'ON THE ROAD': Four Stars (Out of Five)
Adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel (of the same name) about his experiences traveling around the United States in the late 1940s, usually with his friend Neal Cassady. The film has gone through various development phases for multiple decades under different directors and different casts. It was finally directed by Brazilian director Walter Salles and written by Jose Rivera (the team also worked on the 2004 critically acclaimed film 'THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES'). It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Sam Riley as Kerouac's alter ego Sal Paradise and Garrett Hedlund as his buddy Dean Moriarity (a representation of Cassady). It also features Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Alice Braga, Elisabeth Moss, Terrence Howard, Steve Buscemi and Viggo Mortensen. The movie is a beautiful looking road film, that's pretty aimless in story but does have some somewhat fascinating characters.
The film begins in 1947 when writer Sal Paradise (Riley) meets Dean Moriarity (Hedlund). The two have many adventures together on various road trips over multiple years and Sal meets the many women in Dean's life, including Marylou (Stewart) and Camille (Dunst). Sal's life is forever changed by the wild and free-spirited young man and his lady friends. Other famous figures like William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg are represented in the film as well.
Like a lot of road trip films the movie is completely aimless. We just kind of hitch a ride with Sal and Dean as they travel across the country having fun and exploring the world. There's of course not a lot to the story but the characters, for the most part, are likable and interesting. The cast is all impressive, especially the two leads, and the directing is decent. The film is probably highlighted by it's beautiful cinematography. Not a great film by any means but an entertaining one for the most part. Perhaps a little too long at almost two hours and twenty minutes though.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ4Gr6CX0-g
Adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel (of the same name) about his experiences traveling around the United States in the late 1940s, usually with his friend Neal Cassady. The film has gone through various development phases for multiple decades under different directors and different casts. It was finally directed by Brazilian director Walter Salles and written by Jose Rivera (the team also worked on the 2004 critically acclaimed film 'THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES'). It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Sam Riley as Kerouac's alter ego Sal Paradise and Garrett Hedlund as his buddy Dean Moriarity (a representation of Cassady). It also features Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Alice Braga, Elisabeth Moss, Terrence Howard, Steve Buscemi and Viggo Mortensen. The movie is a beautiful looking road film, that's pretty aimless in story but does have some somewhat fascinating characters.
The film begins in 1947 when writer Sal Paradise (Riley) meets Dean Moriarity (Hedlund). The two have many adventures together on various road trips over multiple years and Sal meets the many women in Dean's life, including Marylou (Stewart) and Camille (Dunst). Sal's life is forever changed by the wild and free-spirited young man and his lady friends. Other famous figures like William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg are represented in the film as well.
Like a lot of road trip films the movie is completely aimless. We just kind of hitch a ride with Sal and Dean as they travel across the country having fun and exploring the world. There's of course not a lot to the story but the characters, for the most part, are likable and interesting. The cast is all impressive, especially the two leads, and the directing is decent. The film is probably highlighted by it's beautiful cinematography. Not a great film by any means but an entertaining one for the most part. Perhaps a little too long at almost two hours and twenty minutes though.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ4Gr6CX0-g