"Voyager" is, in some ways, reminiscent of Wim Wenders' "Until the End of the World," though there seems to be a more pointed story here . . . but not much more. (It's also worth noting that both films are English-language productions from German filmmakers.)
"Voyager" is co-written and directed by Volker Schlondorff, still best known for "The Tin Drum," and Dustin Hoffman's cable TV version of "Death of a Salesman."
Here, he offers a lethargic yarn set in the late '50s about a globe-trotting engineer (Sam Shepard) at a crossroads in his life when a series of coincidences cause him to reflect on his past.
The first half of the film provides the most interest, as Shepard finds himself trapped with a talkative German salesman as they wait for the same flight in an airport in Venezuela. To avoid becoming a reluctant flying companion to someone who won't leave him alone, he hides in the restroom, hoping the plane will leave without him. But at the last minute he's dragged on board.
Halfway through the flight, the plane begins losing its engines, and Shepard is very funny as he reads a map in a calm, deadpan manner to determine where the plane will likely crash, while others panic.
After the crash, the survivors find themselves in the desert for a couple of days before being rescued, and Shepard discovers that his German companion is the brother of an old friend. This first of several coincidences starts him off on a strange odyssey.
Through a series of circumstances, Shepard eventually finds himself on a cruise ship bound for Paris and becomes friendly with a much-younger woman (Julie Delpy). After they reach Paris, Shepard reluctantly shrugs off his work commitments and travels the country with her. Eventually, however, he discovers that her mother (Barbara Sukowa)is a woman Shepard loved 20 years earlier — and he begins to wonder if he might not be her father!
Most of "Voyager" is intriguing until it begins to sag rather seriously in the second half. Then there's Shepard's voice-over narration, which seems redundant. The film really lost me, however, toward the end, as it opts for a conclusion — an easy out — that would shame a soap opera writer.
That's too bad, since Shepard is a very interesting leading man here, and Delpy is very natural and quite beguiling.
"Voyager" is rated PG-13 for sex (mostly implied), violence and nude paintings.