The TV Addict 

Like that old nugget of wisdom, THE GO-GETTER knows that life is in the journey, not the destination. That’s not to say where you’re going isn’t it important, but it is saying that sometimes how you get there is just as significant.

The journey in the THE GO-GETTER is that of young Mercer’s (indie “it” kid, Lou Taylor Pucci). With his mother recently passed away he has become lost in numerous ways, most of all existentially. He is anchorless, purposeless, so he does the only thing that makes sense to him, and that removes him from the familiar: he steals a car, and decides to track down his long lost, deadbeat half-brother and inform him of their mother’s passing.

In the tradition of all existential, coming of age road movies, what ensues are a series of detours and adventures along the way that teach Mercer a little about himself and life. Unlike those typical road movies though, THE GO-GETTER is much more irreverent in its side-steps. As the tagline for Martin Hayes’ work goes, “life doesn’t come with a roadmap” and though that’s a typical cloying line for a film like this, it’s for once accurate. Even though there is a narrative thread here, the pleasure of the movie is that it knows that road-trips and life don’t function with a roadmap, and instead deviate into strange but often entertaining and illuminating areas.

There are plenty of such deviations in THE GO-GETTER, whether it be his travels with a semi-nymphomaniac Jena Malone, or a stop-over in a pottery making commune, or an encounter with a gun-wielding (but not preaching) Bill Duke. What makes the film such a gem though are the times it hits on something real, such as the embarrassing truth in Mercer reciting dead presidents to keep himself from getting ahead of himself during sex, or a hilariously true observation that maybe people join bands to make the rest of us feel like shit.

The greatest truth, and the shining star of the film though are the conversations Mercer has with Kate, the girl whose car he stole and with whom he gradually builds a grounding relationship and who helps him heal. It’s rare to see a film remember that many budding relationships involve delicate courtship and friendship instead of instant familiarity and love. Because it remembers that, we’re treated to delightfully real conversations between the two that range from the serious to the silly (at one point Kate discusses with Mercer her curiosity regarding what animals think about). It doesn’t hurt either that Kate is a perfect role for Zooey Deschanel and her brand of cuteness. Kate is silly and adorable but never uncaring, and thanks to Zooey has a voice that implies more than its fair share of sensuality. Sure, she may be bit of a male fantasy character, but it’s one I’m more than willing to go along with.

In the end, those looking for anything relating a substantial plot should look elsewhere. Those who judge the film for that though are missing the point. The film reaches its destination it just meanders and takes the long way around, which is exactly the point. Anyone who can’t see past that may just be thinking of the destination and forgetting the journey.

Overall rating: B+