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Based
on the novel by
David James Duncan,
The
River Why
from Image
Entertainment is the
first notable fly
fishing movie since
the classic
A
River Runs Through
It.
It’s a great book to
film adaptation with
an accurate
portrayal of one of
man’s favorite
sport.
Gus
is short for
Augustus. He’s a
young guy recently
out of high school
that’s been raised
by two fishermen.
His mother is a
worm-drowning bait
fisherman who loves
to fish while his
father is a famous
fly fisherman who’s
also a celebrated
writer. His parents
are good people and
they gave him his
love of fishing but
he’s a typical 18
year old kid. He’s
lost and not sure
what he wants to do
with his life now or
in the future. So
when he doesn’t go
to college and he
gets tired of living
at home with his
family, he packs up
his things and moves
to rural Oregon to
live on the river
and fish every day.
That’s what he wants
to do, but
eventually he gets
caught up in his own
worries and wonders
and starts to
question about life,
love, and everything
else.
The
River Why
is about Gus finding
himself and figuring
out who he is and
accepting at least
why he’s here.
The
River Why
is written well from
a plot standpoint.
And the directorial
work by Matthew
Leutwyler is nothing
short of
outstanding. Even
the acting, is
decent with Zach
Gifford and Amber
Heard in the lead
roles. It’s
interesting though,
you can love how a
story is being told,
but you don’t have
to like what’s being
told. For all of the
scenery shots and
all of the accurate
and extremely cool
fly fishing scenes,
there are quirks in
the story. Maybe
that’s in David
James Duncan’s book
in the first place,
but it’s just odd
for a story about
fly fishing. In my
family, my old man
rules the roost and
he’s the biggest fly
fisherman that I’ve
ever met. From
following my old man
to shows and elite
spots I’ve met
enthusiasts and
professionals alike
and I’ve never seen
anyone believe in
fishing the way he
does. That said,
fish after fish is
portrayed as getting
its head slapped on
a rock or stuffed in
a cooler without
getting eaten or
without getting
used. Any fly
fisherman that
claims to be as
religious about the
craft as Gus or his
father wouldn’t
waste fish like they
do. That same thing
can be said for all
of the talk about
religion and
philosophy… anyone
who has dealt with
philosophy or
religion knows that
you should talk
about it for more
than a minute and a
half every twenty
minutes. And herein
lies the problem
with
The
River Why.
The overall picture
looks great, but
details are lost.
That’s a metaphor
for the movie itself
and for the story
it’s trying to tell.
The
River Why
is honestly one of
the better films
that I’ve seen from
Image Entertainment.
Zach Gifford plays
the lead role
capably and Mattew
Leutwyler’s film
looks fantastic. The
story isn’t perfect
by any means but
it’s still an
interesting watch. I
will say that fly
fishermen will love
this movie and hate
it at the same time.
As much as they got
right, they got
wrong, that’s the
only glaring hole in
an otherwise great
story and a great
movie.
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