At Any Price, written by Ramin Bahrani and Hallie Elizabeth Newton, directed by the former - 8.6 out of 10

At Any Price, written by Ramin Bahrani and Hallie Elizabeth Newton, directed by the former
8.6 out of 10


The New York Times, among others, has been positively impressed by a motion picture that is admittedly one of the few that are released these days and do not deal with Avengers, comic book characters or are sequels and prequels of some successful, money wise, franchise or another.

Dennis Quaid, who seems to have such a wondrous comeback lately - he is lauded for the latest performance in the film heading to the top of the box office this week, Midway, and other achievements- plays the main character, Henry Whipple, owner of a farm business that competes with the bigger outfit of Jim Johnson and son, in convincing farmers to buy seeds and services from them.
The struggle is so intense, that at the beginning, the hero and his son, Dean Whipple aka Zac Efron, try to make a sell at a...funeral, where the apparently ruthless businessman tries to make a pitch to the grieving family, revolting the man who tells him to get off the property...

Repulsive as this may seem, it does work - albeit it is only for a while and in the end, this first seemingly successful attempt would make one think of the Master Zen from the end of Charlie Wilson's War, who keeps saying 'we shall see' no matter what happens, for when the wild horses arrive, an accident happens, which has a good side, for the army does not take the son and the never ending cycle of events is neither happy not sad, if taken in its entirety...it is just indifferent.
The man who rejected the offer on the first call, comes to the car and accepts the sale suggested only a few minutes before, only to call on agents of the seed company - based maybe on Monsanto or some other similar firm...Pioneer? - that would keep harassing the hero for a long time, asking to look at financial records, to test in the field the honesty of the works.

Henry Whipple explains at one stage that some farmers, annoyed by what could be construed as the overpowering, excessive interference of the seeds companies, would just wash some seeds to reuse, breaking the contract in this way, by not purchasing new seeds, year on year.
There seem to be two sides to this, for they have to pay for research and indeed, the new products are now able to increase production to an astonishing degree, new strains can cope with the exact conditions in the specifics fields - as junior Whipple would show one client on an iPad - and plants can withstand severe weather, drought, cold...evidently, not to the point where mankind seems to be going, that of a scorched and flooded planet in many parts.

The revolt is understandable though, for we can learn now that another company, making machinery, does not allow clients to...repair combines, or tractors, given the software, proprietary technology involved, only the owners aka the firm can access various parts, programs, making this the clients renters to an extent of the machines, not 100% in possession.
The hero is not a superman, on the contrary, he has elements of the villain, in that he has an affair with Meredith Crown aka Heather Graham, who in turn would seduce the young Whipple, perhaps as revenge, or maybe just because she is a libertine and believes in free love and the idea of intercourse with father and son seems enticing...alternatively though, not concomitant.

There is a more serious tension in the family, albeit the mother finds about Meredith and so does Cadence Farrow aka Maika Monroe, the girlfriend of the young Whipple, making this a soap opera aspect of the film, everyone getting to bed with almost everyone else.
Dean is not interested in pursuing a career in the farming business and this is a serious blow to the father, especially since his other son sends postcards from Argetina, keen on climbing the Aconcagua and not selling seeds in what would be Trump territory (?)

After many racing victories, the young Whipple is determined to continue with this 'calling', up to the point where he hits a tree with the car, on purpose, and may change his mind over his future career.

The Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar talks about transforming stumbling blocks into stepping stones and the family may do just that, although the trauma and adversity they would have to face and overcome together, the parent taking the son over the block, is serious enough to pose questions of morality, meaning, right versus wrong.