The Road

Dimension Films | Release Date: November 25, 2009

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 372 Ratings

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dagirlsJun 3, 2014

Bare pass for this movie. Very depressing fare without even the smallest glimmer of hope basically. Good strong acting from the lead didm't raise it much due to the overwhelming weight of the script. Absolutely leaden in places. I don't thinkBare pass for this movie. Very depressing fare without even the smallest glimmer of hope basically. Good strong acting from the lead didm't raise it much due to the overwhelming weight of the script. Absolutely leaden in places. I don't think there is another film out there that is darker in terms of theme. I don't recommend this movie much. Probably has big fans in people who think that half decent SF like Aeon Flux were awful. Even if AF was based on a cmic it was still better than this black napkin of a movie.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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HotelCentralOct 24, 2018

Google defines tedious as "too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous," and that pretty much says it all. The film is less a film than simply a moving picture. There's so little story here you could cover it in a single sentence.

"TheGoogle defines tedious as "too long, slow, or dull: tiresome or monotonous," and that pretty much says it all. The film is less a film than simply a moving picture. There's so little story here you could cover it in a single sentence.

"The Road" is nine minutes short of two hours and by the halfway point it becomes excruciating. The only surprise is that I managed to sit through it till the end. I shouldn't have bothered.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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amheretojudgeMar 6, 2019

Brood And Breed.

The Road Hillcoat is confident in his world. Almost as if too much confident at times. The stillness and the rawness that he has captured is both his major asset and the upset. Stillness, mostly favors in on actors accountBrood And Breed.

The Road

Hillcoat is confident in his world. Almost as if too much confident at times. The stillness and the rawness that he has captured is both his major asset and the upset. Stillness, mostly favors in on actors account as they never miss a chance to flaunt in their skills at these moments. But the rawness that makes it authentic, can also be jarringly haunting and off putting on terms of the appeal. Armed with a sharp absorbing adaptation, John Hillcoat- the director- has unfortunately lost the structure and somehow the spark of the game these characters are involved in.

What could have been fascinating is the film not obliged to specific various acts, since it is only one big act, a build up of the finale. But that one big act certainly overstay its welcome and takes things for granted. As far as verbal sparring is concerned there isn't much to rely upon, as mentioned before, the film relies upon physical sequences to speak volume and the man to look forward on such instances is of course Viggo Mortensen. His gaze whilst brooding onto various aspects of the location or situation comes in handy in this world.

But what grounds and humanizes his character, is the way he looks at his boy (Kodi Smit- McPhee), there is nothing but peace left in your heart as he teaches and corrects him. And when the time comes to take tough decisions, his pain and fear is what drives Mortensen to amplify the momentum or the drama to a cinematic level. The guest cast like Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce comes in and does their work expectantly and fulfills their importance on screen. The Road is hard, long and unfortunately bumpy, with none whatsoever rest in this journey, it can grow tiresome for the audience.… Expand

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heloheApr 27, 2015

stupid annoying boy ruins the movie. movie does not make any sense at many points: all vegetation has been destroyed for like 10 years or so, but there are leaves on the floor everywhere and bushes and stuff

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Trev29Sep 3, 2012

The movie was gripping, but it was just too depressing to watch because it was really boring and dull and dark at times. There is no possible way I can actually say I enjoyed the movie or even thought provoking.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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venceApr 28, 2013

Dumb movie, the kid is gay and i wanted all along to choke him with my bare hands, he wouldn't survive 5 min without hes father and yet he wants to spread love in a cannibalistic post apocalyptic world, of course at the end of the movie theDumb movie, the kid is gay and i wanted all along to choke him with my bare hands, he wouldn't survive 5 min without hes father and yet he wants to spread love in a cannibalistic post apocalyptic world, of course at the end of the movie the producers conveniently avoid putting him in harms way situation by making him meet a good guy, but we all know that such gay and useless prick will end up raped and eaten in a true post apocalyptic world… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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evilgamer3560Aug 12, 2015

Mundane post-apocalyptic tear-jerk that has nothing to offer other than a couple of alright scenes which get solved with asspulls
Don't watch if you're expecting something that would actually happen, as it's clearly something that didn'tMundane post-apocalyptic tear-jerk that has nothing to offer other than a couple of alright scenes which get solved with asspulls
Don't watch if you're expecting something that would actually happen, as it's clearly something that didn't have any thought put into it other than "we maek guy die it be sad pepol wil cry and raet 10/10"
Watch Threads instead… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Tim_schaalApr 26, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Road directed by Johan Hillcoat is based upon the book of Cormac McCarthy by the same name is a movie no lover of the book could even like, as it takes the minimalism of the original and attempts to poorly imitate it by using extreme visuals which lack the sense of desolation truly required for the feel of desolation that is attempted to be revealed to us, instead it appears to be more of a cold winter with a bunch of hobos fighting for some scraps of food in an ruined county in the middle of nowhere. This book lacks the impact of the Man and the Boy meeting upon the old house of the Man. Instead the focus is on the inconsistent character development seen throughout the movie. The worst example of this is the Boy, who goes from responsible adolescent to an incompetent small child who would die the second he met a hedgehog. Additionally some screen time was used to develop concepts of the movie that almost did not have to be. This time could have been used to create a greater impact of the devastation in the world, a more coherent character development or even to close some pretty severe logical fallacies. In this aspect it is perhaps quite similar to the book as there are quite a lot of logical fallacies which show up throughout the movie. Though not all is lost in this movie. The ending is even more brilliant than the book an can be considered a masterpiece, if the logical fallacies are ignored as they often are in the movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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BradHFeb 4, 2010

Well acted and well filmed, but really rather monotonous and dull when it boils down. And the ending - very poor. Too long with too little going on.

2 of 3 users found this helpful

JoeMFeb 10, 2010

A painfully boring and shallow view of the apocalypse. The plot to this film literally goes nothing by the end of the film nothing is accomplished. It just ends. Viggo does the best he can and the cinematography is top notch. But that A painfully boring and shallow view of the apocalypse. The plot to this film literally goes nothing by the end of the film nothing is accomplished. It just ends. Viggo does the best he can and the cinematography is top notch. But that doesn't change the fact that this movie is overly bleak(not one single questions is answered) and that the story goes nowhere. This is truly painfull to watch.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful

Tss5078Feb 24, 2013

From the writer of No Country For Old Men, comes yet another tale about the end of the world. From the previews, I thought this movie had promise, that it would be different from other post-apocalyptic stories, but it wasn't. It's the tale ofFrom the writer of No Country For Old Men, comes yet another tale about the end of the world. From the previews, I thought this movie had promise, that it would be different from other post-apocalyptic stories, but it wasn't. It's the tale of a father and son wondering aimlessly just trying to survive. Nothing is at all explained, there are weird flashbacks, and there are way too many interactions with people. Most of the world is gone, not a single animal survived, yet everywhere you go, you run into people, crazy people, most of whom are cannibals. Viggo Mortensen does give a pretty solid performance, however Kodi Smit-McPhee does not. I've never seen him in anything before, but the whole movie, he's hiding, whining, and screaming papa, it got really annoying! It was awful, I felt like they kept acting out the same scene over and over again in a different location. Nothing happens, there's no plot, and the dialogue is just stupid. This movie is a huge waste of time.… Expand

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rolfoFeb 14, 2010

Oh my God what a lousy, boring movie! You don't fool me by trying to be artistic or artsy farty! This is one sleeping pill of a movie. And that lame kid! How many times can you sa Papa! before the audience puke? Bring back the good old Oh my God what a lousy, boring movie! You don't fool me by trying to be artistic or artsy farty! This is one sleeping pill of a movie. And that lame kid! How many times can you sa Papa! before the audience puke? Bring back the good old days when postapocalypse movies stood for Mohawks, sawed off shot guns and naked barbarian babes.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful

lnformerMar 18, 2011

This movie made me suffer, a lot! If this is what the post-apocalyptic world looks like then release me out of my misery a.s.a.p. I couldn't even survive the few hours this movie lasted, let alone a lifetime. This was pure torture, it gaveThis movie made me suffer, a lot! If this is what the post-apocalyptic world looks like then release me out of my misery a.s.a.p. I couldn't even survive the few hours this movie lasted, let alone a lifetime. This was pure torture, it gave you glimpses and teases of something was going to happen but it never did. The worst part is everything looks and sounds so promising, you actually want to give this movie a chance. You want it to be good and give you that satisfaction. But it doesn't. This movie is the ultimate teaser!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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PeteC.Nov 26, 2009

This is a movie that pretentious people will pretend to enjoy in order to seem artistically savvy. It's really bleak visually and thematically in a tedious way and leaves you wondering why anyone would want to make a movie this This is a movie that pretentious people will pretend to enjoy in order to seem artistically savvy. It's really bleak visually and thematically in a tedious way and leaves you wondering why anyone would want to make a movie this depressing. And I enjoyed Precious.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful

rockonJan 9, 2017

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Both boring and depressing. Not much of a plot line. If you have a problem with depression don't watch this movie or you'll probably kill yourself. How did Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen end upOne of the worst movies I've ever seen. Both boring and depressing. Not much of a plot line. If you have a problem with depression don't watch this movie or you'll probably kill yourself. How did Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen end up in this stinker? It's just awful.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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KevinRNov 27, 2009

Utterly unbearable and not because it's grim. It pastes together every post-apocalyptic cliche into a directionless mishmash. The dialogue is worn and tired when it isn't downright stupid.

2 of 3 users found this helpful

GrantP.Nov 27, 2009

I expected it to be half-decent judging by these reviews, yet I was extremely disappointed. The entire movie was just a mesh of plain, thoughtless dialogue with little explanation of what the driving events were.

2 of 4 users found this helpful

kidcoyoteAug 11, 2010

I never read the book (even though I knew it was adapted before hand.) I actually was excited to see this one, boy was I disappointed. No wonder it only stayed in my local theatre for one week. It's a whole lot of boring. Don't get me wrong II never read the book (even though I knew it was adapted before hand.) I actually was excited to see this one, boy was I disappointed. No wonder it only stayed in my local theatre for one week. It's a whole lot of boring. Don't get me wrong I like a psychological movie but this movie didn't really have a point. In any good story you need to create enough tension for you to at least care about what happens to the main characters. This is the first movie (other than the Twilight movies) I literally just turned off and say I'll finish this later. I don't know how this movie ends but from what I watch I got bored just waiting for something to happen. I only got as far as when Viggo's character meets Duvall's. And the grainy cinematography (while I understand why it was chosen, it does fit the film's subject matter) just made the film unwatchable on my wide-screen HDTV.… Expand

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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AvalordFeb 11, 2019

Utterly depressive. I cannot understand all those positive reviews. If I had done simply nothing for the two hours. I would have least not feel that kind of exhausted!

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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StefanBentsenSep 4, 2020

Boring, climate propaganda. The main characters were both unlikable, they make stupid decisions, have no redeeming qualities and are just flat out annoying. Also, the fact that EVERYTHING was gray was a bad choice.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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