X
- 2013
- R
- Ketchup Entertainment
- 1 h 21 m
- 2013
- R
- Ketchup Entertainment
- 1 h 21 m
Summary A recounting of Jack Kerouac's (here known by the name of his fictional alter-ego Jack Duluoz) three sojourns to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur.
Directed By: Michael Polish
Written By: Jack Kerouac, Michael Polish
- 2013
- R
- Ketchup Entertainment
- 1 h 21 m
- 2013
- R
- Ketchup Entertainment
- 1 h 21 m
Big Sur
49
4.8
Where to Watch
Summary A recounting of Jack Kerouac's (here known by the name of his fictional alter-ego Jack Duluoz) three sojourns to poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur.
Directed By: Michael Polish
Written By: Jack Kerouac, Michael Polish
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
49
43% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
29% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
29% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
49
43% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
29% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
29% Negative
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
Filmed without a trace of sentimentality, Big Sur is an achingly sad last hurrah.
Although no less fawning and indulgent about its self-centered subject, played by Jean-Marc Barr (who also narrates, run-on style), the muted emptiness of the ill-fated sojourn wills its way toward something like existential meaningfulness.
Filming a truly immersive and dimensional adaptation of a Kerouac novel remains an ongoing challenge for any filmmaker, but Polish’s film comes closer than most, while adding another layer of complexity to the author’s venerable reputation.
Nobody’s given the opportunity to do much more than brood prettily and occasionally shout carpe diembromides into the pounding surf.
Not exactly a hagiography, Polish's film isn't a tragedy, either -- it's just an uneventful afternoon spent with a dozing rummy.
Despite the parade of pretty images and lovely scenery, Big Sur stubbornly fails to cohere into a real movie; instead, it feels like an illustrated novel full of words, ideas, and images, but devoid of structure or characterization.
Edited to ribbons so that every peripheral player — Kate Bosworth, Radha Mitchell, Josh Lucas, Henry Thomas — is even more one-dimensional than Kerouac himself, it’s a work that accurately expresses the awfulness of narcissistic self-destruction, and nothing else.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 User Ratings
4.8
33% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 6 User Ratings
4.8
33% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
California on Location Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Munich Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Film by the Sea International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
