When we last saw Joaquin Phoenix, he starred as the title character in 2019’s Joker and took home an Oscar for his work. After that big studio effort, Phoenix returns with 2021’s indie flick C’mon C’mon.

Radio journalist Johnny (Phoenix) leads a nomadic life, as his job places him in spots all around the US. Emotionally immature, Johnny lacks much contact with family, mainly because of the aftereffects related to his mother’s death.

Johnny reconnects with his semi-estranged sister Viv (Gaby Hoffman) as she deals with issues connected to her ex-husband Paul (Scoot McNairy). This leads Johnny to visit her in LA, where he encounters his nine-year-old nephew Jesse (Woody Norman).

Viv needs to go to Northern California to work through problems with Paul, and that means she could use a babysitter. Due to his job, though, Johnny can’t stay in LA with Jesse, so he takes the boy on a road trip where the two get to know each other and embark on some adventures.

You don’t suppose Johnny will learn some lessons and grow up along the way, do you? Spoiler alert: yeah, though don’t expect C’mon to follow a typical feel-good path.

That doesn’t mean the story goes down dark avenues, as it maintains a fairly neutral attitude. Still, one shouldn’t expect real surprises from the ways in which Johnny reconnects with family and grows up a bit.

Honestly, the movie’s backstory related to the death of Johnny and Viv’s mother as well as Paul’s mental collapse all feels like windowdressing. Essentially the simple story of a middle-aged man who finally starts to grow up, it comes across like the filmmakers figured it needed more gravity, so they tacked on these deeper topics.

I disagree, and I think these more dramatic domains just distract from the main theme. The movie doesn’t need any “serious” rationale for the Johnny/Viv estrangement or the road trip, so these elements can seem unneeded.

That said, since so much of C’mon comes across as contrived, one might not even notice the unnecessary nature of those plot points. A collection of loosely connected scenes that involve self-absorbed characters, this becomes a tough tale to swallow.

Again, the various contrivances become a crutch. Johnny’s job allows him to act as the movie’s narrator, and a better-constructed film would function without this incessant “Johnny the Explainer” chatter.

Of course, Johnny’s career choice also allows him to visit various spots and engage Jesse in a variety of ways. Granted, most road trip films require some plot loop to exist, but this one feels even more forced than usual, especially because Johnny’s interviews come across as irrelevant editorializing.

These chats with random kids come across as an easy way to provide “social commentary” and they feel superfluous. The movie could – and would – fare better without the distractions they provide.

The lack of real characters or a substantial plot remains a serious issue here, as too much of C’mon feels like pretentious claptrap. We get pseudo-profundity from the interview subjects along with Johnny’s trite commentary and alleged “deep thoughts”.

Because the adults veer toward self-absorbed and self-pitying, they become a problematic base for the story, and Jesse doesn’t compensate. He alternates between obnoxious and precocious, without much personality in between these poles.

We’re supposed to like the kid but he just annoys, and not in a smart way. Jesse needs some charm to make Johnny warm to adulthood and parental responsibilities, but the kid feels like a movie creation and not a believable personality.

Really, that goes for C’mon as a whole. The film never offers more than self-serious pretentious episodes without much to satisfy.

C’mon C’mon appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.66:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a positive presentation.

Sharpness was strong. A handful of slightly soft wide shots appeared, but the majority of the film looked well-defined.

No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge enhancement remained absent. Source flaws also failed to create problems.

The black and white elements boasted nice contrast and impact. Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. All of this left us with a solid transfer.

One shouldn’t expect much from the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundscape, as it remained decidedly low-key. It did occasionally offer a bit of pep, as effects used the side and rear speakers in a moderate manner.

Not much occurred in this regard, but the mix managed to spread elements in discrete locations, and these moved well. We also got some localized dialogue, even in the rear speakers. Nothing here dazzled, but the material prompted reasonable involvement.

Audio quality was fine. Speech sounded natural and distinctive, without edginess or other issues. The gentle score appeared clear and appropriately full.

Effects were clean and accurate. They didn’t tax my system but they satisfied. This was a more than acceptable soundtrack for a character piece.

When we move to extras, we begin with an audio commentary from writer/director Mike Mills. He offers a running, screen-specific look at inspirations and influences, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, photography, editing and related domains.

At the start, Mills tells us that he didn’t prepare for this commentary. Though that sounds like a sign of a bad discussion to come, these fears prove unfounded.

Instead, Mills offers a thorough and informative track. While he occasionally engages in some semi-inevitable happy talk, he mostly gives us a solid view of the film.

Making C’mon C’mon runs eight minutes, 10 seconds and features Mills and actors Gaby Hoffman, Jaboukie Young-White, Molly Webster, and Woody Norman.

The featurette looks at story/characters, the movie’s style, cast and performances, and Mills’ approach. A few minor insights emerge but this feels like a fairly promotional piece.

Under Also from A24. we find previews for Minari, The Green Knight, Zola and 20th Century Women. No trailer for C’mon appears here.

With C’mon C’mon, we get a pretty standard story of a man who matures and develops bonds. The film pursues pretentious paths that make it less effective and more than slightly irritating. The Blu-ray delivers very good visuals, adequate audio and supplements abetted by a strong commentary. Despite the talent involved, C’mon feels tiresome and self-indulgent.