Hick

A complete disaster from beginning to end, Hick follows Chloe Grace Moretz’s Luli as she runs away from home and attempts to make her way to Las Vegas – with her journey bringing her into contact with a number of unusual figures (including Blake Lively’s flighty Glenda). It’s clear right from the get-go that filmmaker Derick Martini has infused Hick with a painfully aimless sort of feel, as the movie boasts a hopelessly inconsequential opening half hour that revolves primarily around Luli’s less-than-ideal relationship with her parents (Juliette Lewis’ Tammy and Anson Mount’s Nick). And though the performances are fine, there’s just no hook to initially capture the viewer’s interest – with the tedious, inauthentic atmosphere paving the way for a slow-moving roadtrip midsection that’s nothing short of interminable. The almost remarkably uninteresting vibe is exacerbated by the underwhelming vignettes that come to dominate the proceedings, as Luli is subjected to one eye-rollingly stupid encounter after another (including a run-in with a hot-tempered Texan and a near-rape at the hands of a pool shark). The viewer is, as a result, forced to wonder just what the point of all this is, as the movie doesn’t even work as a low-key coming-of-age story – since there’s never a point at which Luli become developed enough to become worthy of our sympathy or interest. The increasingly inexplicable third act, which also boasts a head-scratching celebrity cameo, cements Hick‘s place as an utterly misguided and worthless piece of work, and it’s finally impossible not to wonder just what Martini originally set out to accomplish here.

no stars out of ****