Sacramento

“Sacramento” might not be about California’s capital per se, but it perfectly reflects the latent magic so many people have experienced in the city it’s named for, and the bonds people forge there.

Angarano has the showpiece role, but it’s Cera who proves himself, more than ever, to be a major actor.

The prickly comedy of male-pattern personality collapse gives way to wisdom, something that “Sacramento” has in abundance.

One more screenplay draft would have been worthwhile&#59; there are glimmers of a better version that create some optimism for Angarano’s next film.

Angarano’s work stands capably in its own right; the central love-hate buddy dynamic is familiar, but it’s also imbued with a sweet and playful touch.

“Sacramento” is crisply filmed (by Ben Mullen), and it idles engagingly before shifting into gear, but it’s a half-hour short marooned in a feature-length film.

It isn’t a typical buddy road trip promising adventure and comical mishap. It’s a disaster story.

The characters sketched out in Angarano and Christopher Nicholas Smith’s original screenplay are either too vague or schematic to feel real.

I appreciate anyone trying to be a writing-acting-directing-producing Hollywood quadruple-threat, but Angarano should probably just focus on acting for a while.

Sacramento is a quirky indie comedy about fatherhood and friendship that is unfortunately let down by its weaker emotional beats.