Bonneville (2008)
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40% of critics liked it
(40 reviews) -
42% of users liked it
(28,806 ratings)
A woman looking to fulfill her late husband's final wish sets out on a transformative cross-country road trip in director Christopher N. Rowley's warmhearted tale of friendship, self-discovery, and the memories that make life worth living even after the ones we love have gone. Arvilla… More A woman looking to fulfill her late husband's final wish sets out on a transformative cross-country road trip in director Christopher N. Rowley's warmhearted tale of friendship, self-discovery, and the memories that make life worth living even after the ones we love have gone. Arvilla (Jessica Lange)'s husband Joe has recently died during a trip to Borneo, and his ashes have just arrived at her home in Pocatello, ID. Though Joe had previously specified in his will that he would like his ashes scattered by his beloved wife, the well-intending Arvilla soon becomes locked in a heated battle of wills with Francine (Christine Baranski) -- Joe's well-to-do daughter from a previous marriage. Francine is determined to see her father laid to rest next to her mother in Santa Barbara, and she's threatened to sell the house that her father and Arvilla have lived in since marrying to ensure that she gets her way. Now Arvilla has lost Joe's will, leaving no way to confirm either what he wanted done with his remains or what Arvilla is to receive upon her husband's death. Defeated, Arvilla sets her sights on Santa Barbara to surrender the ashes to Francine and attempt to come to terms with the loss of her husband. When Arvilla's sassy best-friend Margene (Kathy Bates) and uptight pal Carol (Joan Allen) agree to join their recently-widowed friend on her journey and offer some much-needed moral support, the trio soon sets out in Arvilla's vintage '66 Pontiac Bonneville for a journey of a lifetime. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Christopher N. Rowley
- Written By
- Daniel D. Davis
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Sep 11, 2006 Wide
- On DVD
- Jul 8, 2008
- Studio
- Senart Films Releasing
Critic Reviews
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David Rooney, Variety
It's depressing to see a deluxe cast wasted on such by-the-numbers material.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Bonneville is scarcely original and in no way earthshaking, but its notable cast is a pleasure to behold.
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David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
When you've got three of the nation's best actresses in leading roles, it doesn't matter if your script is only adequate and the audience really has to squint here and there to believe what's happening on the screen.
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Lou Lumenick, New York Post
There are zero surprises in the road comedy Bonneville, sadly including the fact that three middle-age actresses with three Oscars and nine nominations among them couldn't find anything more challenging to do.
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
There's no avoiding the fact that Christopher Rowley's feature debut is as uninspired and predictable as your average Lifetime movie.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jessica Lange
as Arvilla Holden
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Kathy Bates
as Margene Cunningham
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Joan Allen
as Carol Brimm
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Christine Baranski
as Francine Holden Packard
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Victor Rasuk
as Bo
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Tom Amandes
as Bill Packard
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Tom Wopat
as Arlo Brimm
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Tom Skerritt
as Emmett L. Johnson



