SummaryAfter being released from prison following a twenty year sentence for a minor offense, an ex-con (Ethan Hawke) must learn to navigate the modern world while coming to terms with his own life which has moved on - all while caring for the abandoned baby he finds in a dumpster. [SXSW]
Directed By:Logan Marshall-Green
Written By:Logan Marshall-Green
Adopt a Highway
Metascore
Mixed or Average
53
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
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Metascore
Mixed or Average
53
36% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
45% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
18% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Mar 12, 2019
91
Patient, meditative, and sanguine, Adopt a Highway is a rugged slice of Americana.
Oct 31, 2019
70
Like a spare short story, this little indie nurtures a few simple emotions, then hopes its audience will stick around to share in them. I’m glad I did.
Nov 1, 2019
63
The look of buried terror and resentment in Hawke's eyes tells the deeper story. Still, Adopt a Highway wanders ("Ella" is just the first chapter) and the redemption narrative isn't so much heavy-handed as it is super-imposed.
Mar 14, 2019
58
It’s easy to admire Green’s decision to tell a personal story that came from the heart, but the end result is, unfortunately, something a little flat, unremarkable and it’s only Ethan Hawke’s terrifically empathetic performance that makes this long and listless journey feel like it’s a road worth taking.
Mar 12, 2019
40
Marshall-Green’s directorial debut is an intriguing story centered on a flawed protagonist, and with more polishing in the second half of the film it could have really sailed.
Mar 12, 2019
40
Despite the film's choppy and tonally dissonant storytelling ... Hawke’s performance quite literally carries the movie.
Mar 12, 2019
30
All evidence here suggests that Marshall-Green needs a strong collaborator — or maybe just someone else’s screenplay — the next time he gets behind the camera.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
60% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
30% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
10% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Nov 6, 2019
8
Adopt A Highway is a feel-good story that brings out a lot of emotions at once, what we have here is a sweet story that's told on two facets, one is a story of a lost soul doing its best to survive and the other side of it is this heartwarming longing to a nice life once lived and never quite got enough of it. I was caught off guard several times by the performances as they were genuine and heartfelt and that added so much to the story, Ethan Hawke's rendition here was spot on, he delivers on so many levels, he gave his character life, and he infused it with minor details that make it just work.
This film goes to remind us that it's never too late to start a new life, no matter how much you suffered or went through, there's always a way to start over and live again, Solid film.
Nov 7, 2019
7
It is a vibrating story about vibrating characters, hence they don't go anywhere. Adopt A Highway Logan Marshall-Green has a medicinal journey in his mind and its tickets are worth more than they ask for. This debut on both paper and screen has a surprising calmness. You don't see such control often in filmmakers. Now you can argue as much as you like whether it was a small budget that was helping him or few scenes or less crowd or experienced crowd. But the truth of the matter is, the end result is a sweet delight. Often we see stories pushing our protagonist into self discovering journey that leads them towards new places both physically and mentally and no matter how breathtaking they have been. None of them actually made me feel the urgency to have that very trip, to be around that swooshy air and sensible being that we are rooting for. The film puts you right into the spot where Ethan Hawke goes through. It is present and alive. Which makes Hawke's work easy going. And also with him in charge of being the face of the movie there are no regrets on performance. You see Hawke adapt its surrounding lickety split. When around child he absorbs her notion to a degree that his gullibility comforts us when the storyline has to take appropriate harsh decisions. When around an expressive personality that is taking over his things, he does try and wrap around her as well in order to show his gratitude and welcoming nature. And when her boss boss around supportively, he seeks the motherhood-ness that he always wanted. No wonder then, that the film focuses on a brief period of time and bounces around few characters, to keep his innocence alive. For after he goes out, after he Adopt(s) A Highway, he is ready to take responsibility.




























