Carolina Caroline Is a Watchable Film Held Together by Its Two Leads

Carolina Caroline is all about watching the two leads of Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner play off each other.

If Samara Weaving is in a film, chances are I will watch it.

Plot

A young woman joins a charming con man on the run, leaving a trail of crime and passion as they hustle through the Southeast in search of her estranged mother.

Good Points

• Samara Weaving is again brilliant

• Kyle Gallner brings a tense vibe

• Establishes its tone quickly and clearly

• It’s easy to follow the whole time, no confusion or overcomplication

• Good Dialogue

Bad Points

• The story is predictable, you can kind of see where it’s going early

• The film leans quite heavily on the leads carrying everything

• Lacks a memorable standout sequence

• Not much about it really stays with you after

My Thoughts on Carolina Caroline

Oh Samara Weaving…

Samara Weaving is just really easy to watch here, but then again, she always is, because she never actually feel like she’s pushing anything or trying to make moments bigger than they are, which makers her very easy to watch and enjoy in pretty much anything she does.

Even a scene that is pretty standard stuff, she has this ability to keep it interesting just by how she responds, and she does it in an incredibly natural and quiet way where she can also shift mood without it feeling like a switch, which also makes it easy for her to have chemistry with pretty much anyone.

I’m a fan.

Kyle Gallner has a slightly uneasy vibe

Kyle Gallner on the other hands does this thing where he always feels like there’s a bit more going on under the surface than he’s actually showing, and his performance is more about his vibe rather than what he says or does.

It’s just small stuff too, like how he doesn’t ever seem to fully match the energy of the moment, which is just enough to make you feel like you’re not really getting the full picture from him straight away.

That helps the film a lot because otherwise a lot of his scenes would just feel a bit plain, but with him, there’s always a slight tension sitting there even if nothing much is happening.

The contrast with the lovely Samara Weaving works really well here as well, as while she feels immediate and present, he feels more held back, and that difference kind of gives their scenes more shape than the writing does on its own.

And while the film is pretty much all about Samara and Kyle, the supporting cast are decent enough too, with Kyra Sedgwick showing up and adding a bit more edge to scenes when she’s there.

Jon Gries is also present, fitting in without standing out that much, but he does make scenes feel a bit more complete when he does show up.

Neither of them are trying to steal focus or anything, but they stop the film from completely feeling like it’s only relying on two people the entire time.

The story is familiar and doesn’t really try to hide it

The plot is not going to surprise you, and you will probably figure out where it’s heading pretty early, but the film doesn’t really pretend it cares about that either.

The story is more of a steady path you follow rather than something full of twists or surprises, with parts where it all feels like it’s just moving between character moments without really building anything bigger, so while it isn’t anything exciting in a story sense, it all stays pretty consistent.

The film works in pieces, not as a whole

There are some individual moments that definitely work, especially in the character exchanges, but they don’t always add up to something bigger or more impactful, so it often feels like you’re watching a collection of decent scenes rather than a tightly built story.

That does make the film slightly uneven in terms of engagement, but you stay with it because the performances are solid even though the overall structure doesn’t really elevate moments into something more.

Nothing is really bad about the film, but not much is overly good either.

But it’s all about that chemistry between Samara and Kyle

This is really what it comes down to with the film, because if the two leads didn’t work together, I don’t think this film would hold up at all, because when they’re not together, the film feels pretty average, but when they are together, it suddenly becomes a lot more watchable.

At one point I realised I wasn’t really following the plot anymore and was just watching how they were both reacting to each other in conversation, and that’s basically the film telling you what actually matters here.

It is one of those films that goes down smoothly while you’re watching it, but doesn’t really leave much behind once it’s finished, all pretty simple stuff with nothing confusing or messy about it, which does make it very easy to sit through.

Final Verdict

Carolina Caroline certainly isn’t anything special in terms of story or structure, as it’s pretty standard and doesn’t really try to be anything more than that, but I can’t say I disliked watching it, mainly because the two leads make it a lot more interesting than it probably should be, with everything else just kind of there around them.

And if you like Samara Weaving, you can also check out my Ready or Not, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and Over Your Dead Body reviews.

Trailer

Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier

Written by William Thomas Dean IV

Cast Includes - Samara Weaving, Kyle Gallner, Jon Gries and Kyra Sedgwick

Cinematography by Jean-Philippe Bernier

Edited by Justin Krohn

Music by Chris Bear

Running time - 106 minutes