Release Date: August 6, 2013
Rating: R
Running Time: 124 minutes

ON THE ROAD tells the timeless story of Sal Paradise (Sam Riley, Byzantium, Control), a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of charming ex-con Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund, Inside Llewyn Davis, TRON: Legacy), a free-spirited, fearless, fast-talking Westerner and his girl, Marylou (Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga). Traveling cross-country, the new friends venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of “it” – the pure essence of experience. Seeking uncharted terrain and the last American frontier, the duo encounters an eclectic mix of men and women who each indelibly impact their journey toward self-discovery.

ON THE ROAD, the novel, paved the way for Easy Rider and Two-Lane Blacktop, and now the new film takes its place alongside those screen classics of rebellious adventure.

Featuring an all-star cast that includes Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings), Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man), Tom Sturridge (Pirate Radio), Academy Award nominee Amy Adams (The Master), Alice Braga (Predators) and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), ON THE ROAD is a landmark odyssey from America’s legendary Beat writer brought to vivid life by one of the most talented filmmakers of modern times.

Having never read On the Road by Jack Kerouac, I was not familiar with this story prior to watching the film adaptation. I was pleasantly delighted with everything about the film. What reeled me in immediately was how visually stunning this piece is. Wow. Then, the narration which I always love in book to movie adaptations. Talk about bringing everything together.

Other components that made this film so special were the ensemble cast and broken characters, the direction and cinematography, the language and rhythm of the times (which affects the pacing), the score, and of course the traveling. The movie is so rich and warm in its tone, I can only imagine how rich the words of the novel are. What a treat the novel will be for those who enjoyed this film and want more. Something tells me the movie didn’t even touch the surface of the wild adventures these characters find themselves going on.

All of that to say, this is a love it or leave it film. You either get the story, tone, and pacing of the story right away and want to be taken on this journey or you don’t. Even if you’re not a fan of the grand amount of sex scenes, the scenes aren’t long or too graphic so you can get over this aspect of the film easily. If you’ve seen Love & Other Drugs, you’ve seen way more there than you will here. Sure, some of these scenes could have been cut to make the film shorter but if you’re committed to this film from the beginning, you know what you’re getting yourself into.

As for the lessons at hand, those messages were dull but I know there’s something there, there’s more to learn from the book. With so many characters, it’s not easy to get everything across. The film tells us what we need to know to keep the story moving, keep the characters on a more timely road trip. So if you want more than that, if you really want to form a relationship with these characters, I’d suggest picking up the book. It’s clear these characters have stories to tell. The film does a wonderful job teasing the book so if you enjoyed the movie, you know what to do now.

Special Features:

* Deleted Scenes (7 minutes) – Boy, would I loved to have seen the car accident scene make it into the film. Aside from this, unless you’ve read the book, I’d say the deleted scenes are not must see features.

Own On the Road on Blu-ray and DVD today.