There is something to be said about a movie that swings for the fences but only ends up at first base. There is something admirable about going for something unnerving, uneasy, and straight-up weird, and just missing the mark. Having its world premiere in the U.S. Narrative Competition section of Tribeca Film Festival 2026, Ponderosa, Rob Rice’s (Way Out Ahead of Us) third screenwriting credit and second directing credit, leaves the audience frustrated and perplexed as neither the obvious horror twist or the rather obvious heart-touching twist come to fruition.
Ponderosa focuses on Zeke (Jack Dylan Grazer, Shazam!), a young man just enjoying his life, living upstate, not getting into trouble, just an all-around good kid who lives with his protective mother, Sandra (Alexis Bledel, Sin City). Sandra works at the local buffet; it’s not luxurious work, but it’s honest work and it helps pay the bills, keeping the roof over their heads. However, one fateful day, as the buffet is closing for good, this changes as the rather wealthy regular, George (Bill Camp, Joker), takes a liking to Zeke and Sandra and tries to insert himself into their lives. George is interested in creating a father-son relationship, and, due to his wealth and Zeke and Sandra’s newfound situation, Zeke begrudgingly goes along with George’s interest but is firmly disinterested in pursuing this new dynamic. While there are ulterior motives at play, they’re not as dark and twisted as they could be, nor are they something endearing, but rather blasé, leaving the audience hungering for something more dramatic and engaging to fully engage them with the story.
L-R: Bill Camp as George and Jack Dylan Grazer as Zeke in PONDEROSA. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Zeke is put in a tough decision with Ponderosa, not wanting to befriend and create a new dynamic with this strange man who was a regular at his mom’s restaurant, but also realizing it may be for the best for a small time as the restaurant has closed. He’s battling his own feelings of this situation while not letting it cross a line but certainly tries to put down boundaries. Grazer gives Zeke a demeanor of always treading on thin ice and always feeling like he has to look over his shoulder. He accomplishes this with subtlety, using his movements and expressions to covey just how uneasy Zeke is without ever verbalizing it. The audience can feel that Zeke is unsettled and uncomfortable, which is something we just cannot shake.
On the other side of that dynamic, George’s undisclosed motivation makes the audience feel uneasy, never knowing whether this is just a man who’s lonely, seeking friendship and companionship with Sandra, or if there are deeper ulterior motives at play. Camp plays the role as someone who is ever-present, a shadow that cannot be shaken, always there, evoking a sense of dread with merely his presence, cadence, and calmness in the delivery of his dialog. However, the reasoning behind his presence lacks direction and leaves the audience hoping for something more.
This leads into the biggest issue with Rice’s feature — his screenplay. Running at only 90 minutes, it just takes too long to come to fruition and tell us anything; the audience feels disjointed and checked-out as the movie crawls towards a reveal, and there just is not enough to keep the audience fully engaged throughout the feature. There has to be *something* in either a horrifying or heartwarming direction to separate the family drama from just regular drama. An outside force trying to come into the dynamic isn’t enough to engage and entice and, unfortunately, Ponderosa doesn’t choose to identify itself as anything until it’s too late for win the audience back over.
Ponderosa squanders what it could have done on either side of the spectrum for storytelling, but the strong performances certainly keep the audience engaged, even when the story-telling lacks conviction to keep the audience fully locked-in. If there was something more substantial, the movie would’ve hit more markers, but at least Camp and Grazer make the best out of their situation along with Bledel (Sin City) in a well-rounded cast without much to say, unfortunately.
Screening during Tribeca Film Festival 2026.
For more information, head to the official Tribeca Film Festival Ponderosa webpage.
Final Score: 2.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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