On The Road Preview

It’s quite possible to argue that a person’s response to the film adaptation of On The Road will depend entirely on their reaction to the revered book upon which it’s based. Not being a fan of Kerouac’s autobiographical opus, the film had to do a lot to win me over and whilst it doesn’t eradicate many of the issues I had with the book, I was pleasantly surprised with much of the adaptation.

It helps that the casting is very strong, with Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty replicating the highs of Friday Night Lights as opposed to the lows of Tron: Legacy. Sam Riley is perfectly fine as Sal Paradise and Kristen Stewart manages the right balance between naivety and vulnerability. The strong supporting cast is rounded out by Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams and a scene-stealing Viggo Mortensen.

As with the book, the story is meandering and repetitive but the film looks beautiful and the resolution is affecting as the inevitable parting of ways of Paradise and Moriarty is nicely played out. It’s difficult to imagine a better adaptation of the book being made so if you loved the book, the chances are you’ll love this film.

On The Road is out in the UK on September 21.

[embed width=550]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDIcTQpLyQ[/embed]