Synopsis Wayne a singer, happens to cross paths with Claude Allen, a once big name in the business who is now a has been. They travel to Nashville to try and sell a song but they are unsuccessful. Wayne discovers how to promote the song, which he does only on behalf of Claude.
Slated as the true highlight of the movie The Neon Highway, now available on Netflix after its modest VOD and Nashville premiere last year is country music and Beau Bridges’s achievement as he proved that he can handle any role no matter how small it is.
The life of Blake’s past allies resembles a blend of characters from Crazy Heart but this time nobody wants to have him so he takes his younger apprentice by the hand and teaches him how to claim the fame he doesn’t deserve. The end result is just like a country song, leaving behind a lot in the way of poignant moments, some tempered sense of the past, and most memorable and sober interludes in the entire production.
Nevertheless, The Neon Highway is prone to falling into more than its share of the clichés thought typical for country music.
William Wages directed the movie with the script co-written by Phillip Rob Bellury. The Neon Highway features real-life singer Rob Mayes also actor of movie John Dies at the End and Thor Ragnarok who plays Wayne Collins, an average nine-to-five man who is struggling to get his family through. Consumed with the desire to buy his family a new washer and dryer, he volunteers to work the double shift. But sadly Wayne’s boss makes it clear that to be regarded seriously, Wayne has to put the guitar down. Wayne was a few steps away from becoming a solo recording artist but before that opportunity came, he had to leave his upcoming career in the Nashville music industry with his brother, Lloyd, who is portrayed by T.J. Power (Eat Pray Love). All of that changes when Lloyd gets hit by a truck on the highway and a tragic event alters Wayne’s life forever.
Twenty years later, while working on a project, he meets an older country star Claude Allen (Beau Bridges from Dreamin’ Wilds) who is now residing in his parent’s house. He’s the kind of guy who looks like he ignites if put too close to even a candle. As the conversation flows, they understand that they can help each other out. Claude wants Wayne because he can help him write songs, while Wayne wants Claude because he can make money from him dancing around on stages.
If this plot sounds familiar to you, this isn’t from that great episode on that Saturday morning show called California Dreams or when Kris Kristofferson has a guitar in hand ready to belt some screaming notes. The one with the rusty-headed old guy who is always supported by a younger version of himself for most of the movie, trying to fix their messes from the past.
Bridges’ portrayal is decent, sometimes comical too, mostly when young fans approach him and say things like their ‘Grandma used to love him a lot’. But then again, it does not excuse the fact that his script is always below the stunning and somehow unique style of a seasoned performer who comes from an acting dynasty.
On the other hand, if you are one who enjoys the genre of country music in case you have interest in the movie, it has some script that takes a chance. It has its imperfections and at times it misses the target, but it is quite different from ordinary country drama and thus quite interesting. Not to add, as Cuba-American Jazz musician Arturo Sandoval’s film’s root and the music from Lee Brice in the film, all these make sense to the film and the ambiance.
With The Neon Highway having a direction and authenticity, I feel the entire was lesser than the sum of its parts. Its narrative is such that it has the feel of being outdated. Or rather, a country rehash if ever there was one. Other than Bridges and possibly Mayes offering a performance that barely pushed the bar, the film aims to set steady in a tight genre that is in the same vast reach like Kevin Costner’s Western, very little broadness.
If you want to see a far better film featuring a country singer, looking for Ethan Hawke’s Blaze over at Tubi would be what you need. The Neon Highway, if situations call for it, seems to appeal to fanatics of the country’s genres and the music that it utilizes.
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