a great setup but not much in the way of a payoff". He went on to say "While there are some giggles in the film-within-the-film, the artsy-fartsy direction and flat-as-a-pancake acting invites invidious comparisons to Mulholland Drive". Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars criticizing the story's film within a film narrative. He said, "Road to Nowhere is not a failure in that it sets out to do exactly what it does, and does it. The question remains of why it should have been done. Hellman's skill is evident everywhere in precise framing and deliberate editing. Each scene works within itself on its own terms. But there is no whole here. I've rarely seen a narrative film that seemed so reluctant to flow. Nor perhaps one with a more accurate title". Awards References Further reading External links 2010 films 2010 independent films 2010 romance films American independent films American romance films Films directed by Monte Hellman Films set in North Carolina Films shot in North Carolina Films shot in London Films shot in Rome Films shot in Italy Films shot in Los Angeles Films about filmmaking 2010s English-language films 2010s American films