A Big Bold Beautiful Journey Finds Its Way, But Not Its Depth

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

★ ★ ★

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey takes us on a quiet, understated adventure that brings two people together, forcing them to confront their traumatic pasts and failed relationships. It forces them to look at how they each bring old wounds into new relationships. This often leads to self-sabotage, especially if the relationship was going well. It offers a close examination through a mystical journey that works both for the film and our own personal reflection.

David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) haven’t met yet, but they’re heading to the wedding of a mutual friend. Both of them rent 1994 Saturn SLs, the only two rental options available. David is peppered with strange questions from two attendants, The Mechanic (Kevin Kline) and The Cashier (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). They both hard-sell him a GPS upgrade. Of course, David doesn’t need GPS—he has a smartphone. The Mechanic and Cashier are very persuasive, and he gets the GPS.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline
© 2025 Columbia Pictures / 30West

Why does this matter? Because the GPS (Jodie Turner-Smith) is its own character, navigating David and Sarah on a journey of time, heartache and reflection.

When David and Sarah first meet at the wedding, they banter, flirt and hint that there may be a spark between them. David is eager to see if the spark will catch while Sarah plays it coy. She asks him to dance and he says he doesn’t dance. And this is why Sarah spends that night with someone else.

Colin Farrell as David and Margot Robbie as Sarah
© 2025 Columbia Pictures / 30West

After the wedding, they each drive home on their own. He in his Saturn; she in hers. Yes, Sarah also got the GPS. During their separate drives, the GPS asks each of them “do you want to go on a big beautiful journey?”

David says “yes,” and his GPS instructs him to stop at Burger King to have a “fast-food hamburger.” At Burger King, David spots Sarah at another booth and she joins him with her tray and hamburger. They talk about their past relationships—he’s always longed to be a husband and father, while she’s never had a relationship that worked out. After their burgers, Sarah’s car won’t start and David’s GPS tells him to offer her a ride.

Colin Farrell as David and Margot Robbie as Sarah
© 2025 Columbia Pictures / 30West

And the journey begins, with the GPS guiding them blindly to one mysterious stop after another. The first stop: a single door standing in the middle of a forest. It’s a door that leads them to a special place for Sarah, the museum she used to visit with her late mother.

The journey will take them through several iterations of their past, each with a past trauma they must overcome—or come to terms with—in order to foster a healthier relationship. What makes this so intriguing is when one relives their fractured history, the other experiences and observes it, at once able to offer comfort and perspective.

Imagine if two people, before committing to one another, were forced to observe the damage of each other’s past. The empathetic bond would be virtually unbreakable. It’s about trusting a special someone with not just the good stuff that makes us who we are, but the painful past that’s an equal part of our adulthood. A little perspective could go a long way to save a lot of heartache. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey gives us a wonderful look at what this might be like.

Colin Farrell as David and Margot Robbie as Sarah < br />© 2025 Columbia Pictures / 30West

What keeps this from being exceptional is its reluctance to dive deeper into the drama and heartache. It’s a lost opportunity to cement solid chemistry between David and Sarah. At times, their onscreen chemistry seems a little too surface-level. If their relationship is important enough for the GPS to navigate them through their past, the spark needs to be a touch more alive than it is.

Still, I appreciate the strong introspection the film offers. Even though it lacked the depth and emotional gravitas, its concept is strong and well stated. A little love might go a long way. But a true understanding of where our loved ones came from can knock down the emotional boundaries that keep relationships stagnant—and make them exhilarating.

One thing’s for certain: if your only option at the rental agency is a 1994 Saturn, be sure to get the GPS.