The Netflix original film El Camino Christmas flew under a lot of people's radar, which is odd, because its pedigree is simply freakin' crazy. The flick was directed by the prolific playwright David E. Talbert, from a script co-written by Theodore Melfi, who wrote and directed the excellent 2014 Bill Murray vehicle St. Vincent and the 2016 historical drama Hidden Figures, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The story of a young man whose road trip in search of his errant father ends with him barricaded with five strangers inside a liquor store on Christmas Eve, El Camino Christmas gave Grimes a rare starring vehicle and a supporting cast that would make any actor green with envy.
The flick co-starred Vincent D'Onofrio (Marvel's Daredevil), Dax Shepard (Idiocracy), Tim Allen (Toy Story 4), Emilio Rivera (Sons of Anarchy), Kimberly Quinn (who appeared in both St. Vincent and Hidden Figures), Jessica Alba (L.A.'s Finest), and the great Kurtwood Smith, who is equally revered for his roles as acerbic dad Red Forman on That 70's Show and the ultra-villainous Clarence Boddicker in Paul Verhoeven's classic sci-fi actioner Robocop. Very few film fans seem to even be aware of the existence of El Camino Christmas, which is a crime — the flick is everything its tagline ("Bullets, Beer, Holiday Cheer") promises, and Grimes proved to be a capable comedic lead.
Since Yellowstone's debut in 2018, Grimes has only appeared in one other project: Into the Ashes, a limited-release crime thriller that saw him take on the lead role opposite Marguerite Moreau (Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later), Frank Grillo (Captain America: Civil War), and Robert Taylor (The Meg). At the time of this writing, he has no future projects on his IMDb page other than Yellowstone — which should suit fans of the show just fine. Grimes is certainly settling into his role, and the hit series will surely give his character plenty more dramatic developments in future seasons.
