Together We Will Go

A crew of strangers embark on a suicide mission in screenwriter Straczynski’s disappointing debut. After failed novelist Mark Antonelli’s latest rejection, he decides suicide is an ideal vehicle for creation and places an online ad inviting others to board a bus destined for a nosedive off a California cliff. Twelve struggling souls agree to join up and sign Mark’s release form: each rider must “be serious about killing yourself... no tourists or last-minute backsies,” and also agree to “upload [their story] to the WiFi hotspot on the bus, and periodically update it.” While the reasons for choosing suicide vary, the characters are all one-dimensional. Karen is plagued by mysterious body pains; Tyler is a kind coder suffering from a fatal disease; Lisa is a hard-partying bipolar maniac; Vaughn is a geriatric 66-year-old filled with remorse; Shanelle is a young, overweight misfit. But rather than explore each character’s tortuous decision, the narrative is propelled by a ridiculous chase as the folks on the bus evade authorities to accomplish their mission. Though Straczynski’s odd conceit has the makings of black comedy, it mostly crashes and burns. (July)