Overview

• The film follows the Smart family’s 1989 journey from Akron to New Jersey and Kansas as they pursue regional theater dreams through the eyes of 14-year-old Lester Smart.
• Critics uniformly single out Benjamin Evan Ainsworth’s performance as a standout, calling it a star-making portrayal that balances humor and vulnerability.
• Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney bring depth to patriarch Buddy and matriarch Macy Smart, though several reviews note their characters feel underwritten compared to the young lead.
• Reviewers point to an uneven narrative tone, especially an abrupt third-act shift from theatrical dramedy to survival story.
• Directed by Jon S. Baird from a screenplay by Steven Rogers inspired by his own regional theater background, the R-rated, 95-minute Lionsgate release opens June 20, 2025.