Sacramento’s ending has a simple yet profound effect on us; maybe things are hard sometimes, but it’ll all be okay. What I really enjoyed about this film is how it doesn’t focus on a one-sided story and kind of gives us two perspectives on the same thing, struggling with anxiety, and two different ways of dealing with it. This reminds us that nothing is really black and white, but with the perfect balance of the two, one can lead a pretty happy life, so to speak. In Sacramento, Glenn is “happily” married to Rosie, who is now heavily pregnant 4 years into their marriage. On the other hand you’ve got Rickey, a man who lost his dad a year ago and doesn’t really know what to do with his life, but he wants to start a support group of his own. He’s a lost puppy, searching for answers wherever he can find them, and of course, his best friend, Glenn, is the perfect guide to help him do this. But there’s more. A year ago, Rickey met a woman named Tallie, and they joked about how they could live in the woods and raise a family with 12 kids and be happy. Tallie said at the time that he’d probably bail, and while that’s not exactly what happened, Rickey and Tallie part ways, but she ends up learning she’s pregnant and lets the guy know. What Rickey really needs now is a buddy to accompany him to see Tallie and his baby boy. Will Glenn join him? And will they be okay? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Is Rickey the MPDG of Glenn’s Life?
You know the usual narrative of the 2000s rom-com, how a man is sad because life is difficult and he doesn’t know what to do with himself until he meets a woman who changes his perspective on everything and teaches him how to “live” again? In Sacramento, Glenn is a millennial whose life has been taken over by the anxieties of being a soon-to-be parent, looming unemployment, and trying to keep his marriage together. It’s not like there’s anything actually wrong with Glenn’s life. His wife loves him; she’s working hard to be the breadwinner, and sure, there’s pressure involved in being a good parent, but that should be manageable, no? So, here’s where Sacramento subverts the manic pixie dream girl trope because Glenn’s already married, and he’s not meeting a dreamy woman who has no other role but to fix his life; he’s being revisited by his bestie who will show him how to live again.
In the beginning, we see everything from Glenn’s annoyed point of view. He doesn’t appreciate that Rickey showed up out of the blue; he just wants to be a grown-up, looking after his pregnant wife. For the time being, that is. Rickey first asks Glenn to lunch, and he notices that he’s completely different, isn’t funny anymore like before, and doesn’t have any friends. When Glenn blows his fuse when the drive stretches on, Rickey tells him that his dad died a month ago (a blatant lie) and that he needs to scatter his ashes in Sacramento. While Glenn hates this whole situation, he tells Rosie that he has be there for Rickey because he was around when Glenn’s dad died.
Once in Sacramento, the duo meet two women at a bar, and Rickey immediately wants to hang out with them. But Glenn feels like he’s cheating just being in that situation. Even on the phone the next day, he tells Rosie that there’s been some problematic behavior, which is actually not true at all, and Rosie knows that already. However, she does tell him that Rickey’s dad died a year ago after sending a message to his mum on Facebook (classic). Before they got to the house drunk, though, Glenn and Rickey had a wrestling match at the girls’ gym. In this time, Glenn actually looks kind of happy, expelling all this energy out of his body, specifically onto Rickey, who hasn’t really done anything. Why’s Glenn so angry, though? It’s definitely not just because Rickey’s making him do these things he doesn’t want to do; it’s because he’s tired of living. What’s interesting, though, is that Rickey feels almost the same. But his reasoning is different; Rickey feels lost because his dad’s gone (and clearly they didn’t have the best relationship), and he feels scared too, because how is he going to look after this kid when he doesn’t know how to look after himself? So in truth, all they really needed to do was tell the other what was going on? Maybe this movie is just a PSA for men to communicate. I really like that Rickey dresses like a typical millennial hipster, with the socks and sandals and wide pants, and Glenn’s like, I’ll try to be a grown-up and wear chinos and a shirt.
Do Rickey and Glenn Find Happiness?
On the other hand, Rickey notices that the woman he’s hanging out with is a mom, and until that moment, he seems to be quite excited to take her to bed, but when he sees the baby stuff, he transforms into a different person. He goes into counselor mode, calling her brave and strong because raising a child is a difficult thing to do, especially alone. I suppose this is the first sign that Rickey’s a dad, but we don’t know that yet. Anyway, the next day, after Rickey’s thrown out the sand he collected in the middle of their journey into the river, Glenn asks Rickey what’s really going on and why he’s lying. Also, Rickey intentionally gets his own car towed so that they can spend another day in Sacramento. Glenn’s phone dies, and with the car missing, Glenn gets really furious. This is when Rickey gets a call from Rosie because she had to go to the hospital after some unexpected bleeding. On the phone, Glenn pretends like everything is okay; he’s happy that she’s fine and acts as if he’s not panicking, but in truth he’s losing his mind. But then when she says he’s not usually helpful in such situations, he gets upset and says he disagrees.
I’m not sure if Glenn didn’t tell Rickey about the baby because he just didn’t want to get into it with him and share this amazing news or just because he was worried he’d be judged for being a terrible future parent. I think in Rickey, Glenn sees a little bit of himself, his old self maybe? Which is why he hates being around him. Anyway, Glenn gets in a physical fight with Rickey; they both get on their knees in an almost intimate position, touching heads, and Glenn finally relaxes. This is them bonding, I guess, and this is also when Rickey drops the news that he’s already a dad. Rickey plays the voice notes Tallie’s left him, and reveals he’s basically in Sacramento to see Tallie.
Why Does Glenn Kidnap Tallie’s Baby?
The thing is, Tallie doesn’t really want help from Rickey with the baby at all. In fact, she’s just told him of her decision because he’s the dad, and it is, of course, his right to know. But, in truth, Tallie’s struggling to be the independent, strong woman she thought she was. And as impossible as that is to admit, she does need the help, but she also doesn’t want to impose anything on Rickey or have him move in and all of that stuff. But, at the same time, Glenn starts to notice how the house isn’t baby-proofed properly, things are a mess, and the crib has a crick, just like the one at his place before (which he broke with full force). At the same time, he gets a call from the friend he’s been trying to reach for a while, and that guy calls Glenn out for being absent or distant for some time, which makes him all the more upset, kind of like the whole world is against him (man, don’t we all know the feeling?).
In Sacramento’s ending, I think what really happens is that Glenn starts to believe that he needs to protect this baby, or he won’t be able to protect his own, which is why he decides to take him away from Tallie and the house. The thing is, Glenn and Rickey have both had tough times with their own dads, and they’ve been avoiding the fact that they’re dads (well, one’s about to be) because they’re afraid they’ll make the same mistakes. It’s not that Glenn and Rickey have drinking problems or have past criminal activity to pinpoint a reason for them to be terrible parents; it is just fear that’s making them react so erratically. A fear of the unknown, you know? Because “what if I’m a bad dad?” Rickey tells Glenn that they’re ready and he’s going to be okay, because the whole point of parenthood is unpredictability. Rickey finally gets rid of his dad’s ashes, a metaphoric letting go of his fear, and joins Tallie to raise their kid.
A year later, Rickey actually does open his own emotional support group, specifically for men, because he knows what’s up, and he’s pretty good at being a support. You know, he found his place with Glenn. On the other hand, Glenn’s got some work making posters for Rickey too. Rickey and Glenn may be living in different cities (6 hours apart specifically), but they’re “a lot closer” than they think. This isn’t just about proximity, of course; it’s about personality, but it’s also about their emotional bond. In the end, Glenn’s doing much better than before, happy to be around his baby, and Rickey and Tallie are pregnant for a second time (I really hope that doesn’t go to 12).
