Reservation Road
Focus Features | Release Date: October 19, 2007
6.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
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12
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
MorganW.Jan 31, 2009
I think this is one of the best films of 2007. I disagree with those who think that there is no redemption in this story. It rivals films like The Believer in its portrayal of internal conflict, and it is a beautiful (and heartbreaking) I think this is one of the best films of 2007. I disagree with those who think that there is no redemption in this story. It rivals films like The Believer in its portrayal of internal conflict, and it is a beautiful (and heartbreaking) study of morality. This film is undoubtedly worth seeing.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
10
NazguleroDec 14, 2010
The only criterium I have for liking or not liking a movie is: do I keep watching ? This one, I definitely did keep watching. The acting is superb, the unfolding drama and conflict are intense. I wonder why these movies never really make itThe only criterium I have for liking or not liking a movie is: do I keep watching ? This one, I definitely did keep watching. The acting is superb, the unfolding drama and conflict are intense. I wonder why these movies never really make it to the big screen...… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
6
ChadS.Apr 10, 2008
There's a small minority out there who felt that Todd Field's award-winning "In the Bedroom" went off the rails in the final act when the father of the dead goes after his son's attacker. Some believe, me included, that the There's a small minority out there who felt that Todd Field's award-winning "In the Bedroom" went off the rails in the final act when the father of the dead goes after his son's attacker. Some believe, me included, that the mild-mannered father's pro-active approach towards justice was antithetical to his character, therefore, the ensuing premeditated violence seemed to have come out of the blue. In "Reservation Road", an irate father doesn't take the high road either, but you can see the payback from a mile away, and it might(or might not) be a bitch. "Reservation Road" is not a flawed film. It's a film with flaws, but not fatally so. The performances bear the weight of the many plot contrivances. In particular, Jennifer Connelly, who obliterates her sexpot past in a crying scene motivated by that most heartbreaking of epiphanies-I'm responsible for my child's death. She's not, and as the story progresses, Grace(Connelly) seems to have arrived at that conclusion. But here's the problem. While "Reservation Road" is busy showing us how Ethan(Joaquin Phoenix) reaches a mindset by which Dwight's days are suddenly numbered, the film neglects to detail Grace's inroads to the halfway house of her own making. Grace still mourns her son, but at some undocumented juncture, she stopped blaming herself. Connelly is so good here, you'll wish that "Reservation Road" didn't veer away from her road to recovery. The film takes leave of that bumpy thoroughfare and runs smack dab into another artery, Ethan's artery. When the boy dies, Emma(Elle Fanning) is consoled by her father. She's her father's daughter. Sean(Josh Learner) was his mother's son. Her pain, not his, should always be the focal point of "Reservation Road".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
PaulW.Apr 2, 2008
2 hours of the most ridiculous melodrama with no end in sight which becomes progressingly worse after half way. A hit and run tale is a sad one but surely this doesn't justify bludgeoning the audience with overwrought drama scene after 2 hours of the most ridiculous melodrama with no end in sight which becomes progressingly worse after half way. A hit and run tale is a sad one but surely this doesn't justify bludgeoning the audience with overwrought drama scene after scene after scene. While there is practically no story progression to speak of and no development in the 2 dimensional characters, the leaden script makes every bit of acting feel completely overdone. Any sympathy for the characters? forget it, they are merely cardboard soap-personae who don't exist in the real world and who soon become highly annoying as such. Cringeworthy at best, this lackluster storytelling-void will be forgotten soon and rightfully so. Do yourself a favor and see something else… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
TrevorD.Apr 18, 2008
Brilliant story line.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JayH.Mar 29, 2008
Starts out very promising, but there are too many coincidences and the pace slows. Still, I always found it interesting, even though it is improbable. Well acted.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
TonyB.Jun 17, 2008
What could have and should have been a fine film is not. The main problem here is that the two nominal leads are its weakest links. Joaquin Phoenix is not able for a minute to evoke the sympathy and compassion we should feel for him. Grief What could have and should have been a fine film is not. The main problem here is that the two nominal leads are its weakest links. Joaquin Phoenix is not able for a minute to evoke the sympathy and compassion we should feel for him. Grief is not depicted well when it becomes obsessive. Mark Ruffalo is so obviously the "bad" guy that one wonders if the people around him are in a coma that prevents them from seeing him for what he is. Jennifer Connolly's role should have been more fleshed out, especially since she has a clear grasp of what it is all about.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
Tss5078Aug 1, 2016
Some stories can be extremely compelling and make for truly heart-wrenching drama, but no matter how real the story is or how much we feel for the characters, there are only so many angles and so many ways to tell a story. After a schoolSome stories can be extremely compelling and make for truly heart-wrenching drama, but no matter how real the story is or how much we feel for the characters, there are only so many angles and so many ways to tell a story. After a school residual, The Learner family stops to get gas and their 10 year old son goes to release fireflies by the side of the road. At the same time, a man returning from the Red Sox game is more interested in his cell phone than the road, and runs the young boy over. From there on the movie is as you would expect it to be. One side is devastated while the other is in cover up mode. The police investigation, vigilantism, bereavement, and the justice system get involved in what turns out to be little more than a lifetime movie of the week. Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic as the grieving father out seeking revenge, in the kind of performance that really makes you feel for the guy, but aside from that, Reservation Road is just a very predictable film that is out for one thing, your tears. It's a sad story told from every possible angle, covering every possible thing that could happen in a situation like this, and it's definitely preaching about the dangers of distracted driving. If not for the huge cast, this could have easily been a lifetime movie, as the writing was that predictable and amateurish. The bottom line on Reservation Road is that it's a preachy, predictable, tear-jerker, without much substance, probably not worth your time unless you like that kind of thing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
DawdlingPoetNov 25, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a drama thriller film which covers themes including accidents, deception and pursuit of justice. It has quite a sinister feel to it thanks to the unsettling, spooky incidental music and the various characters are shown trying to decide how to move on from the initial event. It is a hard watch at times, with the affected family clearly being profoundly hurt and struggling to deal with what has taken place. I found myself feeling very sorry for the affected characters, given the situation, its something that I wouldn't wish anyone to go through, involving loss (I'm trying not to give too much away but its very difficult to review this kind of film without giving any little hints of aspects of the plot). I found myself siding or otherwise agreeing with what Ethan (one of the main characters) said - his frustrations and concerns with the legal system and so on. I felt it was more of a psychological drama than anything else, with the film making me wonder what it might be like to be in certain peoples shoes and wondering why people did what they did. As I say, I wouldn't like to go in to too much detail but I felt there was definitely a moral aspect to it and it was relatively thought provoking due to this.

Cast wise, Joaquin Phoenix plays Ethan Learner - he gives an admirably emotional performance, playing his role well. He looked the part of a regular joe, a local businessman affected by a bad situation. Meanwhile, Mira Sorvino plays Ruth Wheldon, Jennifer Connelly plays Grace Learner and Mark Ruffalo plays Dwight Arno, people who were also affected, but in a different way, by what happened. Other cast members include Antoni Corone as Sergeant Burke and Sean Curley as Josh.

The plot, I felt, seemed reasonably unpredictable, in a good way, as I wasn't sure quite how things would pan out but I liked that. Suffice to say, it had me second guessing things for a fair while. Some of the scenes had a real feeling of vulnerability about them, in a sense that we (i.e. the viewer) felt that something sudden may be about to happen but what with the low light etc., we couldn't be sure what may or may not happen. It is relatively unsettling - I wouldn't say its a scary film as such but it is reasonably tense.

Content wise, the film contains one or two instances of violence (if but brief) and very volatile situations, in which quite violent acts may take place. There are a few instances of strong language and generally the main themes of the film are somewhat dark and thus could be somewhat frightening to some people but otherwise there isn't a great deal in the way of graphic content likely to greatly upset or offend people. The film has been given a 15 rating in the UK, which I was a little surprised about, as I'd have thought it would possibly be ok with the slightly lower 12 rating but thats the official classification in any case.

The plot is quite clever in a sense and I'd go so far as to say that its quite refreshing to see how the story develops with the information the viewer has from the get-go, as traditionally we wouldn't know so much. It puts a new spin on things. It isn't in any way an extraordinary film with amazing big budget effects or anything like that, in fact it looked, visually, more like a cheap made-for-TV-film, if anything but as a character development focussed film, it does well.

Yes, I think I would recommend it - as I say, it isn't especially amazing on the visual effects side of things but it features decent performances and is quite thought provoking, plus it is quite sinister, certainly at the start.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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