On the Road 2012

On the Road

Critics Consensus

Beautiful to look at but a bit too respectfully crafted, On the Road doesn't capture the energy and inspiration of Jack Kerouac's novel.

44%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 153

34%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 10,927

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On the Road Photos

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Movie Info

An aspiring writer (Sam Riley), his new friend (Garrett Hedlund) and his friend's seductive wife (Kristen Stewart) heed the call of the open road.

Cast & Crew

Garrett Hedlund
Dean Moriarty, Neal Cassady
Sam Riley
Sal Paradise, Jack Kerouac
Kristen Stewart
Marylou, LuAnne Henderson
Amy Adams
Jane, Joan Vollmer
Tom Sturridge
Carlo Marx, Allen Ginsberg
Danny Morgan
Ed Dunkel, Al Hinkle
Alice Braga
Terry, Bea Franco
Marie-Ginette Guay
Ma Paradise
Elisabeth Moss
Galatea Dunkel, Helen Hinkle
Kirsten Dunst
Camille, Carolyn Cassady
Walter Salles
Director
Jose Rivera
Screenwriter
Nathanaël Karmitz
Producer
Charles Gillibert
Producer
Rebecca Yeldham
Producer
Roman Coppola
Producer
Francis Ford Coppola
Executive Producer
John Williams
Executive Producer
Jerry Leider
Executive Producer
Tessa Ross
Executive Producer
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News & Interviews for On the Road

Critics Consensus: Jack Reacher Features Tom Cruise in Control
Garrett Hedlund Talks On the Road
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Critic Reviews for On the Road

All Critics (153) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (85)

View All Critic Reviews (153)

Audience Reviews for On the Road

  • Sep 28, 2015
    Sal Paradise goes on the road with Dean Moriarty and company. This film is less than the sum of its parts. In his effort to get the feeling of the Beat Generation, director Walter Salles has some quick edits and some free-wheeling music and some of the lines lifted from Kerouac's novel - all cinematic tricks that should work, but yet there's still something staid about this film. Perhaps it's the gravelly voiced Garrett Hedlund, who seems more focused on the image of Sal than the character, or perhaps it's the hackneyed shoe-horn of a script. Or perhaps Kerouac was never meant to be adapted. Overall, it was worth a shot, but this is one book-to-film adaptation that missed the mark.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Nov 06, 2013
    The best teacher is experience. Good movie! The cinematography is outstanding, and it is a sight to behold, beautiful landscapes, a smooth, delicate filmic texture. Overall, the film is light on plot. It's mostly character study and exposition. However, that's On the Road. The film is based on a Kerouac stream-of-consciousness novel. It's about his hero worship with Dean and the ultimate disillusionment he feels with him. The conflict and resolution isn't your typical climax and ending of a film. Shaken by the death of his father and discouraged by his stalled career, writer Sal Paradise goes on a road trip hoping for inspiration. While traveling, he is befriended by charismatic and fearless Dean Moriarty and Moriarty's free-spirited and seductive young wife, Marylou. Traveling across the American southwest together, they strive to break from conformity and and search the unknown, and their decisions change the very course of their lives.
    Manu G Super Reviewer
  • Aug 06, 2013
    At least the film doesn't bombard the audience with a series of obvious juxtapositions (the beatniks vs. shocked normal people), but it lacks a soul. Even without emotional investment in the story, I feel like I should point out how great Garrett Hedlund is as Dean Moriarty. He stands head and shoulders above the rest.
    Alec B Super Reviewer
  • Aug 06, 2013
    Ugh! Mopey people being miserable. That's not entertainment.
    jay n Super Reviewer
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On the Road Quotes

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