Macy's directorial debut 'Rudderless' struggles to set sail

"Rudderless" not only serves as the name of a makeshift rock band in William H. Macy's directorial debut, it also describes the drama's rambling narrative. It's a strange mashup of a "let's put together a band" musical and a socially conscious tale of paternal grief and guilt.

Billy Crudup stars as Sam, a wealthy ad executive whose cherished son dies in a campus shooting spree. Sam winds up two years later living in a boat, painting houses for income. Then he discovers a treasure trove of original songs written and recorded by his son Josh.

He sings one of them during open mic night at a local bar (run by Macy) and it captures the attention of a local music geek (Anton Yelchin) who pleads to join him in a duet, which leads to a band with indie musicians Ben Kweller and Ryan Dean.

Sam never reveals the author of the songs the band assumes came from him, setting up a third act revelation that seems jarringly out-of-synch with the rest of this movie.

Crudup gives Sam comfortable ease in front of an audience. Felicity Huffman does what she can with an underfueled role as Sam's cordial ex-wife. Laurence Fishburne does due diligence in his role as a local music shop owner who knows more than he lets on. Selena Gomez can't do much more than appear crazed and accusatory as Josh's ex-girlfriend back in college.

The music sounds fine, but Macy's iffy direction prevents "Rudderless" from becoming more than a quasi-pleasing, mediocre first effort from a filmmaker struggling to set sail on a firm course.

"Rudderless" opens at the 600 North Michigan Theater, Chicago. Rated R for language. 105 minutes. ★ ★