The loss of 15-year-old outsider Shaw Templeton’s mother forces him into the unsteady care of his estranged, recluse father, William.
Pam says:
The only action in “Buck Run” is found in the verb in the title. The story never finds its footing in an onslaught of underdeveloped tragedies and characters with whom we can never connect. Nothing really happens once we get passed the point of introducing our main characters of Shaw (Nolan Lyons) and William (James Le Gros), a father and son who are reunited after Shaw’s mother passes away. We get glimpses into Shaw’s difficulties of caring for his mother as she dies a slow death. We also understand that he has always been bullied. William, an alcoholic, hasn’t been a part of the family for years and now reluctantly must care for his son. His idea of “care” isn’t going to earn him a Father of the Year Award as his life continues on a downward trajectory. “Buck Run” spins its wheels finding no direction to run and while both Lyons and Le Gros portray their characters with the utmost skill, they just aren’t given much to do and our connection to them wanes to the point of not caring.
1 1/2 Stars
Chuck says:
There’s a unique sense of tedium that only an overly earnest independent movie can achieve and this father-son drama has it to excess. Though running only 80 minutes, this film feels almost twice as long as the pace adopted by Nick Frangione, intended to create a sense of dramatic weight, instead stops this movie dead in its tracks. Prolonged contemplative looks and simple acts executed in a weighty manner fail to give the sense of importance the director desperately longs to achieve. If you’re suffering from insomnia, “Buck Run” is the cure.
1 1/2 Stars
