Eva Hassmann loves Willie Nelson so much that she made a film called Willie and Me that serves as a sort of love letter to this American country singer, guitarist, and songwriter. This "love letter" is too clumsy and obvious. Its romantic mood is forced - the images try too hard to be "lyrical." Hassmann plays the main character. Her name is Greta, and she makes Willie's influence on her very clear through dialogues and voiceovers. Greta sells her husband's (Thure Riefenstein) Porsche to buy flight tickets to go to America to see Willie's final concert. The concert is in Las Vegas, and Greta lands in Los Angeles. Why didn't she take the flight to Las Vegas? Why arrive in Los Angeles? I am asking these questions because of all the complications the character faces. Her money and the car she borrows from Nick (Blaine Gray) get stolen. After meandering on an almost empty road connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Greta reaches her destination through a slow vehicle. The message that comes through all this trouble is laughable because it's artificially generated - the events are manipulated to dispense a moral lesson. What is it? Everything that happens to you happens for a good reason.
All that trouble leads to Greta meeting Willie face-to-face outside the concert hall. Hassmann makes her point using uninspiring calculations. Why does Rebecca (Darby Stanchfield) steal Greta's car? Forget the theft. Rebecca takes the vehicles back to Los Angeles, which leads to the question, "Why the hell was she driving towards Las Vegas?" Rebecca's kids utter religious rules with a comic touch (no murder, no stealing unless you are in war). Yes, it's meant to be funny, but you don't respond with chuckles. Something feels off. The receptionist at the hotel often drinks from a glass in a way that leads you to expect some kind of payoff. That payoff never comes; this behavior simply exists like an empty quirk. Nick dresses up as Elvis to please older women, but it doesn't lead to anything significant. The man who steals Greta's money returns it later to a woman who, along with the cash, gives her lipstick to the German woman. Why? The kindness of strangers.
The low-budget quality of "Willie and Me" is noticeable in certain places. For example, in one scene, Rebecca's car comes behind Greta's vehicle. While the wide shot shows both vehicles, the camera angle near the windshield of Greta's car fails to show any vehicle behind her. The film's subject explores the impact of an artist's work on the audience. Some people relate music lyrics to their personal lives, while others make career decisions based on films. Art has the power to influence the mind and be more than just shallow entertainment. Ironically, these deep thoughts are packed in a movie so weak that it can only move you to yawn while sitting through it.
Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
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Publisher at Midgard Times