Do you ever think to yourself, "Oh...that person reminds me of so and so"...only to find out they were INDEED SO AND SO? Or in this case...actor Peter Falk was indeed Peter Falk!
In Josh's 4th movie appearance, Wilder Days, he stars along who you may know as the grandfather from The Princess Bride. This film gives off major Princess Bride vibes - Peter Falk is once again playing a storytelling grandfather...this time to Baby Josh, who plays Chris. He shares some crazy tales from his youth, that his son, AKA Baby Josh's father, disapproves of. Tensions run high when Grandpa takes Baby Josh on a roadtrip to discover the location of his tall tales without the permission of the parents...and shenanigans ensue...including Baby Josh driving a car! (I'll bet that was movie studio magic...but I wonder if he was excited he was "driving" since he was a wee lad at the time.) Chris hits a deer...and a trash can...and somehow was still a better driver than I am at 33...but I got some laughs out of it...and I also cried.
There's an emotional scene where Chris looks so defeated, realizing that his grandfather was out of it and unable to care for himself. Just like in Miracle Dogs, Josh's waterworks felt really natural here and was some of the best acting from his youth I've seen so far!
This is a fun film with fantasy, action, adventure, and comedic elements, but there's also a darkness to it. We're introduced to complex family dynamics - a father resents his father and has deep wounds from a childhood where he felt abandoned, and we witness signs of Alzheimer's or similar memory challenges as the grandpa tries to connect with Chris. I really appreciate that about this film - it's not just fun for kids, but there are also more adult themes that added a lot of emotion to the story.
If you're interested in this one, you can find it for free on YouTube. Enjoy!
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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