Sacramento (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – An energetic and free-spirited young man convinces his long-time friend, who’s settled into domestic life, to go on an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento.

My Take – Friends eventually drift apart, that’s an actual fact of life. However grim that might sound when you’re at the cusp of young adulthood, as you grow older, responsibilities and other aspects slowly take precedence. Eventually reducing the numbers of “meets” to a few times between months, and then years. Leaving behind only a little reminisce of the time you spent together and an anchor to call upon at the time of need.

In his second feature film as a director, Michael Angarano co-stars in a fun, light-hearted flick about two old friends who may no longer even like each other. Sprinkled with enough humor and made on a simple scale, the thoughtful indie drama works well as a slight subversion of the tropes we see all too often in plagued by anxiety stories of young men coming of age.

Yes, it feels a little similar to A Real Pain (2024) and since it is a road trip comedy, there are beats that need to be hit, but it always feels like the narrative is up to something a little bit different. With the screenplay, co-written by Angarano and Chris Smith, ensuring that there is a genuine curiosity about what is going to happen next.

Well-paced, with a narrative that never tries to make things too cute or quirky, it all builds to a very touching conclusion, sending you out on a high. It also helps that Michael Angarano and Michael Cera make for a formidable on-screen duo, reflecting a strange friendship that feels as real as it is enriching.

Beginning with a prologue that introduces Rickey (Michael Angarano) and Tallie (Maya Erskine), the story moves ahead a year and follows Glenn (Michael Cera), who is living a quiet life in a L.A. suburb with his pregnant wife Rosie (Kristen Stewart). Though he has settled into domesticity, he frets about every little thing to the point of exhaustion.

So, when his childhood friend Rickey shows up unannounced at Glenn’s door, he’s not too pleased, considering how he’s been trying to phase him out of his life, to the point of not telling him about his impending fatherhood. But knowing how his work situation is looking precarious, and his mental health isn’t in the best place, Rosie encourages the hang.

However, an awkward lunch soon becomes an impromptu road-trip, as Rickey wants to take Glenn up to Sacramento to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased father. Unfortunately, the trip is one issue after the next, with Glenn, the massive ball of anxiety, noticing the lie upon lie Rickey has been telling him and not revealing what they’re actually doing in a city they have never been to before.

Following a breezy first act, the narrative throws in enough surprises to keep us engaged. Allowing Angarano to prove to be a confident and vivacious filmmaker, though in an engagingly scruffy and almost random way.

Here, the narrative makes impending fatherhood part of the story, whereas these sorts of tales of arrested development wouldn’t usually dare to look that far ahead. The further the flick goes on, the more laughs we have, sure, but also the more heart that’s on display too.

Thankfully, the film doesn’t concoct fatally cute road-film episodes, but instead is more focused on showcasing these two friends, their mix of oldest-friend-in-the-world intimacy, fermenting-in-age skepticism, and sheer irresponsibility. Rickey hides big secrets because he’s simply unable to confront them alone. Glenn has zero desire to share his burdens. He’s got his own problems. How can Glenn be a crutch for Rickey when he’s barely holding his own? The tension between them grows as both mask their true feelings.

Sure, the cheerfulness of the ending is actually a little unsettling given that Glenn’s damage seems to be running deeper than what was initially revealed, however, this is a simple and human film that aims to be nothing more than a journey through the observation of modern man and his fears within his life and relationships, with all the complexity that this entails. It’s a rich look at the anxiety of becoming a parent and how to cope with it all, captured in a delicious blend of dark humor and well-thought-out humor.

Performance wise, Michael Cera is definitely the most outstanding aspect of the whole thing. Though he gets the biggest laughs, he adds more gravitas to the role. Michael Angarano brings a spiky and compelling performance turn, equivalent to that of Kieran Culkin‘s Oscar winning turn as the fast-talking charmer with sociopathic tendencies in last year’s A Real Pain.

Both Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine provide wonderful supporting turns. Despite limited screen time, they elevate a film in which the men bear the burden of carrying the problems, but the women provide the necessary maturity to impeccably portray the challenges. On the whole, ‘Sacramento‘ is a likeable comedy drama that satisfyingly explores both the slight and charming aspects of friendship.