My original vibes with Lila Neugebauer’s “Causeway” were correct. Whatever buzz built up by the PR machine these last few days, including an unembargoed Joshua Rothkopf rave, have quickly deflated.
This A24 Jennifer Lawrence drama is very minor. Don’t get me wrong, it’s decent enough, but once it ends you just shrug it off and go on with your life. It’s basically a two-handed character study that purposely, I think, goes nowhere.
The film has crashed at the Toronto International Film Festival with okay reactions. Nothing wrong with that. Just a few months ago, the film was supposed to be abysmal, purely based on word of mouth.
The Guardian is negative. THR calls it “small.” Screen says it’s “slight.” IndieWire gives it a B- grade.
The A24-produced film had been involved in an ad nauseum amount of reshoots, not to mention production and release delays. A brief test-screening last year didn’t go well for the movie. It was also originally called “Red, White and Blue.”