Sweet Virginia Review

Sweet Virginia takes us on a tale that follows a Retired Rodeo champ, Sam Rossi (Jon Bernthal). Sam gets a motel left to him after his brother passed away. Being the friendly motel manager that he is, Sam introduces himself to each of the guests that rent a room while also handling complaints from the guests. All appears peaceful for this small-town life. Until a string of violence grips the small town, and the head of the violence is Elwood (Christopher Abbott). Unfortunately for Sam, he befriends young Elwood. Now, our lead needs to figure out how to stop him.

Sweet Virginia portrays the small-town lifestyle very well. Although the film takes place in Alaska most of the characters have southern accents, to add to style of the film. I always think of pickup trucks and ballcaps when I think of the small-town life style, and it was nice to see the that this film thought the same way. It was nice to see them film in Hope, British Colombia, Canada to just add to the whole feeling of the movie. Showing off the old buildings, and the mountains, showing off the beautiful side of Canada.

You can never go wrong with Jon Bernthal at the helm of a film, and he just proves his talent again in Sweet Virginia, pair him with Christopher Abbott, and you have a strong cast to build off. Even the supporting cast did their job in the roles they were given. The casting felt near perfect. All the cast seemed to actually care about the production, and took pride in their job. However, some of the character’s stories seem a little hard to follow.

The story moves at a snail’s pace, very slow until the final ten minutes of the film, then it doesn’t make sense as to the actions the characters take. The story flows well for the most part, there is only a couple of minor issues with how they decided to edit the scenes in. The film did a good job at explaining most things that happened in the film and tied up loose ends. You only loosely piece in Sam’s back story throughout the whole film. I personally would have liked to learn a little of more his back story, and how he was before getting the motel.

The Conclusion

In conclusion, Sweet Virginia was a beautifully shot film showcasing the small-town life. With a strong main cast, and supporting actors that knew what they were doing. The story was entertaining enough to keep your focus, but moved slowly. But if you have an afternoon with some time in it, give the film a watch.

Sweet Virginia Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening Provided by Taro PR

Rating Overall: 6.3