Movie Reviews

‘Bonneville’ Blu-Ray Review – A Trio Of Wonderful Performers Elevates A Middle-Of-The-Road Narrative

By Dillon Gonzales
August 10, 2021
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Bonneville is a film that does not aim to circumvent its conventional roots, but the presence of the three iconic leads aids in it not becoming completely forgettable. This directorial debut from Christopher N. Rowley tells an audience-friendly story of adventure and character growth between a trio of “golden age” friends who embark on a road trip together. Jessica Lange (American Horror Story) plays our focal character Arvilla Holden, a recently widowed middle-aged woman who lost her husband of twenty years while vacationing in Borneo. In addition to contending with her grief, Arvilla has been confronted by her husband’s adult daughter, Francine (a cutting Christine Baranski, The Good Fight), who has been named the beneficiary of a will that was never updated after the couple wed. Much to Francine’s horror, Arvilla had her husband cremated in accordance with his wishes, but Francine requests that she be given the ashes or else she will force Arvilla out of her house which she now legally owns.

While Arvilla knows her husband would want to be spread out in the world, she compromises by agreeing to take the ashes herself from her home in Pocatello, Idaho to be buried in the family crypt in Montecito, California. Accompanying her on this journey are her best friends; single, lonely and feisty Margene (Kathy Bates, Misery), and married Carol (Joan Allen, The Contender), a devout Mormon. While the original plan is for these ladies to take the old Bonneville to the Salt Lake City airport, Arvilla calls an audible and decides to visit some of the places that meant something to her and her husband along the way to California. Those familiar with traditional road trip movies might be slightly disappointed by the anticlimactic nature of the journey as a whole. These ladies do not get into outrageous situations, choosing instead a more reserved approach outside of a brief attempted mugging that toggles between comedic and dramatic. This is a film far more interested in the heartwarming bond and emotional breakthroughs of these three characters.

The script does no favors in providing thoughtful material to these performers who are capable of delivering something incredible. The only real interesting choice it makes is the undercurrent of the importance of their Mormon faith. The movie is not preachy and it certainly has the characters acting outside of what would be considered proper behavior within the faith, but the viewpoint is one that is not often depicted on screen and at least offers one unique characteristic among a sea of stock traits. These mostly come out in their interactions with people along their journey; a helpful young hitchhiker (Victor Rasuk, Lords of Dogtown) brings out a poignant expansion of viewpoints instead of bawdy gags of desire, and a widowed truck driver (Tom Skerritt, Alien) delivers a simple excitement for Margene that is nice. Pleasant is the best way to describe this film, as it rarely moves the needle otherwise. If you get a few polite chuckles out of this one, you will have reached its full potential.

So why is this review not more scathing? For the simple fact that Lange, Bates and Allen are leading this film. These are three performers that you feel better just spending an hour-and-a-half with even when the material is pretty bland. Subtle moments are given more resonance just by the simple expressions on their faces which only the best actors could pull off convincingly. Everything else is pure workmanlike competency as Jeffrey Kimball’s cinematography adequately captures the many sumptuous vistas and Jeff Cardoni’s original music hits all the right notes. This will only be an entertaining endeavor if you really like the performers, and even then you should prepare for a very vanilla experience.

Video Quality

Bonneville gets a mostly pleasing upgrade on Blu-Ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with a 1080p master in the original aspect ratio. The transfer does not seem to be a new, polished-up master, but the basic high definition transfer provides natural film grain with only the occasional specks of damage or subtle digital anomalies. This disc is strong despite the age of the transfer. This is a film that exudes a warm natural color palette which this transfer shows off quite well with a nice, realistic look to it. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up some fairly deep black levels. The disc shows off some excellent details in most instances, but there are some weak looking establishing moments. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided an enjoyable transfer for a film that has been missing in action on a proper Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 track that do the trick without being too showy. Dialogue is the main driving force of the film, and there are never any issues with clarity or voices being overwhelmed by competing elements. Surround speakers get a decent workout from some engaging environmental sounds. There are several instances of people calling from off screen that are effectively positioned. The music of the movie almost feels like another character at times, and it stands out quite beautifully here with this well balanced mix. Activity in the low end is very sporadic with only occasional bursts of activity. This movie is not an all-out audio heavy hitter, but it is perfectly pleasing for the type of movie you are watching. Optional English subtitles are available.

Special Features

Behind-The-Scenes Featurette: An 11-minute piece in which the cast and crew discuss what drew them to the story, the themes of the film, the bonding on set and many more lighthearted tidbits.

Trailers: A two-and-a-half minute trailer for Bonneville is provided. There are also trailers provided for Kids For Cash, Lust For Gold and The War Tapes.

Final Thoughts

Bonneville is an uninspired film that is helped immensely by the extremely talented trio of performers headlining the adventure. The plot is immensely reserved in scope, but it provides some enjoyable character moments between the friends that serve as the heart of the film. Kino Lorber has provided a Blu-Ray that is as solid as fans of the movie might want with a strong A/V presentation and a brief legacy featurette. Older audiences with an appreciation for the tiny joys in life will likely appreciate this one more than anyone.

Bonneville is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.