Bart Freundlich (USA)
With nary a goodbye, a handsome New Yorker (Billy Crudup) abruptly leaves his wife and three-year old son, then takes the family Volvo on a picaresque trip across the country, whereupon he drinks a lot and meets other lonely folks and learns a thing or two about his trite inner demons. Alas, despite a few wry chuckles and a touching cameo from Julianne Moore, this psychological road movie never really takes us anywhere interesting. Director Bart Freundlich has a sensitive feel for the forlorn architecture of mid-America, but his script is all motion and no destination. - R.G.

(Sun. Sept. 9, 6:45 p.m., Uptown; Tues. Sept. 11, 9:30 a.m., Varsity)