A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

"Relive your past. Change your future."

2025 1h 49m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 448

RomanceFantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.

“Relive your past. Change your future.”

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Cast

Colin Farrell
David
Margot Robbie
Sarah
Kevin Kline
The Mechanic
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Female Cashier
Lily Rabe
Sarah's Mother
Hamish Linklater
David's Father
Jodie Turner-Smith
GPS (voice)
Chloe East
Cheryl

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kogonada
Writers: Seth Reiss
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kogonada, shot by Benjamin Loeb. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joe Hisaishi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Susan E. Kim shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie and Kevin Kline carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Relive your past. Change your future.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kogonada directs. Benjamin Loeb behind the camera. Joe Hisaishi scores. Susan E. Kim cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Ireland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released last year.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Ireland.
4Directed by Kogonada, shot by Benjamin Loeb. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Joe Hisaishi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Susan E. Kim shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie and Kevin Kline carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Relive your past. Change your future.".
9IMDB entry: tt13650700 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Benjamin Loeb
Original score: Joe Hisaishi
Editing: Susan E. Kim
Production design: Katie Byron
Makeup / hair: Stacy Bisel
VFX supervisor: Richard Bluff
Sound: Stephen Barden
Stunt coordinator: T.J. White
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $45,000,000
Box office: $22,393,413
Return: 50% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)

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Kogonada

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2025-09-19
★ 9/10
It’s been said that “life is what you make of it,” that “we become what we believe.” To some, this probably seems like the content of a warm, fuzzy, inspirational greeting card. But, if we truly take the time to examine ourselves and our lives, we’re likely to find that there’s more than a small kernel of truth in these observations. Such is the point of the latest offering from filmmaker Kogonada, who deftly explores how this principle is applied to our romantic lives, especially for those who are single and who believe that they’re all thumbs and hopelessly stymied where questions of love and relationships are concerned. The film follows the quirky, surreal, metaphysically driven experiences of David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie), who meet at a destination wedding. Their journey, however, actually begins before they meet when they each lease vehicles from an unusual car rental agency, one that’s more than it seems on the surface and that’s run by a pair of colorfully eccentric proprietors (Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kevin Kline). As their experience unfolds, these unconventional circumstances continue, revealing that this scenario has much more going for it than meets the eye. And, before long, after the ceremony ends, they spontaneously embark on a road trip of self-discovery, one that takes them through a series of dreamlike, profoundly insightful experiences from their past. These astute re-creations help to show them how they’ve become the individuals they are, particularly where romance is concerned. They’re each initiated by passing through magical doorways to alternate realities to which they’re directed by an unusual, interactive GPS device located in their rental car. These portals walk them through a series of whimsical, increasingly intense, highly personal events that provide enlightening perspectives on their lives and individual natures – and how they needn’t be saddled with their outcomes if they choose not to be. The protagonists’ collective and respective stories are related with an array of emotions – some painful, some delightfully humorous and all of which provide them with an enhanced awareness of their past, present and potential future. As with his previous superb offerings “Columbus” (2017) and “After Yang” (2021), the director has again created a picture that packs a lot to ponder in a single, sensitive, skillfully layered cinematic package. But what sets this film apart from those other releases is its finely interwoven emotional textures, sentiments that create a tapestry covering a wider range of feelings than seen in those previous works. It’s without a doubt the director’s most “commercial” work to date, but Kogonada’s vision of what’s “commercial” is far more substantive and meaningful than what one finds in most contemporary releases, particularly in the romcom genre. There may indeed be an underlying element of the “boy meets girl” formula at work here, but it’s presented with far greater depth than what is typically found in such offerings. All of this is meticulously enhanced by a variety of inspired production elements, including the film’s inventive production design, gorgeous cinematography, smartly compiled soundtrack, perfectly timed comic relief and impressive performances (especially Robbie yet again). Admittedly, there are a few occasions when the pacing could stand some quickening. And the narrative is peppered with a handful of plot devices that might initially seem a little forced or even overly peculiar, but they all work out in the end, rewarding viewers with more than a fair share of revelatory and satisfying “a ha!” moments. When all is said and done, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” lives up to every bit of its suitably audacious title, making for both an enlightening watch, as well as a great date night movie. Don’t let this offering’s eccentricities and innovatively original approach keep you from enjoying everything it has to offer. You’re likely to be pleasantly entertained, and you might even learn a little something about yourself in the end, too.
CinemaSerf2025-09-25
★ 6/10
Suspiciously, “David” (Colin Farrell) arrives at his car to find it clamped and adjacently is a conveniently placed advert for a car hire company. He’s a wedding to get to so turns up at this warehouse where he is introduced to a Germanically brusque receptionist (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) before driving off in a twenty year old car complete with it’s own, rather individual, form of GPS. He makes it to the nuptials where he encounters the enigmatic “Sarah” (Margot Robbie). She proposes marriage within five minutes, so we get a clue that this rapport is going to be a bit different. Indeed, after a bit of rain and some intervention from their car’s satellite guide and this pair of resolute singletons are soon car-sharing. That’s when they begin a series of reminiscing adventures that start like a Miyazaki mystery with a door in a field, then takes the travellers through a series of increasingly serious, sentimental and melodramatic scenarios that range from the joyous and mischievous to the far more profound. As they proceed, it’s clear that there is a spark developing, but what might come of it? There are a few scenes that might bring back some childhood memories of those nervous and apprehensive firsts we all went through at school, but for the remainder of this feature it seems that the events have been contrived to maximise the drama rather than appear real. She’s got a little more of the plot, but their stories arc in such a predicable, trauma/guilt-ridden, fashion and neither character is really developed anywhere near enough to get past the feeling that was just a wedding hookup movie only we get to act out their “getting to know you” phase instead of listening to it in a chat. Farrell is no natural here and I didn’t find there to be much chemistry with a Robbie who isn’t really sinking much into her part either. Waller-Bridge is clearly here to bring some sort of “Rosa Klebb” style of humour, but her thick vowels added little and by the conclusion I was sadly indifferent. It’s fine, but nothing memorable to see here.