Review of On the Road (2012) by John B — 24 Apr 2013

Journey's of self discovery are one thing, and journey's of self indulgence are quite another. The characters that embark on this trip & "on the road" find both at times tough but it's the togetherness and shared life experience that triumphs over the bumps in the road that are ever present.

It's only with the part of self indulgence that the film failed to connect with me and my sense of story. Taken from Kerouac's novel "On The Road" the story follows and introduces us to a myriad of characters, of which only some get the characterization they deserve and we are left wanting more in some cases.

While it's easy to see the appeal in a story such as this, and I'm sure younger viewers will enjoy the "freedom" the characters enjoy, not all of them are actually free, and some fail to achieve true freedom even though it might look like they do.

The direction is good but doesn't throw caution to the wind, while the look of the film is brilliant and the soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla is the star of the film, and better complements the erratic nature of the characters than the direction.

Sam Riley is really good as Sal Paradise, and he should look forward to many great roles in the future. Kristen Stewart, while not bad, doesn't feature in the film prominently, and when she does, her character doesn't afford her the luxury of showing great range and ability, but some scenes are really top stuff.

All in all, I can't say that I didn't enjoy the film, but it's most definitely too long, and loses steam near the end, but it's a worthwhile endeavor and one that I can recommend, just bring food and drinks.