2012 Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Set in the competitive world of modern agriculture, ambitious Henry Whipple wants his rebellious son Dean to help expand his family’s farming empire. However, Dean has his sights set on becoming a professional race car driver. When a high-stakes investigation into their business is exposed, father and son are pushed into an unexpected situation that threatens the family's entire livelihood.
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this is just high school musical but basketball is modern agriculture and racecar driving is theater and troy is a cheater/murderer and coach bolton is farmer dennis quaid and the only song the cast sings is the entirety of the national anthem. so i guess it’s not actually that much like high school musical
Misguided as fuck.
Despite not being entirely successful, this is one of those films that is ripe for analysis. There is a tangible display of an appreciation and yearning for the past present here. It is in fact a celebration of old times and the past way of life. The rural Iowa farm countryside is perfect to bring out and complement these feelings. Hell, I was ready to pack my bags and buy a damn farm of my own.
The beginning sets up things pretty nicely. Characters and themes are introduced. The pace is leisure but appropriate. I get the feeling there was the set-up for a meditation on past life and old school American values. Unfortunately, the idea is…
If Dennis Quaid had any range this would have been really good. He's a big part of it and his one-dimensional acting style works really well earlier on when it's all japes and tomfoolery, but as the shit gets progressively more real and characters are developed the whole thing sort of overtakes him. Efron's decent as usual and Maika Monroe - in her screen debut - excels in a supporting role. Not bad at all. Oh and ignore how the poster makes it look like some bland romcom, it is very much not.
22/100
As awful as I'd heard from trusted sources, but it got raves from several distrusted sources (Holden, Lumenick, etc.) and Bahrani has done fine work in the past (especially Chop Shop), so I felt obligated to see for myself. In theory, I admire the intent—it's just abysmally executed, with characters doing things that make no damn sense at every turn. Also, non-pro tip: If someone's supposed to be dead, try not to shoot a tight closeup of the actor's neck. The pulse there isn't something that can be voluntarily controlled.
Nothing brings the family together like dark, unspeakable secrets!
Okay, this is a strange one. It's all over the place in tone, is largely made up of thoroughly unlikeable characters, and features way more gratuitous sex scenes than I was expecting from a film about corn farming in rural Iowa. The performances are pretty good, but the story is just a little too unfocused to really care about. Honestly, my main takeaway is that the tagline should've been 'You Reap What You Sow'. It's right there! The marketing team really missed the mark on that one.
There was something strangely satisfying about the final product of Ramin Bahrani's American film debut, At Any Price. I don't know, it's sort of hard to pin down specific moments that caused me to enjoy this movie as much as I did, because I was never blown away by any aspect of it throughout the watch. It wasn't until the end credits started rolling that I really began to see the big picture as a whole. Bahrani's film snuck up on me in a way I didn't expect it to. I have a feeling when more people see it after it's released on video later this summer, they just might be affected in a similar way.
It seems that just…
Thoughts about At Any Price:
- There is a reason there is not many movies about farming. The drama here seems a bit unrealistically intensified, because that may be the only way to get intriguing drama out of farming crimes.
- Zac Effron should stick to comedy. His performance is fine, if not a bit underwhelming, but his charisma is lacking compared to his ability to shine in comedic roles in Neighbors and Liberal Arts
- Dennis Quaid might be giving a good performance but I can’t get past his voice. The accent and inflections seems bit like a black comic trying imitating a nerdy white guy, and it is impossible to get past it.
- Many of the characters…
When I showed Mia that this film with Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron existed she literally squeeled so we made plans to watch it
At Any Price is a superb rural melodrama that's morally and dramatically complex and is oddly unappreciated. With two excellent performances by Efron and Quaid, the film revolves around the duo's father and son relationship and each character's desire to excel in their respective fields, race car driving and farming. Both men quickly find themselves in dilemmas that challenge their prospective futures and their self-images. It's intelligently made by Ramin Bahrani and under his guidance, the film avoids easy cliches and answers. Perhaps the real reason why critics and audiences didn't take to the movie was because of its dubious depiction of Americana culture and the agriculture business. Its story shatters the fantasy of the American Dream so many hold dear.
