The Go-Getter (2008)

Synopsis: Ward, The Go-Getter is the story of Mercer White (Lou Taylor Pucci), a straight-arrow 19 year-old who, eight months after the death of his mother, steals a car and sets out to find his older... Ward, The Go-Getter is the story of Mercer White (Lou Taylor Pucci), a straight-arrow 19 year-old who, eight months after the death of his mother, steals a car and sets out to find his older half-brother he hasn't seen in fourteen years.

It’s quite the trip.

He's barely out of town when a cell phone left behind in the stolen car begins to ring. Mercer immediately finds himself talking to the car's owner, Kate (Zooey Deschanel). Surprisingly open to Mercer’s journey, she does not threaten to call the police, but instead offers him the most curious deal: Mercer can use her car until he’s done with it on one condition: that he call her and tell her about his trip all along the way.

Despite this stroke of good fortune, almost nothing proceeds as expected for Mercer from there. In seemingly rapid succession, he is punched by a lapsed-Buddhist, taken in by bohemian potters, seduced by Joely (a mysterious and sexy girl he's had a thing for since he was 11, played by Jena Malone) and has a slew of dangerous, humorous and eye-opening encounters that confound expectations: with a white cowboy hat, a philosopher-pornographer, a gun-and-hunting-knife-toting traveling liquor salesman, a very unusual pet store, and a bilingual hotel clerk with a vivid vocabulary and a one-track mind.

Through it all, Mercer turns out to be close on the trail of his half-brother, Arlen, who has left nothing but bruised feelings and suspicions behind him at every stop. The mere mention of Arlen's name provokes fury, panic and -- at least once -- the announcement that the injured party has generously chosen not to press charges.

Mercer's solace, his touchstone, through this life changing journey, proves to be Kate, who he continues to talk to as his adventure takes him across postcard-worthy landscapes of the American West: from Oregon to Nevada, through all of California and ultimately into Ensenada, Mexico.

In the end, Mercer finds and confronts his brother Arlen, the original object of his pursuit. But it is the wildness of the ride, the thrill of the pursuit and the discovery of a love he never saw coming that set this journey apart. A lot like life, it’s the chase, the search, the chaos that makes experiences worthwhile and for Mercer, stealing a car turned out to be just about the best choice he’s ever made.

With a soundtrack boasting some of the biggest names in the indie music scene, a score by M. Ward and shot in the beautiful plains of the Mid-West, THE GO-GETTER is a road trip worth taking. --© Peace Arch Entertainment [More]

Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone

Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, Jena Malone

Director: Martin Hynes

Director: Martin Hynes
Screenwriter: Martin Hynes
Producer: Lucy Barzun, Lori Christopher, Larry Furlong
Composer: M. Ward
Studio: Peace Arch Entertainment

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