Oscar nominee Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin) and three-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie (Barbie) deliver outstanding performances in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, a hopeful, fantastical exploration of human relationships. Directed by Kogonada (After Yang, Columbus), the romantic drama is a meticulously crafted, breathtakingly beautiful tale that feels both ambitious and personal in scope.
Farrell and Robbie star as David and Sarah, strangers on their way to a mutual friend’s wedding. Both happen to rent 1994 Saturn SLs from a quirky agency where the clerks treat the rental process like an audition. This weird opening act is just the setup for the film’s title, a big bold beautiful journey that follows these strangers as they dip into their pasts.
A magical, startlingly intrusive GPS guides them to a series of doors that open into pivotal memories. But they don’t just stand back and watch these memories like one of Scrooge’s ghosts. David and Sarah experience them (still in their adult bodies), seen through the eyes of those involved in the memories as the age they were when they took place.
As the magical mystery tour unfolds, these two strangers, thrust together via an incredibly weird meet-cute, share secrets, expose their doubts, confess their heartbreaks, and reveal their hopes for what the future might hold.
The on-screen chemistry between Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie is electric. Farrell and Robbie bring a captivating charm to their characters, drawing you into this surreal tale where fate – and a retro-looking yet futuristic GPS – connects two strangers. Farrell’s David is more of an open book, heart-on-his-sleeve type of guy, while Robbie plays Sarah as someone whose humor masks a desire for someone to truly see her for herself.
The film beautifully weaves together themes of confronting fears, atoning for past mistakes, and finding forgiveness, while sending the characters on a journey whose final stop doesn’t matter. It’s the paths taken to get there that are the point.
Director Kogonada’s distinctive style shines through and although the story has occasional missteps, the visual presentation of this magical world never falters. The visuals are absolutely stunning, with the dreamlike environments matching the surreal narrative. Sarah describes their journey as both strangely beautiful and beautifully strange, a description that also describes Kogonada’s film. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is, ultimately, a modern-day fairy tale, unflinchingly romantic and hopeful.
GRADE: B
Rating: R for language
Running Time: 109 minutes
Release Date: September 19, 2025
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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