Jack Kerouac's autobiographical novel ON
THE ROAD was always considered, if not 'unfilmable' then at least
unlikely to make the transition from page to screen with any degree of
success, so I am very pleased to report that Walter Salles' film, while
no masterpiece, has largely succeeded in capturing the essence of the
book thanks to some judicious casting and Salles' eye for landscape.
There
isn't much in the way of plot. The book, and consequently this film,
describes Kerouac's friendship and fascination with the charismatic and
mostly unstable Neal Cassidy. Here Kerouac is called Sal Paradise and
Cassidy, Dean Moriarty who became as potent a fictional anti-hero for
the post-war generation of young Americans as Holden Caufield. The fact
that Moriarty is a thoroughly unlikable character doesn't help an
audience identify with him but Garrett Hedlund is brilliant in the part.
Indeed it's mostly the performances that carry the film.
The young British actor Sam Riley is a highly credible Paradise/Kerouac while another British actor, Tom Sturridge makes for a convincing Allen Ginsberg surrogate and there are several outstanding cameos from Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen as the William Burroughs character but it is Kristen Stewart who walks off with the picture as Moriarty's child-bride, MaryLou. Of course, since this film came out Stewart has cemented her reputation with her award-winning performance in THE CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA and was one of the toasts of this years Cannes festival with her performances in Woody Allen's CAFE SOCIETY and PERSONAL SHOPPER.
It also looks wonderful thanks to the lensing of DoP Eric Gautier as we journey back and forth across the US. And yet the film was not a success. Perhaps its free-wheeling narrative, its sense of the past and its cast of not very appealing characters didn't gel with either critics or audiences. Still, it's one of the few literary adaptations of recent years that actually works; seek it out.
There
isn't much in the way of plot. The book, and consequently this film,
describes Kerouac's friendship and fascination with the charismatic and
mostly unstable Neal Cassidy. Here Kerouac is called Sal Paradise and
Cassidy, Dean Moriarty who became as potent a fictional anti-hero for
the post-war generation of young Americans as Holden Caufield. The fact
that Moriarty is a thoroughly unlikable character doesn't help an
audience identify with him but Garrett Hedlund is brilliant in the part.
Indeed it's mostly the performances that carry the film.The young British actor Sam Riley is a highly credible Paradise/Kerouac while another British actor, Tom Sturridge makes for a convincing Allen Ginsberg surrogate and there are several outstanding cameos from Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen as the William Burroughs character but it is Kristen Stewart who walks off with the picture as Moriarty's child-bride, MaryLou. Of course, since this film came out Stewart has cemented her reputation with her award-winning performance in THE CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA and was one of the toasts of this years Cannes festival with her performances in Woody Allen's CAFE SOCIETY and PERSONAL SHOPPER.
It also looks wonderful thanks to the lensing of DoP Eric Gautier as we journey back and forth across the US. And yet the film was not a success. Perhaps its free-wheeling narrative, its sense of the past and its cast of not very appealing characters didn't gel with either critics or audiences. Still, it's one of the few literary adaptations of recent years that actually works; seek it out.
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