Iffy for 15+
Touching but grim futuristic tale won't appeal to kids.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Road (based on the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy) is a relentlessly grim, gray portrait of a future in which an unnamed disaster has wiped most living things from the Earth, food is scarce, and people have resorted to cannibalism. (In other words, not a kid movie!) The main characters are a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his 10-year-old son; their relationship is wonderfully touching and ever hopeful, but the surrounding movie is depressing and sometimes violent, with many depictions of and references to suicide (including the boy's mother), as well as some scenes with gunfire and threats. Though older teens and adults may find it a meaningful, if not exactly entertaining, experience, know that it's not the Mad Max-type action movie that some ads have promised.
- Families can talk about the unnamed disaster that brought the world to this point. What would life be like after something like that? What could or couldn't you do anymore?
- Why is the boy more hopeful and trustworthy than his father? What could the boy know or understand that his father doesn't?
- What made the boy's mother commit suicide? Why did she give up hope when the man and the boy still had hope?
The good stuff
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Messages: Overall the movie creates a feeling of hopelessness, with its relentlessly gray world destroyed by the hand of man (though it's never explained exactly what happened). But the man still clings to his responsibility to raise and teach the boy all the things he knows, in the hope that there still might be a future, somehow. Likewise, their continuing journey to the sea is also based on the hope that something will still be there.
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Role models: The man is something of a positive role model, since he continues to hope and to plan a future for his boy, no matter how uncertain it may be. But at the same time, he succumbs to frustration and paranoia and refuses to trust anyone. The boy, born after the disaster, turns out to be the movie's real role model. He's open-hearted and wishes to help others, and his hope is purer.
What to watch for
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Violence: Not a huge quantity of violent scenes, but what's included can be quite disturbing. There's plenty of suicide and suggestions of suicide, with people giving up hope in a hopeless future -- including the boy's mother, who kills herself with a gun. At one point, roadside bandits threaten the heroes, gunshots are exchanged, and a man is killed. A gun is also pointed at the boy. More guns are used to threaten people. The man is shot by arrows from a crossbow, which is followed by a bloody, gruesome "first-aid" scene. The man and boy also find a flare gun. Cannibalism is suggested but not shown.
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Sex: Not an issue
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Language: Several (though not constant) uses of both "f--k" and "s--t," as well as "hell," "damn," "goddamn," and "ass."
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Consumerism: Even in a desolate future, a few brand-name products survive. The man and the boy find a last can of Coca-Cola in a vending machine, and in one major scene, they find an underground bunker stocked with food. The boy eats Cheetos and mispronounces their name: "Chee-TOSS." The man and the boy drink Vitamin Water. Some labels can be briefly glimpsed in the background.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: In the bunker scene, the man opens a bottle of whisky and drinks. The boy wants to know what it is and wants to taste it, but the man refuses. "It makes you feel funny," he says.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Best Apocalyptic Film in Years (but not for the TV Babies) by harmonicp
This film certainly seems to provoke mixed reactions. Many of the published reviews I've read are either favorable or unfavorable based on how well the critic thinks film stacks up against the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. I haven't read it, and therefore have no basis for comparison. So for me the questions is: did the filmmakers and actors succeed in creating something beautiful, truthful and timeless? For my money: YES, and let's add to that list of descriptors "heartbreaking", "disturbing" and "haunting". Movie fans hoping for "Armageddon" or "The Terminator" will be disappointed in this vision of the apocalypse. There are few pyrotechnics, almost no SPFX, and the pacing is slow - more "2001" than "2012". Like "Children of Men", it requires an actual attention span and a stomach for melancholy, which is apparently too much to ask of many viewers. But for those who can appreciate the grim atmosphere, exquisite acting and all-too-believable premise and dialogue, this film is a gem.
4
Not a Road for Everyone by Gangsteroflove7
Director John Hillcoat has the monumental task of filming a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel that has been called possibly the book of the decade. The screenwriter needs to win an Oscar for putting together a script from a novel that featured hardly any character names and no written dialouge.
Viggo Mortensen as "Poppa" and newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee as "son" are near flawless in the post-apocalyptic saga that is difficult to watch yet impossible to pull your eyes away from. Definitely not a feel-good film, but those who knew McCarthy's work would have already been aware of that.
I am dismayed at the poor reception and box office tallies this film has received to date. It appears, like with another best-selling novel that is being shunned at the box office - "The Lovely Bones", it is more comfortable for people to read about murder and the end of the world and not to watch it on the big screen. What a shame - guess these means Hollywood will continue to make unoriginal nonsense and
5
The Road: a movie that will change the thinking persons life. by mz8l18
This film will be viewed in university level classes. This is going to be one of those films the general public will hate and it will fade away into oblivion, but for a few it will cause them to change the worldview that they may have grown up with. The setting is bleak and depressing but this is only the subtext to the story about a relationship between a father and his son in the darkests of situations. . The ending is inspiring and is worth the journey in a world where hope is merely a myth. As I have read these reviews, it demonstrates why hollywood is pumping out cookie cutter products. It is exactly what most of the drones want to see. This movie. suprisingly. is close to the book for a movie. If "The Road" does not get an academy or acclaim it will be a very sad day. I was so moved by this movie that it brought me to tears ( this has only happened to me twice) but after having seen the movie I was happy that I was sad.
4
Apocalyptic movie centered around a father and son. by richardmacgurn
I loved this movie. Good acting all around, good story, very bleak and realistic for its genre. But if you're expecting anything more than what it is then you'll be disappointed. There are no eye-popping special effects, no happy moments, and no clever plot twists. This is on the dark side of the apocalyptic spectrum. Ironically though, although it is very dark and sad, it doesn't go far enough in that direction for me. It is a powerful drama about extreme survival and the love between father and son. There is constant tension and anxiety throughout their journey and you never feel comfortable or safe and with good reason. Most of the humans who have survived to this point have gone far beyond the depravity of cannibalism because this is a stage 4 apocalyptic scenario. There is no hope, no god, no good, and no fun for anyone. There is only survival, and for the father, his only motivation is for his son to survive and maybe, just maybe, one day he'll be happy...
5
Pretty true to the book, IMHO by per_gaby
There were a few liberties taken with the movie, but none that were too obvious or completely changed the tone of the story. I loved the movie as much as I loved the book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic stories! (great casting by the way!)
4
What a movie! by anthonyfdmovie
Never heard of the movie until I saw it listed online. It was only showing in two movie theaters but seemed interesting to see. So glad I did. My girlfriend was tear jerked throughout the movie and I was taken back on the father/son relationship (having a son of my own the same age had me thinking). It's been over a week and I am still buzzing from the movie. For well made movie and so glad they did not reveal what started the whole thing, it allowed you to focus on the characters and their role on survival.
5
RIVETTING RENDITION OF POST-APOCALYPTIC PURGATORY by Muvibuff
ACTORS: Vigo Mortenson is always on his "A" game, and this movie is no exception. For comparisons sake, he easily rivals Will Smiths displays of paternal desperation "The Pursuit of Happiness". Charlize Theron and the boy (whom I suspect is an actual relative, but am not willing to spend the time checking on it) both deserve Oscars for their performances. 5 of 5 STARS
STORY: Post apocalyptic movie in the truest sense. For those who enjoy this genre subset, you will not be dissapointed. For all those adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers out there, I wouldn't waste your time. This movie moves at a snails pace; and anyone who is unwilling to wait and watch the masterpiece unravel in its own good time will find themselves ho-humming through the brunt of it wondering if you should have just stayed home and watched RUSH HOUR 2 on TBS for the seventh time. 4 of 5 stars
OVERALL: Take your best friend to this movie for mutual post-cinematic contemplation of humankind and its petty toils.
5
Disturbing, yet fantastic! by dbrogers
There are many "why'd they do that? I wouldn't!" moments, but this drama is a great flick. I appreciate it and the questions you ask of the movie are always debatable, which really helps you deal with the choices the characters make. It doesn't glamorize the end of the world with zombie killing heroes, and silly save-the-day, Arks. Your teenager will most likely not appreciate because it's too realistic and you know how they hate reality.
3
An unembellished tale of survivalism, depression and isolation by jk_fandango
Do not go to this movie to be entertained. The bleakness and hopelessness are relentless. At the sympathetic indy theater where I saw this on opening night, the credits were greeted with perfect silence and hurried exits. Not really out of disgust or disapproval or rapt contemplation or drained exhaustion, but simple "What is there to say about this?"
Don't get me wrong, this movie is technically very well done and well-acted, and I love this concept. But it just leaves you with very little, but a sense of barrenness and mortality. No real messages. No real drama or development. A tenuous glint of possible hope in the last five minutes.
In terms of spirit and tone, this is not a "Day After Tomorrow", or even a "28 Days Later", although there are distinct conceptual similarities to both of these. Again, this movie is not really about entertainment. More similar in tone to "Antichrist", but without the unbearable pretense and absurd nuttiness.