On the Road (15)

This film for me was beautiful and insightful. I am a 17 year old film studies student and when i saw this film i found it utterly breathtaking. Maybe I have more of and appreciation for the film beacause i havent read Kerouac's novel , however this film has inspired me to do so. I feel when looking at this fil, forget about the novel and appreciate the film on its own. I really enjoyed i looking forward to reading Kerouac's novel and maybe seeing his take on events. I love jazz.

I'm giving this film one star because some things about it were ok. The movie looks superb, and the period is invoked well too with the old cars and most of the costumes. Even the acting is ok. But what in my opinion horribly fails is the script and the directing. These two guys have managed to turn not only Jack Kerouac's amazing literary work, but also the entire 'beat' ethos into nothing more than a banal, sex-driven, drug-addled bore, where the lines supposedly portraying the ebullience and abundance of lust for life come out as teenage stoned musings no more relevant than what any drunk kid might utter on a saturday night to his girlfriend or his buddy. If the mood of Kerouac's novel and the Beat ethos more generally were nothing but an empty hedonistic attempt to escape reality then they would not have had the lasting and significant influence upon culture they have had. Anyone can become a poet in a momentary flash of drug or alcohol fuelled rapture. But it is a rare thing that the lived philosophy of a few people become a cultural landmark of ongoing importance, articulated with such brilliance in their own words, in their own style. This movie is so far from that spirit that it probably shouldn't have been called "On the Road".

No doubt this is the most excruciatingly tedious and pretentious. None of the characters were remotely sympathetic and the frequent drug-taking and toe-curling sex scenes were simply passe. If I could give this train wreck of a movie zero stars I would. Avoid!

The comment you type in Disappointing and a little disrespectful. The makers should have decided which story they were telling; On the Road or the story of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. Sal mentions that he speaks French-Canadian (like Jack) but talks to his mother in Italian (like Sal) Also, why mother and not Aunt? Then there is Dean’s overt homosexuality, this side of Dean’s character is only alluded to in the novel. We know that Neal Cassady had numerous homosexual affairs but Kerouac chose to underplay this in the character of Dean Moriarty. The film makers are letting themselves believe that they know better how to present the character of Dean than Kerouac did; that is disrespectful and arrogant and frankly doesn’t work. When short of money wouldn’t it be more in keeping with Dean’s character to spontaneously steal rather than negotiate cut price rent boy acts? The film was, as would be expected, beautifully shot and the soundtrack deserves praise as it was always going to be an essential facet of this film. Danny Morgan as Ed Dunkel was good fun, this is the one character in the novel I’ve never been able to envisage. Generally the acting was of a high standard, although Sam Riley’s Sal was a bit too ‘college kid’ for my taste. Kristen Stewart probably deserves the title of show stealer which her excellent depiction of Mary-Lou, a far less significant character in the novel. If nothing else there is a real effort to move through the jagged plot and an almost successful attempt to capture the energy and spontaneity of the characters’ lives. If just a few people discover the works of Kerouac as a result of this film it will have been a worthwhile endeavour. this box will appear on the site

Many reviewers will be too young to know the atmosphere of the time the book was written. If you were around in the 1950's it is easy to identify with the movie and the way the story is related,. The Charlie Haden bass played over the credits was worth waiting for but most of the audience will miss this glorious music as they walk away.

>>I'm sure the movie is fine on its own Regrettably, it isn't fine. It murders Kerouac. by presenting the story in so flat a manner that it seems like an ancient, teenage irrelevance.

Very missable. A bit of bisexuality, some drugs and some driving, it's every bit as poor as the better critics say. Garrett Hedlund's handsome but ponderous; Sam Riley's a bore. Somebody playing Ginsberg turns up to rattle pompously about suicide and his lust for life. I don't know the book but, as a middle-aged man, to me this film seemed prurient and joyless. It has the sex-appeal and energy of a performance by Kyle Mclachlan in a feature-length, tribute episode of David Carradine's Kung Fu.

Monumental disappointment. Boo!

On the Road has got to be the most boring film I have ever had the misfortune to sit through.. From the write up it sounds great, hhmm I don't know how much was paid to the writer but the film is utter rubbish, people were walking out of the cinema before the film was half way through, others were asleep, I kept thinking 'it's got to liven up soon' but sadly it never did. When it ended there was a huge sigh of relief from the other 6 people who had been watching it, no stars except minus!!

A change of heart from the last review, Time Out, where you called it 'tedious', and 'a bit embarrassing'. I agree with the former one. Film is nihilistic and irrelevant.