Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 2 ratings
When Leif’s estranged mother, Honey dies she leaves him a ‘conditional inheritance’. He has to complete her elaborate to-do list before he gets her cabin in Yosemite. Leif steps into Honey’s wild world as the mother he never really knew tries to make amends from beyond the grave.
Ride the Eagle is a modest, likable indie comedy-drama with a charming premise — a posthumous to-do list as a form of reconciliation — but it never fully capitalizes on its potential. The plot is serviceable and occasionally touching, following a familiar redemption-through-discovery arc without much surprise. The acting is competent, with Jeff Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon's voice work carrying warmth, but nothing transcends the material. The Yosemite setting is visually appealing yet only occasionally cinematically exploited beyond picturesque backdrop duties. The concept of a mother-son reconciliation via posthumous instructions is a well-worn indie premise (cf. several similar films), and the execution doesn't distinguish itself enough to score high on novelty. The ending resolves things neatly but without particular emotional punch or cleverness, feeling somewhat deflating for the buildup it attempts.