Everyone experiences a stage in their life where they second guess a decision. Sometimes that decision is as little as debating what entree you should have ordered at a restaurant. Other times, the decision in question is much larger. Such is the case in The Road to Galena by writer/director Joe Hall, where a small-town man turned big-time lawyer struggles to reconcile his career decision with a dream he has held since adolescence.
Cole Baird (Ben Winchell) and his best friend Jack Miller (Will Britain) are typical rural American truck-driving, girl-chasing high school boys. Having grown up in a small town called Galena, they are exposed to farm life, and each has dreams of one day owning and operating a farm of their own. Cole, however, faces opposition to his agricultural dream by way of his father, John (Jay O. Sanders), who would much rather see his son pursue a career path that has more options for traditional success and financial stability.
Cole and his girlfriend Elle (Aimee Teegarden) dream about a future together in Galena. A dream that is put on hold when Cole decides to go off to college in hopes of returning someday with a college degree to continue life with Elle. He ends up pursuing a law degree at Georgetown University and life starts to shift direction.
“…a small-town man turned big-time lawyer struggles to reconcile his career decision with a dream he has held since adolescence…”
Time, of course, waits for no man, and while Cole is pursuing his law degree, everyone’s lives move forward. Cole’s relationship with Elle crumbles, and he meets a new girl, Sarah (Alisa Allapach), in law school. His friendship with Jack is strained as the distance and time apart stack up. Cole’s family endures their own hardships, and he regrets not being present in Galena to support them. As time flies by, Cole sees a successful law career flourish while the dream of running a farm in Galena slowly drifts away. Will Cole maintain the status quo, or will he return home to revive a childhood dream?
The Road to Galena has seen some festival recognition, and rightfully so. The film is well-made, with beautiful cinematography, very fine acting, and great direction. The musical score fits the movie and is well-composed, albeit a bit cheesy and melodramatic. The plot is stereotypical, with characters that behave predictably given their circumstances. The movie’s theme of believing in a dream and never giving up hope is timeless. Admirably, writer Joe Hall also manages to tie in thematic elements of the cost of greed and success in the modern world.
The Road to Galena is comparable to something you might see from Hallmark or a small studio that produces inspirational films. About halfway through, however, some heavy plot moments darken the otherwise “feel-good/family-friendly” tone of the movie.
The catch here is that I think the film struggles with having an identity crisis. The movie carries an “R” rating. The only aspect of the movie that justifies such a harsh rating is the use of profanity. Profanity only occurs periodically and, quite frankly, does nothing to add intensity to the dialogue. For a movie that tonally and thematically feels like an inspirational film, the R rating prevents it from achieving that. The Road to Galena is also not so dark or complex that it aspires to be more than a family-friendly type of affair. The movie, as it stands, is awkwardly stuck in the middle.
Give The Road to Galena a watch if you’re looking for a lighter film that isn’t afraid to dabble with some heavier moments.
"…the cost of greed and success in the modern world..."
