Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Little actually happens in talky, violent thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mojave
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Tom (Garrett Hedlund) -- a famous, successful Hollywood creative type -- heads into the Mojave Desert with a couple bottles of booze, perhaps thinking of committing suicide. But before long, he meets another wanderer, Jack (Oscar Isaac). They talk, but Tom soon intuits that Jack isn't to be trusted. Then they fight, at which point Tom gets hold of Jack's rifle and departs. The next day, while hiding in a cave, Tom accidentally shoots a police officer, and Jack witnesses the accident. Back in civilization, Tom tries to hide the evidence, but Jack shows up, threatening to expose him. The men seem evenly matched, so there's only one thing left to do: go back into the Mojave for a showdown.
Is It Any Good?
This bizarre, quasi-existential neo-Western thriller is full of brainy chit-chat but doesn't actually offer any real ideas. The characters are so thin that the outcome of their conflict doesn't really matter. There's no one to root for. The second film directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed), MOJAVE gets off to a bad start by introducing Tom, who's famous -- though we have no idea what he actually does (he may be an actor or an artist). He's wealthy, petulant, and deeply unlikable.
Isaac fares slightly better as the sociopath Jack, reveling in both the character's bad behavior and his crazy costume (long hair and bad teeth). Walton Goggins and Mark Wahlberg turn up, for no particular reason, in small roles as smarmy, sleazy Hollywood types. References to Shakespeare, Melville, Fitzgerald, and other greats are supposed to inspire deep thoughts but are only distracting. At least the movie includes a choice clip from Erich von Stroheim's Greed (1924).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mojave's violence. How much is shown, and how much is implied? How did it make you feel? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Why is the main character so unhappy if he's rich and famous? Is he any happier at the end of the story? What has he learned?
How is drinking depicted in the movie? When Tom goes to the desert to drink, what's implied?
What does the Mojave desert symbolize in the movie? What does Hollywood symbolize?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 22, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : April 5, 2016
- Cast : Garrett Hedlund , Oscar Isaac , Mark Wahlberg
- Director : William Monahan
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : A24
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some violence
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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