Rudderless is a 2014 American musical drama film which was the directorial debut of William H. Macy, and stars Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez and Laurence Fishburne.

[3] Josh Manning (Miles Heizer) is a college student recording his own songs in his dorm room, but gets interrupted by one of his floor mates.

Meanwhile, his father, Sam Manning (Billy Crudup), has succeeded in landing a large account at his advertising firm, and calls Josh to celebrate with him.

Later, a memorial wake is held at Josh's home by his mother and Sam's ex-wife, Emily (Felicity Huffman).

Afterwards, Sam goes home and finds the media coverage is interfering with his daily life, and he eventually succumbs to alcoholism.

When Emily leaves, Sam begins to place Josh's possessions in a dumpster but stops, noticing the notebooks and discs.

Sam begins to listen to them back on the boat and reads through the collection of lyrics and writings Josh left behind.

The next day, Sam is introduced to Del (Laurence Fishburne), the owner and operator of the local music supply store.

The group, now complete, has impressed The Trill owner (played by director William H. Macy) who asks them to perform regularly on Saturday nights as house entertainment, to which the band agrees—even Sam, reluctantly.

Quentin is embarrassed because his mother has had issues with (unspecified) responsibilities, even spending his junior year of high school living in a car, and has vowed never to lower himself to that level of poverty again.

Following the show, as the band members are to go to a party, Sam sees Kate—now calling herself by her middle name, Ann, who shames him for playing the songs in public.

Continuing to drink into the Saturday he is scheduled to work, Sam goes to his job and, finding a yard hammock, falls asleep.

As Sam goes below, the other members plead with him about a local block party they have been invited to play, and it is entirely possible it could lead to bigger and better opportunities for Rudderless in the way of airplay and exposure.

She had been pursued and harassed by people and media alike, asking humiliating questions, even suggesting they had been members of a cult.

Sam again goes into a drinking binge and returns home to the marina to find the Board had the area sealed with a chain link fence.

Sam then visits Emily, bringing her Josh's discs, and says that one day, the new baby will want to know who his half brother was beyond what history will paint him to be.

[7] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 64% based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10; the site's critical consensus reads, "Rudderless asks its cast to carry an awful lot of weight for its occasionally manipulative story; fortunately, this talented bunch—led by Billy Crudup—is often more than up to the task".

[9] While many critics spoke positively of Macy's direction, the soundtrack, and the performances of Crudup and Yelchin, many found issue with the third-act revelation; writing for Variety, Dennis Harvey described it as a "bewildering error in narrative judgement".