In recent months, the growing production of Netflix original dramas has been met with some claims that the streaming giant has been lacking the quality of their previous work.
On the surface, director Mark Raso’s indie dramedy Kodachrome goes some way to continuing this epidemic of tolerable cinema. This is in part fulfilled by its plot, which tells of a road trip between estranged a father and son duo, Ben (Ed Harris) and Matt (Jason Sudeikis), to develop some vintage ‘Kodachrome’ film. Ben, a renowned photographer, has clearly prioritised his profession over his family life, leading to a distant and altogether dysfunctional relationship with his son.
This all too familiar portrayal of a broken family bond is innovated by the presence of Ben’s nurse and assistant, Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen). Olsen is a convincing muse to the two bitter male characters of the film, at times invoking peace and tranquillity from the nasty dialogue shared between the Ben and Matt.
Unfortunately, such serenity does not translate into her chemistry between the two characters, which is often skewed by their vulgar dialogue, or apathetic acting. Of the latter, Sudeikis is particularly off-putting in portraying his growing romantic interest with the character of Zoe, a feature which is tentatively amended by some conversations relating to the film’s sub-themes themes of music and adolescence. Nonetheless, these misfires are made up by the chemistry shared between Sudeikis and Ed Harris, whose slow-burning friendship is touchingly wound into the film’s emotional conclusion.
While the experience is resoundingly average in the narrative it is telling and often the acting in which this is orchestrated, the end product remains a generally enjoyable experience and is likely to satisfy a wide audience.