Despite having starred in such cult-favorite films as The Breakfast Club and The Mighty Ducks movies, Emilio Estevez’s career as an actor never really took off.
These days, it would seem that he is best known as the brother of Charlie Sheen.
Although his publicity has died down since his high point in the ’80s, that doesn’t mean he’s been less busy. Rather than standing in front of the camera, he’s jumping behind it. Such is the case with The Way, a new film written, produced, co-starring and directed by Estevez himself.
Quiet and usually personal, the film is a character-driven story for Estevez’s father, Martin Sheen. He plays Thomas Avery, a widowed optometrist who has been emotionally distant from his only son, Daniel (Estevez) for a majority of his life. Daniel’s free-spirited ambitions have always been to explore the world and everything that it has to offer.
Being the contemporary-minded person that he is, Thomas has never been able to relate or understand his son, especially when Daniel drops out of medical school. Thomas cannot buy into Daniel’s beliefs, and has therefore avoided joining him on any trips.
Thomas receives a call from a French doctor who informs him that his son has passed away while attempting to cross “El Camino de Santiago,” a thousand year old religious pilgrimage route between France and Spain. After collecting his son’s ashes, Thomas decides to continue the trail in his son’s honor, spreading his ashes along it’s most significant points.
Although he has directed four movies and several television episodes before this, Estevez still has some improvement to make as a director. In spite of this, he helps bring out a great performance from Sheen. As the focus of the picture, the methods of which he brings out the sorrow and longing for justice throughout the film help elevate the film’s messages.
The predictable and plodding nature of the film hold it back. Due to its familiar premise, The Way will not offer too much story wise that makes it stand out or sometimes be engaging. However, Estevez’s surprisingly strong script and its strong messages do leave an impact.
Beyond this, the film’s heart, which is found through its strong performances, is what is special. Although it may not be anything great, Estevez has been able to make a decent film about inner struggles and personal enlightenment. The film’s personable nature brings a lot of heart, and along with its well-crafted performance, elevates it from being the contrived, arrogant piece it could have been.
3 out of 5 stars.
