The Road

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The Road

R

2009

1h 50m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

216 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.

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Critics Consensus

The Road's commitment to Cormac McCarthy's dark vision may prove too unyielding for some, but the film benefits from hauntingly powerful performances from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi McPhee.

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Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

Sep 13, 2022

I still recommend The Road; just keep in mind that this is Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale, not Richard Matheson's.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Aug 30, 2018

I cannot say how faithful this is but, having read other McCarthy books, would say the novel probably repaid your attention with its astonishing prose. This, though, puts you through the wringer, but doesn't repay you in any way.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

Jan 16, 2018

It wasn't fascinating at all. The movie looked like it cost $500 to make, excluding actors' salaries, which were worth another $500.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 28, 2025

2/5

Bleak and grim are understatements. It's hard to come away liking a movie with this little innocence or hope.

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

May 7, 2024

3/5

While The Road is not without its impressive aspects, it has not efficiently pulled taut the slack created by the loss of McCarthy’s commanding prose. And so, it is hard to avoid the sense that it needn’t have been made at all.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Aug 30, 2023

4/4

Plan to see it twice—once to familiarize yourself with its unconventional, non-commercial method of storytelling, and a second time that allows you to submerge into the material, to appreciate how stunningly composed it is.

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Noel L

@RT15930389 5 days ago

Felt somewhat cliche with the whole apocalypse and two people theme, but still a well done story

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Victoria S

@vickys Oct 12, 2026

So often, if not always, a movie has to speak to your life. Even a cheesy movie might mean everything to you and nothing to somebody else. I am very grateful for this effort. For anyone in the world who has ever been through anything significantly hard, even horrifying, and trying to save those you love, this is the exact right movie for you. I doubt that any better acting is to be found anywhere.

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MG_Claymore C

@Claymore Sep 14, 2026

Its not badly made. Realistic and somewhat gritty. That one scene is hard to watch. It hits you emotionally a couple of times. But its hard to love a film with this little hope in it.

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Jim R

@RT62647494 Sep 12, 2026

The boy appears to be about 12 years old. Did he really have to whine and cry like a 5 year old? Annoying as hell. They should have matured him mentally a few years or cast a younger boy actor.

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Filippos S

@RT85468875 Sep 7, 2026

Great concept, striking dystopian landscapes, and some pretty realistic situations in terms of how people might behave in a world that has completely collapsed. Viggo Mortensen gives a strong performance. The kid, however, got pretty tiring for me. He was constantly crying and whining. Sure, he’s only around 8–10 years old and lives in constant fear, so I understand that to an extent. But at the same time, he was born and raised in this dystopian world ..he never knew comfort, safety, or a normal life. I would have expected him to be somewhat more adapted to that reality rather than terrified of almost everything all the time.I also really didn’t like the young actor’s performance. I found him unconvincing in quite a few scenes, and the constant crying and whining ended up annoying me more than making me feel for his character.

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Daniel L

@Hotchopeppa Aug 27, 2026

Ok. Not amazing. Wasn’t a whole lot of action or adventure to this movie. Really just a sad story about a father and son.

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John Hillcoat

Director

Viggo Mortensen

The Man

Kodi Smit-McPhee

The Boy

Charlize Theron

Wife

Robert Duvall

Old Man

Guy Pearce

The Veteran

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Synopsis

America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.

Director: John Hillcoat
Producer: Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Nick Wechsler
Screenwriter: Joe Penhall
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Dimension Films, Chockstone Pictures, 2929 Productions
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.1M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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