Release: Gas Bar Blues

 

Gas Bar Blues

Genre: Drama

Director: Ron Howard

Writer: Mo Buck

Based on the 2003 French-Canadian film Gaz Bar Blues

Cast: Tom Hanks, Jesse Plemons, Harry Melling, Finn Wolfhard, Kerry Condon, Nick Offerman, Matt Walsh, John Magaro, Eric Roberts, Tony Hale, Keith Carradine

Budget: $52,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $58,113,484

Foreign Box Office: $52,004,589

Total Profit: $16,102,818

Reaction: This film is a box office turnaround for both director Ron Howard and writer Mo Buck after a string of box office flops (more on that in the Box Office Breakdown), which should have everyone involved pleased.

"Ron Howard may not have felt like the most natural fit for the material as a filmmaker, but he always gets a good performance out of Tom Hanks who is not the juggernaut performer he once was. The actors playing his children - Plemons, Wolfhard, Melling, Condon - don't look like they could be Hanks' kids, but they all manage to sell it with their performances for the most part."  - Roger Taggart, Chicago Tribune

"A story about a family-owned gas station feels a bit dated at times. The film's tone doesn't always walk its tightrope of heavy drama and cute comedy successfully. Tom Hanks does help save a lot of scenes with a vintage performance from the days when people looked forward to a new Tom Hanks flick, but I don't know if he quite manages to save the whole thing." - Chris Price, Boston Herald

"It is always a pleasure to experience a new Mo Buck film, and this one comes close to being a triumph for the writer. The exceptional cast, featuring Offerman, Condon, Plemons, and an incredibly committed Finn Wolfhard, truly shines. Hanks delivers a moving and tender performance, imbuing the film with heartfelt emotion. However, Howard's direction seems inadequate for the task, as it fails to contribute anything substantial and prevents the film from achieving actual classic status." - Austin Gabe, Dallas-Herald Chronicle

Rated PG-13 for language and thematic material