Set in a small Iowa town where everyone seems to know everything about everyone, director Ramin Bahrani's At Any Price mixes the concepts behind corn and car racing to showcase the length that some will go to protect the ones they love. But Bahrani's unique approach is often times hindered by the film's unflattering characters and overly complex situations that seem to veer on the side of humor rather than drama.
Dennis Quaid plays Henry Whipple, a fourth generation farmer who finds himself struggling to connect with his son Dean (Zac Efron). But as time passes and the two are put through the rigors and threatened by an unexpected crisis that could impact the family's entire livelihood, each begins to realize that, in a time of need, there is nothing stronger than family.
At its core, At Any Price is a good movie, complete with a solid story. But Quaid's Henry is overly competitive and a bit too engaged to represent a distant father. Rather, he is a parent who simply refuses to listen, allowing his stubborn mannerisms to ultimately hinder his relationship with his son.
On the other hand, Efron's Dean is overly disrespectful to his father, oftentimes plaguing his relationship with those around him as he fails to ever engage honestly with anyone. His decisions are rash, and the film fails to follow-up on his impulsive acts of violence and crime -- I am still baffled as to why he was living at home when it was often clarified that he was old enough to drink.
At Any Price hits numerous roadblocks throughout its telling, most notably dealing with crisis and situations that were both unneeded and unfinished. Heather Graham find herself in the middle of two dramatic storylines but is quickly dismissed once the family's other drama takes center stage. Throw in a son whose intentions and feelings are never quite understood and a seed washing theory that is never fully explained and the film proves to take its audience for granted as it wavers through its story, appealing to a few along the way but ultimately falling short of its true potential.
