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Sacramento featuring Maya Erskine, Michael Angarano, Michael Cera, and Kirsten Stewart. Image provided by Falco Ink.
TRIBECA, NEW YORK—When I think of Sacramento, I think of farms, the Kings, and the Capitol. Of course, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird (2017) also comes to mind. “Thanksgiving in Sacramento” is one of my favorite songs on a movie soundtrack.
But most importantly, and perhaps the only entry on my Sacramento list that truly matters, I think of my friend Ann. Ann is a proud Sacramento native, the city’s biggest fan. Through Ann, I’ve learned that there are many factors that go into building a solid, strong friendship. Trust is a must. Reliability is required. Values are vital.
Sacramento is a film where none of these pillars of friendship are present. We are introduced to Ricky and Glenn, best friends who have supposedly “grown up” and consequently, grown apart. This is not a novel concept, merely a part of life that is expected and often inevitable (Not for us though, Ann).
And the two former friends could not be any more different. In a fitting reunion, Ricky and Glenn first catch a glimpse of each other only to hide from one other immediately. Ricky is what some would call “a hot mess,” others a “man-child.” Despite his more “adult” concerns and anxieties that plague his day-to-day living, Glenn isn’t perfect either, an issue that we quickly understand leaves him deeply unsettled. The battle between Ricky and Glenn is a battle between chaos and control.
The road comedy that unfolds starts with a lie. Ricky is disheveled and dressed in tattered clothing, begging Glenn to come along with him on a spontaneous trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Only three words are responsible for changing the tone, a line Michael Angarano delivers with the utmost sincerity: “My dad died.”
Glenn relents. But as soon as he turns his back, so does Ricky—to fill a tennis ball container with dirt (AKA his late father’s ashes).
Sacramento follows the rest of Ricky and Glenn’s weekend in Sacramento, a weekend constantly delayed by Ricky’s own meddling. Just as Glenn is about to give up on his friend, Ricky reveals that his true motive was to re-enter the life of Tallie, the mother of his newlyborn child played by Maya Erskine.
It is somewhat odd to be witnessing actors primarily associated with works like Sky High (2005), Superbad (2007), Twilight (2008), and Pen15 (2019) parrot parenthood and mimic the crushing realities of life past 18. However, it’s casting that works out beautifully. Watching the once baby-faced Michael Cera stress about creaky cribs allows audiences to feel as if they are growing up with him, experiencing this new age of adulthood together. The crux of the film’s comedy relies heavily on the performances of Angarano and Cera, who play off each other like yin and yang.
Sacramento is earnest in its hilarity and refreshingly real. As Ricky and Glenn, chaos and control, butt heads throughout the film’s 84 minutes of runtime, the dilemma hovering over everyone’s heads is deciding who is more correct in their approach to life. The answer? Neither one.
Too much of anything will kill you. Chaos and control, Ricky and Glenn. What the film proposes as the solution to facing adulthood is a combination of surprisingly complementary forces. In a scene where Ricky is comforting Glenn through a panic attack, Glenn asks if there are any “buts” to Ricky’s admission that the unpredictabilities of life will get everyone down. Ricky responds that there is no “but”—things will be okay regardless because they are both ready for it.
While the film begins with a lie, Sacramento ends with a truth. What other way is there to deal with life’s punches than to take them as they come?
In a way, Sacramento still qualifies to be considered as a part of the “coming-of-age” genre. You are never finished growing up. There is no great ultimate deadline for life—it will keep coming at you whether or not you accept it.
Through its funky fresh soundtrack and incredibly genuine humor, Sacramento earns 4/5 stars from me and a place on my Sacramento list—right next to Ann.
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