Actor Michael Angarano’s sophomore film as writer-director, Sacramento (co-written by Chris Smith), explores friendship, responsibility, and the anxieties of becoming a father. As he did in his first film, Avenues, Angarano gets in tune with the rhythms of men in their thirties who still struggle with the demands of adulthood. His screenplays for both films explore the different dynamics of life as an adult and are populated with characters who need to question life before growing into it. For this one, it will be an impromptu road trip to the titular California city that will open up examinations of grief, friendship, and impending fatherhood. 

The road trip movie is, perhaps, cinema’s most well-worn genre. From dramas to thrillers to comedies, following characters on life changing travel journeys is a story device that has produced many gems. From his excellent “Road Trip Trilogy” (Alice in the Cities, Wrong Move, and Kings of the Road) and through the masterpieces that are Paris, Texas and Until the End of the World, director Wim Winders has made a career out of this type of picture. Filmmakers as varied as Frank Capra (who basically invented the genre with his classic, It Happened One Night), Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider), Kevin Reynolds (Fandango), and John Hughes (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles) have used the highways of America and other countries to teach cinematic life lessons of all kinds.

Earlier this year, Keiran Culkin won a Supporting Actor Oscar for writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, a film that was also nominated for Best Screenplay. Comparisons will certainly be made to Eisenberg’s 2024 work, as Sacramento is a tale where two men in crisis (one is married and the other is a somewhat responsibility-free loner who can’t seem to find himself anywhere) share a trip and reveal the best and worst of what it means to be alive.

Giving one of his best performances to date, Michael Cera is Glenn, a married man and impending father who lives in a mellow Los Angeles suburb with his wife, Rosie (a very good, if underused, Kristen Stewart). Glenn suffers from anxiety, a condition that seems to be worsening as he becomes overwhelmed with the pressure of being a dad. An early scene introduces Glenn as he tries to build his child’s crib but feels the finished product is too unsteady. As he shakes the side to make sure it won’t fall, Glenn freaks out and destroys the entire thing, putting it out with the trash. 

The film opens with the vagabond-like Ricky (Michael Angarano) sitting naked by a lake, thinking his camping trip will keep him free from people. As he sits by the water reading a book, a voice from across the lake jokingly yells, “You have a nice dick!” The voice is from a hiker named Tallie (Maya Erskine, Angarano’s now wife whom he met through this film). The two hang out and share a few romantic nights at the campsite. 

A while later, Rickey shows up at Glenn’s home and asks him to lunch, which becomes an impromptu trip to Sacramento. Glenn is not down for any of this. His friendship with Ricky is estranged, he may be losing his job, and his mental health issues are not very stable. Under the guise of it may be cathartic for him to reconnect with his old buddy. What she really needs is for Glenn to go away for a few days. As she tells him while calming him down after a panic attack, “I don’t want to be the one having to take care of you right now.” 

Tallie returns to Ricky’s life when he goes to Sacramento to see her and the baby they made together. Rickey has ignored her texts about her pregnancy and she has written him off as just another asshole; a main reason he wants Glenn to be there with him.

As Glenn and Rickey set out on the road, their shared life-lessons aren’t what either expect. To Angarno’s credit, he doesn’t solve any of their problems and nothing is fully resolved. Where most films of this ilk wrap everything in a tidy bow, Sacramento finds its two leads in constant disarray. Their journey reveals a lot, but there is no straight path to healing. By the end, while Glenn and Rickey certainly learn the broken parts of one another’s lives, the two haven’t gained any real ground. The two find themselves back to square one, only this time, they have found enough grit to handle it.

The film is well cast. Angarano, Stewart, and Erskine turn in solid work, but it is Cera who commands the attention through his quietly intense performance. There is something dark inside Glenn; an almost uncontrollable anxiety that gives way to rage. Cera’s line deliveries hide a pressure that could explode at any moment and over the slightest of things. The actor uses the quiet to great effect. In a scene where Rickey is pleading his case to Tallie, Cera stands in the background, almost out of frame. You can feel his disgust at how pathetic a situation Rickey has made for himself. In this moment, Cera embodies an anger that is barely restrainable. When Tallie goes into the other room to put the baby down for a nap, Glenn asks his buddy, “Where’s your shame?” This quiet line delivery holds a lot of emotions. The way Cera delivers it has a Travis Bickle feel. De Niro’s Taxi Driver character was probably a decent soul who had something darker inside him that was winning the battle for his humanity. In a very different way, Glenn struggles against his own askew outlook of how things should be and what he should do to change them. This is truly excellent and captivating work from Michale Cera. 

Michael Angarano is certainly a student of 70’s filmmaking. Those days saw an abundance of character-driven pictures and the films of Hal Ashby, Jerry Schatzberg, and more have seeped into the consciousness of directors like Alexander Payne and Anderson’s Wes and Paul Thomas, coloring their styles. Through certain music choices and the aura he gives to the piece, Angarano infuses this work with a 70’s sensibility. Ben Mullen’s cinematography captures the open road naturally, giving a fullness to the frame and taking in the California countryside. Everything in Agarano’s style has a relaxed vibe and he knows how to keep his movie flowing.

All is well until a misplaced scene of a character’s mental snap comes out of nowhere and goes against said character’s design. The moment is meant to shock, but does so for the wrong reasons. Angarano doesn’t know if he wants the moment to play as deadly serious or darkly comical. Either way, what happens does not work and seriously hurts the final act. A serious misstep to end a very good film.

Sacramento finds us spending time with two rather hopeless men who cannot see the folly of their ways. In truth, Glenn and Rickey are unlikeable, but there is something about their lack of awareness and refusal to “man up” that makes them interesting to watch. Both struggle with their emotions and (we hope) know they need to get past their issues and become the husbands and fathers their wives expect.

Many of us make mountains out of molehills when it comes to life’s problems. For Rickey, he just needs to adjust and stop being selfish and scared. Glenn has something more serious going on with his mental state. He has support from his wife and can learn to cope on more realistic levels. Will they learn to get by and make happy lives for their families? One can hope. The struggle is real. It is the relatable honesty of the screenplay where Angarano finds a real truth. 

Sacramento

Written by Michael Angarano and Chris Smith

Directed by Michael Angarano

Starring Michael Cera, Michael Angarano, Kristen Stewart, Mya Erskine

R, 89 Minutes, Vertical, Bee-Hive Productions