The Long Dumb Road is a 2018 American road trip comedy film written, directed and produced by Hannah Fidell and co-written by Carson D. Mell. It stars Tony Revolori, Jason Mantzoukas, Taissa Farmiga, Grace Gummer, Casey Wilson, Pamela Reed, and Ron Livingston.

The Long Dumb Road
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHannah Fidell
Written by
  • Hannah Fidell
  • Carson D. Mell
Produced by
  • Jonathan Duffy
  • Hannah Fidell
  • Jacqueline Ingram
  • Kelly Williams
Starring
CinematographyAndrew Droz Palermo
Edited byZach Clark
Music byKeegan DeWitt
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • January 26, 2018 (2018-January-26) (Sundance)
  • November 9, 2018 (2018-November-09) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,667[2]

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2018. It was released on November 9, 2018, by Universal Pictures.

Premise

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Two guys serendipitously meet at a time when they both find themselves at personal crossroads. They then decide to embark on an unplanned road trip together across the American Southwest.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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At South by Southwest in March 2015, where her film 6 Years was premiering, director Hannah Fidell revealed that she had co-written a screenplay for a road trip comedy film with her friend Carson D. Mell, writer of Silicon Valley.[3] The previous year, she had directed a short film version of the script, titled The Road, with Mell and Peter Vack starring in the main roles and Andrew Droz Palermo serving as director of photography.[4]

Casting

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On April 12, 2017, as additional photography was about to commence, it was reported that Tony Revolori and Jason Mantzoukas would play the roles Mell and Vack portrayed in the short film version. Taissa Farmiga, Grace Gummer, Ron Livingston, Casey Wilson, Pamela Reed, and Ciara Bravo were cast in supporting roles.[5]

Filming

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Principal photography began in January 2017 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[6] Filming continued in Albuquerque and Belen, New Mexico in April 2017.[7]

Release

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The Long Dumb Road had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2018.[8] Shortly after, Universal Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[9][10] It was released on November 9, 2018.[11]

Reception

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On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 28 reviews, with an average of 6.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Long Dumb Road navigates the odd couple road trip comedy formula fairly smoothly, thanks mainly to the chemistry between Tony Revolori and Jason Mantzoukas."[12] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

Amy Nicholson of Variety gave a positive review, writing, "The adventure is aimless, but the company is good," and praised the film for paying attention to character over broad comedy.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Premieres – The Long Dumb Road". Sundance Film Festival. Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  2. ^ "The Long Dumb Road". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Kamen, Tory (March 13, 2015). "SXSW Women Directors: Meet Hannah Fidell – '6 Years'". IndieWire. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Brown, Emma (December 24, 2014). "Peter Vack, in Focus". Interview. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Galuppo, Mia (April 12, 2017). "Jason Mantzoukas, Tony Revolori to Star in Indie Road Trip Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "Latest Film Notices – January 2017". Silver Platinum Downtown. January 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  7. ^ Gomez, Adrian (April 13, 2017). "Indie 'Long Dumb Road' is filming in ABQ, Belen". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  8. ^ Debruge, Peter (December 19, 2017). "Sundance Rounds Out 2018 Festival Lineup With Nearly a Dozen Late Additions". Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (April 17, 2018). "Jason Mantzoukas' Sundance Comedy 'The Long Dumb Road' Acquired by Universal". Variety. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 17, 2018). "Sundance Road Trip Comedy 'The Long Dumb Road' Acquired By Universal Pics Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Hannah Fidell's Road Trip Comedy 'The Long Dumb Road' Sets November Release Date". Vimooz.com. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  12. ^ "The Long Dumb Road (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Long Dumb Road Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  14. ^ Nicholson, Amy (January 19, 2018). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Long Dumb Road'". Variety.
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