I have to admit I have a soft spot for road movies, Vanishing Point, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Duel, The Road Warrior (Max Max 2), Paris Texas, The Hitcher (original), Cold Fever, The Straight Story, The World's Fastest Indian, and others that have escaped my mind for now, well to that list, you can now add Bonneville.It's lightweight entertainment compared to those films above, but for anyone who has been on a cross-country trek, by car or by hitchhiking, then this film is for you.The three leads are terrific, Jessica Lange, Joan Allen and Kathy Bates, ably supported by Tom Skerrit, the landscapes are wonderful and by the end of this film I had a large smile on my face.Heartwarming and life-affirming, I recommend this film.

Diane and i saw this little beauty at Paradiso two days ago and we were both enchanted by such a simple story told with feeling, understanding and truth: things rarely sen in contemporary Hollywood visual junk. True to form, the negative commentators enumerated all the "usual suspects": plot was "trite", acting was "wooden", nothing happened (read, no exploding cars, no bloody deaths, etc.--all the nonsense we have come to expect from contemporary Hollywood.) Bonneville was a soft film; a film that explored the inner sanctums of human existence with a quiet, deft touch, not the hammer that we normally expect to see from the masters of outrage. Life and its many introspective pathways can, really, be explored without full-body dissection and it can be extremely lovely to watch. We were captivated by the acting of the principals who gave the viewer a chance to deal with three distinct characters, something, again, not often seen because the scripts do not draw the characters clearly enough or the actors are not directed to explore the more subtle aspects of their actor's roles. Bonneville was the exception that proved the rule: the dialog, the exploration of particularly Lange's character, and the gentle exploration of personal mourning was a treat to watch. We congratulate all who contributed to this amazing, gentle story.

This movie plays out as a road trip for 3 women from Idaho who are good friends, but the core of the story is how one woman handles the loss of her husband of 20 years, with conflicting motives for his remains.Jessica Lange is Arvilla, she is the second wife. Her husband's body has just been cremated as Christine Baranski as her husband's deceased daughter Francine shows up. Francine feels very strongly that her dad's ashes belong in California along with her mother's remains.But Arvilla reminds Francine (no love there between the two) that his wishes were to remain with Arvilla, who cannot bear the thought of him ending up near Francine's mother. Surely it is spelled out in the will.But there is no will, seems he never got around to writing a new one, and the only valid will has him not only being with his first wife, but also giving the house to Francine. Because it was made before he and Arvilla ever became a couple.But Francine, in her "generosity", will allow Arvilla to keep the home in Idaho if she will get the ashes to California for the memorial service.Kathy Bates as Margene and Joan Allen as Carol agree to go along for moral support, they were all to fly from Salt Lake City, but Arvilla has a change of plans -- they will drive there in the 1966 Bonneville that was her husband's pride possession.Along the way Arvilla stops off at various places that had special meaning to her and her deceased husband. Each time she scatters a little bit of his ashes, I suppose figuring that Francine didn't need all of the ashes. Along the way they also meet up with some characters. Tom Skerritt is Emmett, the trucker, he and Margene seem to hit it off. Young Victor Rasuk is Bo Douglas, working his way to New Mexico to find his father.A decently entertaining movie. Good actors.SPOILERS: As it turns out Arvilla scatters all of his ashes, but quick-thinking and practical Carol scoops up some ashes from a campfire. Although late for the service they finally show up, but a trip-up causes the urn to fall to the floor and shatter, scattering ashes everywhere, including the beer bottle cap. Busted!! But in the end Arvilla knew she did what she had to do, and if she lost her house she would make out OK with friends like Carol and Margene. Or, it may be a good use for the $176,000 that Carol guiltily won in the Vegas slot machine, from tokens given to her by a hooker when her 'john' showed up.

This is a great movie! The scenery is breathtaking and Kathy Bates is hysterical. Lots of fun! It moves really well, and I especially liked the totally different personalities of the three friends. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! We were in a full theater and people were laughing out loud. I haven't seen Jessica Lang in a movie for a long time, so it was a pleasure to see her back in action. Kathy Bates adds so much to anything she appears in. I still wonder if Jessica Lang kept her house? Sequel in the making? I wonder how many days/weeks/months it took to shoot this movie. Cinematography should win an award. Maybe we'll see that at the Oscars next year?