The movie is Americano
. It stars Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek fame (yawn), and tells the story of two young Americans in Spain for the running of the bulls. It is their last hurrah before entering the "real" world after college.Jackson plays Chris McKinley, a recent college grad about to get on the career fast track. His buddy Ryan (played by Timm Sharp) is the stereotypical American - loud, obnoxious, whiney, and wholeheartedly convinced that a life of cubicle indenture is the promised land. Chris is more introspective and, when he meets a Spanish beauty who questions his life choices, he starts having second thoughts about the 40-40-40 plan (work 40 hours a week for 40 years so you can retire on 40% of what you already can't afford to live on). She introduces him to the Camino Santiago and gives him the perspective that there is more to life than money.
Along the way, the boys meet Riccardo (played superbly by Dennis Hopper), the archetypical expatriate bar owner (take it from me, I was one). He brings the kind of countercultural humor and experience that one would expect from an exiled barkeep. He swills absinthe with abandon and stages a politically incorrect reenactment of the running of the bulls inside his bar, using pit bulls and midgets. He's absolutely classic.
Watching Chris go through the decision process is what makes this film so compelling. Will he head back to Wall Street and make a buck? Or will he strap on a backpack and hit the Camino in search of an authentic life? The movie is well worth the price of admission to find out and the scenes of the Camino are beautiful.
If anyone knows of any other movies about the Camino, please let me know!
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