At Any Price (2012)

Director-Ramin Bahrani

Length-105 min.

Rated-R



Nominated for the prestigious Gold Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, I expected this to be a ballpark home-run. However, with its lackluster dialogue and an extremely drawn out plot, this film failed to reach my expectations. As this film was shown not only an official selection in Venice, but at the Toronto Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival, alike; not to mention it's magnificent trailer, I thought this film had real potential. But with pretty boy Zac Efron (Dean Whipple) starring opposite of usually stellar Dennis Quaid (Henry Whipple), who played the underachieving role of a cheap cars salesmen; this film was anything but extraordinary. The story takes place in a small farming community in Iowa, where land is just as valuable as water. The fight over property is a vicious cutthroat trade with lots of unreliable allies and backhand deals. But sometimes that's what it takes to stay ahead of your competitors. Unfortunately for Henry, who has done everything in his power to keep the family farm afloat, his son Dean has plans of becoming a NASCAR driver. But when Dean injures himself in an accident and his father is investigated for his mischievous dealings, his son finally comes to his side. This is a story of father-son relationships and how quickly they can disappear. And although this did throw a bit of a curveball in its conclusion, it was still overshadowed by mediocre acting and little to no believability in its outcome. I don't care if you have the code for a free movie at your next Redbox visit, this film is NOT worth your while, At Any Price.