On the Road

ghh

On the Road-720P

On the Road-360P

On the Road-480P

On the Road-720P

On the Road-360P

On the Road-480P

One of the aspects this film really lacked was an understanding of the zeitgeist of Beat America in the late forties and fifties of Post-World War Two America. The conservative middle class that Ronald Reagan defended was in full swing and there were those who did not fit in and did not know where to go, and this is where the Beats fit in. It was L seven heaven square land and people with creative vision didn't have the flavor for materialism. The idea in the mind was just as secure as house in the suburbs. Plus I saw no James Joycean stream of consciousness with the speed, booze and the jazz. Where was the poetry? You see people moving around, dancing, snapping fingers and being "hip" but no expression of what was going on within. The characters I saw were 21st century self-centered users, dopers, and boozers who could not afford a day of tasting wine in Napa Valley, so it's everyone else's fault. The most real character in the film that captures the sense of the time was Viggo Mortensen's Old Bull Lee/William S. Burroughs. That worked. Carlo Marx, the Ginsberg attempt should have been called Harpo Marx. I was howling at the idea that this was suppose to be the person that wrote Howl. The art direction and cinematography did keep me watching instead of leaving. But remember, it does say based on the book On The Road.

The only reason I use my time to write this review is to save others the hours in their lives of watching it. Every black out is a prayer for the end. If I were not a true film watcher with the single vow never to fall asleep in a film I would have been out like a light from the first words. It's long with no meaning or plot with not storyline or even a good script. It does not show any true nature of rebellion as this would have been considered but shows It as the norm of those days which is not true. Any proper film watcher knows that if timeout likes a film and give it a good review then it probably deserves to be thrown away and buried. Here is your challenge, try and stay awake and interested throughout the whole film!

As much as the novel may have successfully depicted the adventures of a lost generation, bringing the story to the big screen didn't seem like a good idea to me. "On the Road" is a very understandably long movie, due to the many sides of every single character and their dysfunctional personality. And in spite of Walter Salles' proved talent, the experience turned out to be a dreadful journey. Everything is so boring that, although each character has a strong image and existence, following each one is a painful ordeal. The movie is extremely slow and yawn-inspirational. The interesting cast is a mixture of new and old faces that, when joined together, don't seem to leave an impressive mark. I may sound a tad pessimistic but the truth is that I couldn't wait to get out of the screening room. Incredibly boring and not so amazing as the book. I guess some stories are simply meant to be read.