious, Carlton confronts Kyle. After forcing himself in, Carlton and Kyle wrestle each other to the ground, where Kyle tells Carlton that he loves Katherine but loves himself even more. Soon Kyle agrees to continue with the trip. The next day Carlton gets a phone call: Katherine has gotten an infection and the doctors have been forced to operate earlier than expected.
Carlton, Kyle, Amon and Carlton's grandmother Virge wait anxiously in the hospital waiting room. Soon Lucy shows up and she and Carlton reconcile. The doctor comes out and tells the family that the operation was a success. The next morning, while still at the hospital, Carlton tells Lucy that he's quitting baseball to focus on becoming a writer and Lucy tells Carlton that she's not a 'fiancee' anymore, which implies that they have gotten back together. Carlton drives Kyle to the airport, where Kyle agrees to come visit on New Year's and Carlton agrees to visit Kyle for Christmas. The ending scene shows Carlton clearing out his baseball locker and walking to his vehicle, where Lucy is waiting for him. The two drive off together.
Cast
*
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...
as Kyle Garrett
*
Justin Timberlake as Carlton Garrett
*
Mary Steenburgen as Katherine Garrett
*
Kate Mara
Kate Rooney Mara ( ; born February 27, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for work in television, playing reporter Zoe Barnes in the Netflix political drama ''House of Cards'' (2013–2014; 2016), computer analyst Shari Rothenberg in t ...
as Lucy
*
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
as Amon
*
Lyle Lovett as a Bartender
*
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...
(cameo) as Coach
*
Billy Slaughter
William H. Slaughter is an American film and television actor, best known for his roles in '' The Campaign'' and ''Focus''. In his free time he works with students that want to become actors and actresses at Launch Model And Talent in Metairie, ...
as Rental Car Employee
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Open Road, The
2009 films
2009 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
Films scored by Christopher Lennertz
Films shot in Corpus Christi, Texas
2000s English-language films
2000s American films