While teetering into over-sentimentality, Linklater reigns in the film with bouts of strong direction and human moments in the face of tragedy. More nuanced performances by Fishburne and Carell are often overshadowed by a larger than life performance by Bryan Cranston; but the honest talk and revelations concerning morality during wartime, the regrets they carry, and the search for meaning and faith felt genuine. As their glory days trail further in the rear-view mirror, this road trip of self-reflection kept me engaged; and despite careening into old-fashioned territory sporadically, a strong heartbeat underneath keeps the film on a sincere path. (7.5/10)
