Review of On The Road (2013) by Brian H — 18 Jan 2013

On the Road.

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams Garrett Hedlund, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Sam Riley.

The synopsis: Based on Jack Kerouc's beloved American novel, On The Road is the story of Sal Paradise, an aspiring New York writer, and Dean Moriarty, a devastatingly charming ex-con, married to the very liberated and seductive Marylou. Sal and Dean bond instantly upon meeting. Determined not to get locked in to a constricted life, the two friends cut their ties and take to the road with Marylou. Thirsting for freedom, the three young people head off in search of the world, of other encounters, and of themselves.

The goods: Despite my hatred towards Kristen Stewart and how I think she is a horrible actress, this film moves past this and actual suffers from what I like to call "the book was better". Yes, we have all heard it before, but the book was actually better. Kerouac's novel about wayfaring bohemians hitting the open road is a classic expression of the American dream; but the way it's done here, it seems more like a time capsule that's been dug up long past its expiration date. The director tries to approximate Kerouac's hopped-up prose by shooting the film in jittery jump-cuts, and the actors seem to be careening between scenes rather than inhabiting them. It's all rather exhausting, as opposed to exhilarating.

Theoretically the film should be able to lift the manic energy from the page to the screen. We hear some of Kerouac's famous phrases throughout the film, but If anything, it only make us want to return to the book, not to see the film through to its anticlimactic ending. 2/10.

@TheFelixKay.