PalCinema Review: Sacramento
Michael Angarano and Michael Cera play long-time friends on a road trip
April 9, 2025
FILM: SACRAMENTO
DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL ANGARANO
STARRING: MICHAEL ANGARANO, MICHAEL CERA, MAYA ERSKINE
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
In the new film Sacramento, writer/director Michael Angarano stars as Rickey, a character that might be reminiscent of one that Thomas Hayden Church played in Sideways, some twenty years ago. In fact, the film as a whole follows the basic conventions of the buddy road movie that has been around for decades. In this case the “buddy,” although the two haven’t seen each other in quite some time, is Glenn played by Michael Cera. Like the characters in Sideways, Rickey is the loose cannon while Glenn is the pent up, anxiety-prone one who has a need for order and cribs that don’t wobble. He’s given up the supposed wild life he led with Rickey when they were younger and now has a wife named Rosie, played by Kristen Stewart, who is pregnant with their first child.
When we first meet Rickey, he has a brief fling with Tallie (Maya Erskine) who he meets while alone on a river’s edge. A year passes and Rickey is going through a rough patch when he shows up at Glenn’s home. He gets Glenn to drive with him from Los Angeles to Sacramento to scatter his father’s ashes into the ocean. Of course, there is no ocean near Sacramento so clearly this trip is about something else.
Essentially the themes of the film pertain to friendship, adulthood, and responsibility. Since Rickey seems to be bouncing around in his life, he needs his old friend Glenn who appears to have, at least initially, a strong hold on his life. Glenn also needs Rickey whether he wants to admit it or not. He’s nervous about becoming a father and experiences fairly regular panic attacks. As in Sideways and the more recent A Real Pain, the emotional and power dynamics between them are arguably more fluid than one might think. (Angarano as Rickey even looks and acts a bit like Kieran Culkin’s energetic but flawed character in that Oscar-winning film.)
So, yes, I’m making a lot of comparisons to films that are similar but better than Sacramento. This isn’t a bad one by any stretch though. There’s a strong message about taking responsibility that seems necessary for younger men to see today. While these guys are relatively young, they’re old enough to know that their actions and life choices have consequences, especially in relation to women and children. The next generation is being born and these men have a responsibility to do what is right, while still taking some time to enjoy themselves.
The actors are all very good. Angarano has written and directed himself a meaty role as Rickey that remains likeable throughout the film despite the character’s major shortcomings. It’s nice to see Michael Cera jumping further into adult roles. He nicely balances the subtle humor and seriousness of Glenn which he also excelled at playing on the Hulu series Life of Beth two years ago. Maya Erskine offers a sense of down to earth realism as Tallie. She’s gritty, strong, and vulnerable in the role, particularly during the film’s later scenes.
Kristen Stewart’s presence here is a bit of a mystery though. After some strong recent performances, including her Oscar nomination for Spencer, she seems wasted and miscast. Most of her time as Rosie is spent being pretty emotionally distant from Glenn as she appears to be harboring some conflicted feelings about her pregnancy that never really are explored. Stewart and Angarano were romantically linked back in the 2000s so that might somehow explain why she agreed to do the film. Interestingly, Angarano is currently married to Maya Erskine. They have two children which might also explain why Erskine’s role as Tallie is so well-developed as a parent.
Sacramento is entertaining enough to recommend and while it might not have as strong a screenplay as the other films I’ve mentioned, it is one that stays grounded and relatable.
Sacramento opens in theaters this week.
What do you think? Does this sound like a film you’ll want to see?
For the archive of PalCinema reviews, click here.
I enjoyed it. I did not know about the writer/director’s connection to Stewart and Erskine. Gives an interesting perspective looking back on the film. While I agree that Stewart is underused, I kind of liked her in this. I’m not a big fan or her angsty persona which we usually see with her. Here she just played a nice person with a great deal of patience for Cera’s anxieties and personal crises. Angarano, however, is the real star here. While he always seems to be heading in the wrong direction you find yourself reluctantly rooting for him.
Great review, Dan.
As you wrote, this type of story has been done many times before, but this one looks like it's worth a viewing. I have a strong feeling I'll like it when I watch it.