Moving McAllister
Encyclopedia
Moving McAllister is a 2007 American comedy film starring Mila Kunis
, Jon Heder
, Rutger Hauer, and Billy Drago
. The film was shot largely in Utah
and St Johns County, Florida
and was produced by Camera 40 Productions
. It was released on September 14, 2007 in the United States.
truck carrying all his boss's worldly possessions. To make matters worse, he is left in charge of Mr. McAllister's bratty Hollywood-bound niece Michelle (Mila Kunis
) and her out-of-control pet pig.
The trip from Miami to Los Angeles
meets several snags. The truck breaks down on a backwoods road in the deep South, and Rick's clothes are burned by the hillbilly family providing them refuge for the night. Later, another breakdown results in Rick being knocked unconscious. He is rescued by a peculiar hitchhiker called Orlie (Jon Heder
), who finds a motel room for him and Michelle. Orlie asks to accompany Rick and Michelle, and is accepted, as Rick believes he owes him a favor for his rescue. Michelle takes a shine to Orlie, and they proceed to have fun at Rick's expense.
After Orlie forces Rick into an unusual encounter in a fast food restaurant lavatory, Rick decides to leave him behind. He and Michelle grow closer to one another, following a stop at a Texas
beach. Rick permits Michelle to drive, despite the insurance liability, due to fatigue. He wakes to find Michelle has taken them to Wichita, Kansas
and Rick's home. Consequently, Rick is forced into a painful confrontation with his mentally ill father, an experience for which Michelle apologizes. They grow even closer as Michelle relates her life growing up.
The pair travel to Colorado
, where the truck runs out of gas. A semi in which Orlie is traveling as a passenger comes to their aid. Following a stop in a small town, the truck (and Michelle's pig) is stolen by men working for local crime boss "The Lady" (Billy Drago
). The Lady forces Rick and Orlie to fight in a cage match before he returns the truck, impressed by the show they put on. Crossing into Utah
, Orlie spots a landscape that matches a drawing in his notebook. He believes that he has switched bodies as some past moment when he was near death, and believes that the person now occupying his body will arrive here. A switch can then take place. Orlie leaves Rick and Michelle, telling them to keep going.
As the window for Rick to safely arrive back in Miami for the bar exam narrows, he rejects Michelle's assertions that there is something special between them. Rick drives straight to Los Angeles, arriving in Malibu where Mr. McAllister is waiting for them at his beachside property. He states that Rick has arrived late, but does not appear overtly concerned. Realizing he must hurry to fly back to Miami, Rick rushes to the taxi McAllister has arranged for him, leaving Michelle asleep in the truck.
At the airport security checkpoint, Rick realizes he is making a terrible mistake as he observes the Polaroid
photos Michelle has snapped throughout their trip. Knowing he is meant to be with Michelle, he scrambles out of the airport and returns to Malibu. Finding Mr. McAllister, Rick confesses his feelings for Michelle. McAllister, having heard similar sentiments from Michelle regarding Rick, thanks him for returning and asks him to take care of her. McAllister adds that his law firm will be opening a Los Angeles branch. The movie ends as Rick reunites with Michelle on the beach, and a man approaches Orlie back in Utah.
reports that 10% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 10 reviews with an average score of 2.8 out of 10.
Another review aggregator, Metacritic
, only provided 3 reviews but assigned the film a weighted average score of 43 out of 100.
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
, Jon Heder
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
, Rutger Hauer, and Billy Drago
Billy Drago
Billy Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
. The film was shot largely in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and St Johns County, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and was produced by Camera 40 Productions
Camera 40 Productions
Camera 40 Productions is an independent film production company based in Utah, USA. The company was formed in 2001 by filmmakers Jason Faller, Andrew Black and Kynan Griffin while they were attending film school.-Filmography:Released:...
. It was released on September 14, 2007 in the United States.
Synopsis
With only four days until the bar exam, an utterly unprepared law intern, Rick Robinson (Ben Gourley), is given a rare opportunity to score points with his boss, Maxwell McAllister (Rutger Hauer) and without thinking, commits to a favor he can't afford. Rick soon finds himself stuck in a grueling cross country road trip driving a rundown U-HaulU-Haul
U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...
truck carrying all his boss's worldly possessions. To make matters worse, he is left in charge of Mr. McAllister's bratty Hollywood-bound niece Michelle (Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
) and her out-of-control pet pig.
The trip from Miami to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
meets several snags. The truck breaks down on a backwoods road in the deep South, and Rick's clothes are burned by the hillbilly family providing them refuge for the night. Later, another breakdown results in Rick being knocked unconscious. He is rescued by a peculiar hitchhiker called Orlie (Jon Heder
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph "Jon" Heder is an American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. His feature film debut came in 2004 as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite...
), who finds a motel room for him and Michelle. Orlie asks to accompany Rick and Michelle, and is accepted, as Rick believes he owes him a favor for his rescue. Michelle takes a shine to Orlie, and they proceed to have fun at Rick's expense.
After Orlie forces Rick into an unusual encounter in a fast food restaurant lavatory, Rick decides to leave him behind. He and Michelle grow closer to one another, following a stop at a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
beach. Rick permits Michelle to drive, despite the insurance liability, due to fatigue. He wakes to find Michelle has taken them to Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and Rick's home. Consequently, Rick is forced into a painful confrontation with his mentally ill father, an experience for which Michelle apologizes. They grow even closer as Michelle relates her life growing up.
The pair travel to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where the truck runs out of gas. A semi in which Orlie is traveling as a passenger comes to their aid. Following a stop in a small town, the truck (and Michelle's pig) is stolen by men working for local crime boss "The Lady" (Billy Drago
Billy Drago
Billy Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
). The Lady forces Rick and Orlie to fight in a cage match before he returns the truck, impressed by the show they put on. Crossing into Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Orlie spots a landscape that matches a drawing in his notebook. He believes that he has switched bodies as some past moment when he was near death, and believes that the person now occupying his body will arrive here. A switch can then take place. Orlie leaves Rick and Michelle, telling them to keep going.
As the window for Rick to safely arrive back in Miami for the bar exam narrows, he rejects Michelle's assertions that there is something special between them. Rick drives straight to Los Angeles, arriving in Malibu where Mr. McAllister is waiting for them at his beachside property. He states that Rick has arrived late, but does not appear overtly concerned. Realizing he must hurry to fly back to Miami, Rick rushes to the taxi McAllister has arranged for him, leaving Michelle asleep in the truck.
At the airport security checkpoint, Rick realizes he is making a terrible mistake as he observes the Polaroid
Instant film
Instant film is a type of photographic film first introduced by Polaroid that is designed to be used in an instant camera...
photos Michelle has snapped throughout their trip. Knowing he is meant to be with Michelle, he scrambles out of the airport and returns to Malibu. Finding Mr. McAllister, Rick confesses his feelings for Michelle. McAllister, having heard similar sentiments from Michelle regarding Rick, thanks him for returning and asks him to take care of her. McAllister adds that his law firm will be opening a Los Angeles branch. The movie ends as Rick reunites with Michelle on the beach, and a man approaches Orlie back in Utah.
Production
Although the film wasn't released until September 14, 2007 filming took place in 2005.Reception
The film received mostly negative reviews. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 10% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 10 reviews with an average score of 2.8 out of 10.
Another review aggregator, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, only provided 3 reviews but assigned the film a weighted average score of 43 out of 100.