On the Road (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Based on Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel, 'On The Road' (directed by Walter Salles, Central Station, The Motorcycle Diaries), tells the scattershot story of aspiring NY writer Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), who is modeled after Kerouac. Following his father's untimely death, Sal feels adrift-in-life until he meets & bonds with Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), a charismatic playboy who becomes his mentor. Determined not to get locked into a constricted life, the 2 pals, along with Dean's seductive wife, Marylou (Kristen Stewart) set off on a road trip where they use drugs (pot, benzadrine), embrace jazz, dance frantically, & have sex with women & men; usually at the same time. The more Sal hangs with Dean, the more he is mesmerized by this larger-than-life hedonist who enchants everyone he meets.
While on the road, Sal & Dean forge a bond that grows out of their both being fatherless; Sal's died, Dean's went missing some years ago. Using a variety of dangerous drugs, alcohol, & sex ... they rebels against the Establishment by owning few possessions & having little-to-no responsibilities. They spend their time with prostitutes, bums, blacks (when it wasn't the norm), & even hitchhikers. Along their many misadventures, Sal is taken to the sprawling Louisiana home of Old Bull Lee (a wacky Viggo Mortensen, his wife is played by Amy Adams). During another trip, Sal falls in love with a Mexican migrant worker (Alice Braga) & picks cotton in the fields with her.
But then, just like his buddy tends to do, he abandons her. After divorcing Marylou, Dean then weds Camille (Kirsten Dunst); having several children with her back in his homestead of Denver. But that doesn't stop his sex drive from running rampant with whomever, wherever, & whenever.
Many Americans look back lovingly on the late 1940s/early 50s surfacey comforts of suburban living; as well as the dislike of nonconformity {well, I do that now in 2013, but that's another story, haha}. The 50s began wonderfully, but trouble was brewing as the youth of America started yearning for change; like the characters in this film. They were the Beatniks: groups of creative young men & women with rebellion in their blood.
This is a tricky film to critique. The performances are right on point; capturing the evanescence of the characters' hunger for life. Garrett Hedlund is pretty amazing as the self-indulgent pleasure seeking Dean. He's both charming & dangerous; exactly the type of person that people gravitate towards. Hedlund's portrayal veers from cocky, to sensitive, to wild (I'm thinking of a late scene in a Mexican brothel), and back again. The other performances feel authentic, as well; both to the situations they're in, and for the time & place. I LOVED the look & feel of this film. The evocation of 1947-1951 just felt very real (the cinematography choices, interiors, cars, etc). This movie makes you want to be transported back to that era.
That said, much of what occurs feels plotless (or a bit unfocused) - we're just voyeuristically watching other people talk pretentiously, drive, meet strange folk drive, smoke, walk, meet another strange person, cry, drink, smoke, repeat. It's a series of episodic anecdotes; so the narrative lacks spontaneity or a strong heartbeat. BUT, I did feel the cumulative effect of it all by the time the last 30 minutes come around. Several of the characters come to a crossroads in their relationships. And a small sense of melancholy fell over me. There's a touching kind of sadness to it all. To that, I would say the film is mildly successful in achieving what it set out to do. But again, for a good chunk of the running time, it just felt like good-looking, well-acted nothingness ... which was probably the point of it all.
But yeah, overall, I kinda dug this. 'On the Road' depicts these unusual friendships in a poetic way, and says something about life on the road. Whether it's traveling down the never-ending picturesque highways or hopping along the railways of this great country called America, the film gives us a look into the psyche & free spirit of the Beatnik lifestyle. The thirst for freedom & nonconformity of these young men (and woman) paved the way for the Hippies/Revolutionaries and the seeds of change for the tumultuous 1960s to come. Director Walter Salles & scriptwriter Jose Rivera vividly convey the messy energy of the Beats who drove, drank, smoked, sniffed, laughed, cried, & danced the night away only to greet yet another sunrise in the morning. And then ... the open road again.
While on the road, Sal & Dean forge a bond that grows out of their both being fatherless; Sal's died, Dean's went missing some years ago. Using a variety of dangerous drugs, alcohol, & sex ... they rebels against the Establishment by owning few possessions & having little-to-no responsibilities. They spend their time with prostitutes, bums, blacks (when it wasn't the norm), & even hitchhikers. Along their many misadventures, Sal is taken to the sprawling Louisiana home of Old Bull Lee (a wacky Viggo Mortensen, his wife is played by Amy Adams). During another trip, Sal falls in love with a Mexican migrant worker (Alice Braga) & picks cotton in the fields with her.
But then, just like his buddy tends to do, he abandons her. After divorcing Marylou, Dean then weds Camille (Kirsten Dunst); having several children with her back in his homestead of Denver. But that doesn't stop his sex drive from running rampant with whomever, wherever, & whenever.
Many Americans look back lovingly on the late 1940s/early 50s surfacey comforts of suburban living; as well as the dislike of nonconformity {well, I do that now in 2013, but that's another story, haha}. The 50s began wonderfully, but trouble was brewing as the youth of America started yearning for change; like the characters in this film. They were the Beatniks: groups of creative young men & women with rebellion in their blood.
This is a tricky film to critique. The performances are right on point; capturing the evanescence of the characters' hunger for life. Garrett Hedlund is pretty amazing as the self-indulgent pleasure seeking Dean. He's both charming & dangerous; exactly the type of person that people gravitate towards. Hedlund's portrayal veers from cocky, to sensitive, to wild (I'm thinking of a late scene in a Mexican brothel), and back again. The other performances feel authentic, as well; both to the situations they're in, and for the time & place. I LOVED the look & feel of this film. The evocation of 1947-1951 just felt very real (the cinematography choices, interiors, cars, etc). This movie makes you want to be transported back to that era.
That said, much of what occurs feels plotless (or a bit unfocused) - we're just voyeuristically watching other people talk pretentiously, drive, meet strange folk drive, smoke, walk, meet another strange person, cry, drink, smoke, repeat. It's a series of episodic anecdotes; so the narrative lacks spontaneity or a strong heartbeat. BUT, I did feel the cumulative effect of it all by the time the last 30 minutes come around. Several of the characters come to a crossroads in their relationships. And a small sense of melancholy fell over me. There's a touching kind of sadness to it all. To that, I would say the film is mildly successful in achieving what it set out to do. But again, for a good chunk of the running time, it just felt like good-looking, well-acted nothingness ... which was probably the point of it all.
But yeah, overall, I kinda dug this. 'On the Road' depicts these unusual friendships in a poetic way, and says something about life on the road. Whether it's traveling down the never-ending picturesque highways or hopping along the railways of this great country called America, the film gives us a look into the psyche & free spirit of the Beatnik lifestyle. The thirst for freedom & nonconformity of these young men (and woman) paved the way for the Hippies/Revolutionaries and the seeds of change for the tumultuous 1960s to come. Director Walter Salles & scriptwriter Jose Rivera vividly convey the messy energy of the Beats who drove, drank, smoked, sniffed, laughed, cried, & danced the night away only to greet yet another sunrise in the morning. And then ... the open road again.