‘On the Road’ film adaptation has trouble reaching novel’s heights
On the Road, the movie adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s famous generation-defining book, is a agreeable film about young lives stuck in a cycle of love, alcohol, music and travel. There are moments in the Walter-Salles-directed film that shine, especially when Garrett Hedlund is having fun as Dean Moriarty (based on Neal Cassady), but most of the storytelling can’t get to the heart of Kerouac’s words.
Sam Riley plays Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac himself), a young man wanting to write and enjoy the American landscape. He sets out on a cross-country trip to experience life, and along the way he has many encounters with communities and friends that come and go like lonely rest stops on a never-ending highway. He’s impoverished, living off small wages from jobs he is able to attain, and he trusts that the open highway and his hitchhiking thumb will bring him further to his conceptual goal of fulfillment.
Sal’s good friend is Dean, a party animal who smokes, listens to jazz and enjoys the company of many people who find themselves in his orbit. Kristen Stewart is Marylou, a love interest who sticks around for many miles on the road. Other supporting characters are played by Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss and Kirsten Dunst. The female roles are unfortunately underwritten, with too much focus on Sal and Dean’s exploits and not enough on the lives they leave behind.
Tom Sturridge is Carlo Marx (based on Beat poet Allen Ginsberg), and although he comes and goes from the narrative, the actor is able to bring a believable brilliance to the role. He looks and sounds the part, although at times it becomes an exercise in overacting.
Hedlund is energetic and rambunctious, seemingly the right elements to bring this iconic charater to life.
Riley is likable and an “every man,” but when paired with Hedlund’s loud take on the Dean role, the character is sometimes lost among the fray. Riley is talented and obviously dedicated to his interpretation of the role, and there’s something to be said of his fortitude.
The best attribute of the film is its cinematography. The scenes of Sal working in the fields and grabbing a ride in the back of a pickup truck are beautifully shot. The day bleeds into the night, and Salles’ camera is able to capture Americana with a fine, almost sepia-tinged eye. Although Kerouac was able to bring to life much of the American landscape in the novelized version, Salles has the power of the visual element to fill in the blanks. If he had a stronger script (adapted by Jose Rivera) that matched the camerawork, On the Road would be an interesting, modern-day take on the classic text.
As it stands, Salles’ film is a somewhat unfocused idea, a narrative that selects the high points and low points with nothing said of the middle. It’s a yeoman’s job to adapt such an unconventional book, but this version leaves something to be desired.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- On the Road
- 2012
- Directed by Walter Salles
- Written by Jose Rivera; based on the book by Jack Kerouac
- Starring Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst, Elisabeth Moss, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and Tom Sturridge
- Running time: 125 minutes
- Rated R for strong sexual content, drug use and language
- Rating:
