Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Adopt a Highway Blu-ray Movie Review

One woman's trash, another man's treasure.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 18, 2019

Written and directed by actor Logan Marshall-Green, Adopt a Highway stars Ethan Hawke as the focal point of a somber drama about second chances. Hawke stars as Russell Millings, who's just finished a 21-year prison stay for possession via California's "Three Strikes" law; barely out of his teen years before the sentencing, middle-aged Russell is quietly released with no concept of normal life or how to live it. He has no surviving family members, no grasp of technology, and only a minimum-wage dishwashing job to pay for his meager motel room. Things get even more challenging one night when Russell finds a crying baby in the dumpster out back with a note attached: "Her name was Ella."

The note's past-tense phrasing speaks volumes, but Russell has now changed "was" to "is". He does everything in his limited power to keep her alive and safe -- that is, except immediately surrender her to the proper authorities. After he learns that keeping the baby is akin to kidnapping, Russell panics and fears losing what little he has in the real world. Ella represents a literal second chance for the troubled ex-con...but unfortunately, she's not his to keep.

This is all great material for a moving and effective drama, and Ethan Hawke's central performance is most certainly the glue that holds it together. But there's simply not enough here to fill Adopt a Highway's brief 81-minute lifespan: its central plot point summarized above barely accounts for 30% of the total running time and is over almost as quickly as it occurs. The film's momentum flattens out after Russell trades in illegal fatherhood for a spontaneous bus trip back home to learn more about his late father -- an avid stamp collector who died during his time in prison -- and only manages to regain its footing once his search concludes. But it's "too little too late", as the emotional spark of Adopt a Highway's first half is never recaptured. Although Russell's journey remains compelling due to Hawke's performance, very little else about Adopt a Highway feels as substantial as its misleading synopsis implies.

RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray follows suit: the A/V presentation offers plenty of support to Pepe Avila del Pino's solid cinematography and Jason Isbell's effective original score, but the lack of bonus features drops my recommendation from "interesting curiosity" to "Hawke fans only". But who knows? Maybe it'll age better than expected.

Adopt a Highway Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While Adopt a Highway rarely shows any beautiful scenery, its 1080p transfer (which shifts from 1.78:1 to roughly 2:1 during its third act) offers a consistently good picture that defies its low-budget roots. The exception is a handful of nighttime and dimly-lit indoor sequences that bathe the image in heavy shadows -- it's tough to pick out details here, since they're almost entirely flattened out. That said, most scenes look perfectly fine with nicely framed compositions and colors that don't suffer from over-saturation or bleeding. (Russell's trademark yellow hoodie is a particularly strong standout.) Fine detail and texture is hit-or-miss depending on the situation, with close-ups and outdoor scenes typically faring the best. Overall, it's a strong presentation of this digitally-shot production and there are no compression problems whatsoever; even on a single-layered disc, Adopt a Highway has plenty of room to breathe.

Adopt a Highway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix isn't particularly ambitious but also gets the job done. Much of the sound field is anchored squarely up front and (perhaps purposefully) gives many scenes a claustrophobic quality, with others widening to match the film's tone. Music favors the latter description, enjoying a solid amount of dynamic range even though it rarely exceeds the volume level of spoken dialogue. LFE and discrete rear channels are typically reserved for weather-related events, such as the strong wind during Russell's fateful trip to the dumpster.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature; although quite small, they're perfectly legible and placed within the 2.35:1 frame with no obvious sync issues.

Adopt a Highway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a keepcase with attractive artwork and a matching slipcover. No extras are included.

Adopt a Highway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Adopt a Highway isn't a bad film, but the bait-and-switch aspect of its plot will likely rub most viewers the wrong way. The promised focal point barely encompasses more than 30% of this film's running time; from there, the momentum grinds to a halt and doesn't pick back up until its final moments. That said, Hawke's performance does a decent job of holding things together, but Adopt a Highway feels padded even at just 81 minutes (including the end credits.) RLJ's Blu-ray supports the film with a great A/V presentation; too bad no extras are included, since that may have tipped the scales in its favor. Hawke fans may find Adopt a Highway worth looking into, but that's about it.