Carolina Caroline Review: Kyle Gallner Highlights a Stylish but Straightforward Crime Romance

Adam Rehmeier gained quite a cult following with his breakout indie gem, Dinner in America, before following it up with the vastly underappreciated Snack Shack. So those in the cinephile community have been eagerly awaiting his return, and he has done so with his most star-studded project yet. Rehmeier’s latest, Carolina Caroline, is a very straightforward crime thriller that doesn’t offer much of a spin on its familiar Bonnie and Clyde tropes, but it has enough style to keep it from being a total wash.

What is Carolina Caroline about?

Carolina Caroline follows a young woman who joins forces with a charismatic con man, setting off on a journey across the South with the goal of finding her mother. The most frustrating thing about the film is that it feels like it doesn’t have particularly much to say. You have seen plenty of stories following star-crossed lovers that explore these exact themes. 

Carolina Caroline Review

Because it feels so empty, Carolina Caroline struggles to hold interest, even for its modest 105-minute runtime. What makes this so frustrating is that “on-the-run” movies should have a natural momentum, as the characters are inherently always moving to the next stage of their journey. Yet somehow, Carolina Caroline still feels like it is spinning its wheels.

Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner in CAROLINA CAROLINE, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Still, Kyle Gallner (Smile, Strange Darling) makes an absolute meal out of his role, summoning every ounce of charisma he has shown in his years as one of Hollywood’s most underrated leading men. Although the character hardly asks for the level of range we have seen from Gallner before, he still does an excellent job of being this archetypal “bad boy.”

Shockingly less successful is Samara Weaving. On paper, this is the type of role that should be a slam dunk for her, but admittedly, the blame here is more on writer Tom Dean. Much of the runtime of Carolina Caroline is spent watching things happen to Weaving, not having her be more of an active player. In other words, she is the audience surrogate, thrust into this world of crime. Although that type of role isn’t necessarily a death sentence for a performer, the material certainly doesn’t give her enough to work with to make much of an impression.

And while Gallner and Weaving may also seem like an ideal pairing, they end up feeling somewhat cold. The sexual tension is there, as one would expect from two classically attractive performers, but the chemistry stops at the physical. A Bonnie and Clyde trope requires a delicate balance between “opposites attract” and “birds of a feather,” and Gallner and Weaving are frustratingly unable to achieve this dynamic. Because of this, it’s really hard to get invested in the movie as a romance.

Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner in CAROLINA CAROLINE, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

That being said, the thing that will keep audiences on board for the ride with Carolina Caroline is its vibe. The film wonderfully hearkens back to the ‘70s with its cinematography, production design, and costuming. It is a very classically constructed crime thriller, both in technique and narrative, and if you are a fan of (or perhaps even “miss”) that genre, you’ll have a good time watching this. Even when the story isn’t particularly engaging, Rehmeier is able to maintain a consistently fun atmosphere.

Is Carolina Caroline worth watching?

Carolina Caroline is hardly a bad movie — anything with this aesthetic is at least going to be watchable — but it is a bit disappointing how bland the story is considering the work we’ve seen from Rehmeier in the past. It’s definitely a diverting exercise in genre, and one we don’t see too often nowadays, at that. But if you want substance (or even emotion, really), you won’t find it here.

Carolina Caroline hits theaters on June 5.

Carolina Caroline Review: Kyle Gallner Highlights a Stylish but Straightforward Crime Romance