The Road to Galena

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2:02

The Road to Galena

R

2022

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

42%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The Road to Galena follows one man's pursuit of personal fulfillment over traditional success. Cole Baird (Ben Winchell) has everything -- a beautiful wife, successful career, large home and fancy toys. Behind the façade, however, is a man trapped by his surroundings and falling ever behind in the pursuit of his life's dream. Not strong enough to confront his father's expectations, he left his true love, his best friend and a fulfilling small-town life to embark on a legal career -- intent, one day, to return. Now the rising star in Washington social circles and the youngest managing partner in the history of a powerhouse D.C. law firm, Cole is given the choice to continue the path of success in a life to which he never aspired or to return to the community that nurtured him.

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Mark Keizer

AV Club

A movie of tropes and clichés that argues, with generic earnestness and a near-total lack of surprise, that the city is a corrupting influence compared to the nurturing, sun-drenched simplicity of the country.

Rated: C-

Jul 8, 2022

Full Review

Jordan Bond

Film Threat

The film is well-made, with beautiful cinematography, very fine acting, and great direction.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 31, 2024

Full Review

Steven Warner

In Review Online

Ultimately, no one is done any favors by The Road to Galena, least of all its audience members; if only Hall had learned that being this cruelly condescending is a rich man’s game.

Jul 26, 2022

Full Review

Anne Brodie

What She Said

Thankfully not sappy, it’s a tough story with situations that represent corporate greed, economic constraints, and the validity of working for a dream of wealth, cars, mansions, and the cost of “the good life”.

Jul 13, 2022

Full Review

Joel Copling

Spectrum Culture

As written and performed, Ben Winchell’s Cole is an inconsistent character and a mostly reactive presence.

Jul 13, 2022

Full Review

Monique Jones

Common Sense Media

Meandering...

Rated: 2/5

Jul 12, 2022

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Delaney H

A timeless story, beautifully shot!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/11/25

Full Review

Dinos K

Empty philosophy about happiness and the purpose of life. It offers nothing new, nothing different

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Jerome V

Beautifully shot movie. Poetic view of small-town life. Reminiscent of "Our Town." All of the supporting characters' lives have impact and carry a lot of weight. The main character is transformed by the people around him.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

Full Review

chris b

Inspirational story about following your dreams set against a gorgeous rural backdrop!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Taylor L

Okay, so sit down for storytime: this movie was filmed near my hometown and my parents are in a few background shots as extras; it's a bit surreal seeing places you knew as a kid used as the setting for a movie. Anyway, a couple of times that they were on set they took my dog, a then-12-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Shadow that loved everybody and would sell you out for the skin off a piece of bologna. There was no need to bring her there, nobody had asked for a dog to be brought in for a shot or anything. But the production team included her as part of a few takes anyway, walking down a town sidewalk with my parents, and apparently she was constantly distracting because the main cast would stop to pet her instead of delivering their lines properly as the script called for. This happened every. single. time. None of the takes with her made it into the final version, so clearly someone at the editing department has no taste. Release the Shadow cut, you cowards. Anyway the movie's not very good. Poorly paced, inconsistent characters, and simultaneously worshiping and weirdly patronizing of the farm life. Injects some hefty drama later when it goes sort of Death of a Salesman but wanders around through subplots before it gets there. (1.5/5)

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/26/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Solid acting from main characters, good to see Jill Hennessy on screen again.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Joe Hall

Director

Ben Winchell

Cole Baird

Aimee Teegarden

Elle Shepard

Will Brittain

Jack Miller

Alisa Allapach

Sarah Meyers

Jay O. Sanders

John Baird

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The Road to Galena: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The Road to Galena follows one man's pursuit of personal fulfillment over traditional success. Cole Baird (Ben Winchell) has everything -- a beautiful wife, successful career, large home and fancy toys. Behind the façade, however, is a man trapped by his surroundings and falling ever behind in the pursuit of his life's dream. Not strong enough to confront his father's expectations, he left his true love, his best friend and a fulfilling small-town life to embark on a legal career -- intent, one day, to return. Now the rising star in Washington social circles and the youngest managing partner in the history of a powerhouse D.C. law firm, Cole is given the choice to continue the path of success in a life to which he never aspired or to return to the community that nurtured him.

Director: Joe Hall
Producer: Eric Bannat, Joe Hall
Screenwriter: Joe Hall
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: AVA Independent
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 8, 2022
Runtime: 1h 50m

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