Sometime Other Than Now Parent Guide

Do you believe in second chances? Do you think that someone who has made a terrible mistake should have the chance to try to make things right? If so, you’re going to be rooting for Sam (Donal Logue). Having abandoned his daughter, Audrey (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and her mother decades ago, Sam has ridden his motorbike across America to the small New England town where she lives in hopes of atoning for the past. But as soon as he sees Audrey at a distance, Sam panics and starts packing up to leave.

There are two reasons that Sam stays put. First, his motorcycle was damaged after he fell asleep on the highway and wiped out. Second, he’s developing feelings for Kate (Kate Walsh), the owner of the motel where he’s staying.

Romantic dramas vary widely across the genre. At their worst they are syrupy, predictable bits of shlock. Sometime Other Than Now is not one of those movies. It’s a thoughtful character study that delves deeply into its characters’ feelings and avoids paint-by-number plotlines. The writing is much better than I expected and although there are some unbelievable lines most of the script feels honest. The acting outperforms the script with people who feel completely authentic. I was particularly impressed with Donal Logue who does an outstanding job with Sam. Characters who are reserved or slow to speak can be difficult for actors and the results are portrayals of people who simply seem stunned or confused. Not so with Sam. His emotions are visible on Logue’s face. In his hands, we can see how Sam’s abandonment of his daughter has haunted him, eroding his self esteem and filling him with self doubt. Logue’s performance allows us to sympathize as Sam struggles to express his sincere desires to be a better person.

That desire to change; to right past wrongs, is the heart of the film. Sam agonizes over his every move, wondering if he deserves to see his daughter, terrified that he will again be a person who causes disappointment and heartache. Kate’s advice, that he choose not to be that person again, is applicable to anyone who’s stewing over past mistakes.

For the first hour of the film’s runtime I was all set to recommend it for mature viewers, but then the sexual content ramped up. This movie contains two sex scenes involving visible breasts as well as a moment where a naked man is seen from the side in a non-sexual context. For a family film critic, this is intensely frustrating. The film is unrated, clearly falling into Restricted territory. However, judicious editing could easily have made Sometime Other Than Now a PG-13 film. Despite its solid messages about taking responsibility, strengthening family ties, and trying to make things right, this clearly isn’t a teen-friendly film, which means that families will be watching something other than this.