At Any Price

Movie Title--  At Any Price

Release Year--  2012

Running Time--  1 Hour and 45 Minutes

Director--  Ramin Bahrani

Cast--  Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Kim Dickens, Maika Monroe, Heather Graham, Dan Waller, Clancy Brown, Ben Marten

Henry Whipple wants his rebellious son Dean to help expand the family farming business but Dean has other plans for his life.  When the family business becomes threatened, the two are forced together to help save the family farm.

Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) runs the family farm that has operated for generations.  He dreams that his sons will follow in his footsteps, especially his eldest son, Grant.  Henry adores Grant and only speaks highly of him, which helps to cause a large rift between him and his younger son Dean (Zac Efron).  Henry buys 200 acres of farmland for Grant's big return home but is only disappointed when he finds out that Grant isn't coming home.  Henry then wants Dean to help him expand the business but Dean has no interest and wants to become a professional race car driver.  When the family business is threatened and it looks as if all may be lost, Henry and Dean are forced together to try to make things right.

I absolutely HATED this film.  I am not sure how I sat through the whole thing.  I am very sorry to say, this would make the second Zac Efron film I have felt this way about (anyone remember "The Paperboy"?).  I think that this film was confused about what it wanted to be.  It is about a man that is a farmer who is trying to hang on to the family business and his rebellious son that he is always comparing to his eldest son but at the same time it is a film about a boy that doesn't want to have anything to do with the family business and instead he wants to become a professional race car driver.  After those two points are made, the rest of the film gets foggy.

The story seems to build and never go anywhere and even when it gets to a point in the film that it looks like disaster has struck and there is no coming back, it all seems to just get shoved under the rug.  There is no clear story after you learn what the plot is supposed to be.  It is almost like no one could decide what exactly they wanted to happen, so they said "screw it, let's just make it all happen without any kind of consequences" and that is exactly how it turned out.

Do yourself a favor, skip this film.  There really is no point in seeing this film, you will only be angry at yourself if you do sit through it.  Don't Forget the Popcorn (this time, just eat the popcorn without watching the film!)!