The Road

Name: The Road
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Released: November 25, 2009
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 64
Cast: Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Viggo Mortensen

2009

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 337 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 337 Ratings

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The Road

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Movie Details & Credits

Dimension Films | Release Date: November 25, 2009 | R

Starring: Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Viggo Mortensen

Summary: Based on Cormac McCarthy's beloved, best-selling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen leads an all-star cast in the big screen adaptation of The Road, the epic post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son across a barren landscape that was blasted by an unnamed cataclysm thatBased on Cormac McCarthy's beloved, best-selling and Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen leads an all-star cast in the big screen adaptation of The Road, the epic post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son across a barren landscape that was blasted by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed civilization and most life on earth. (The Weinstein Company) … Expand

Director: John Hillcoat

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 111 min

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Awards & Rankings

30	#30 Most Discussed Movie of 2009
32	#32 Most Shared Movie of 2009

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Claudia Puig

While the film is not as resonant as the novel, it is an honorable adaptation, capturing the essence of the bond between father and son. Read full review

Dan Jolin

One of the most chillingly effective visions of the world’s end ever put on screen -- and a heart-rending study of parenthood, to boot. Read full review

Elias Savada

It is compellingly enervating and a marvel in the filmmaking process. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Engrossing and at times impressive, a pretty good movie that is disappointing to the extent that it could have been great. Is this the way the world ends? With polite applause? Read full review

Scott Tobias

Aas grim as The Road gets, Hillcoat goes a little soft at the wrong time. Someone like Michael Haneke would have no trouble embracing this material’s uncompromising dreariness. Read full review

Ty Burr

Everything about the film is a welcome rebuke to the happy-face apocalypse of “2012,’’ a movie that turns mass extinction into the Greatest Show on Earth. In The Road, what has been lost is recognized as infinitely precious; what’s left is bitter and our due. Read full review

J. Hoberman

Pale by comparison to an action thriller like "Children of Men" or gross out eco-catastrophe like "Land of the Dead," squandering its ready-made zombie scenario. Read full review

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User Reviews

Angel1711

Feb 3, 2018

Defintely worth watching, not as brutal as mad max, which i was relieved of, yet pretty gripping, poignant, i felt a very real terror throughout the whole movie, absolutely real experience, i literally yelled "shut up" at the boy in one of the scenes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PaulD

Nov 29, 2009

An amazing story. Any father or son needs to see this.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

j30

Jan 30, 2012

Cormac McCarthy's adapted novel "The Road" is powerful story telling in some sort of Biblical way. Viggo Mortensen gives a performance of a lifetime. I'm surprised that this film didn't get more recognition from the Academy as CM's other novel No Country For Old Men did. Like NCFOM The RoadCormac McCarthy's adapted novel "The Road" is powerful story telling in some sort of Biblical way. Viggo Mortensen gives a performance of a lifetime. I'm surprised that this film didn't get more recognition from the Academy as CM's other novel No Country For Old Men did. Like NCFOM The Road is filled with underlying meaning and themes that can be discussed long after the credits are done.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

dayman75

Sep 20, 2013

Strong Points:
- Really Strong Characters. You really care about the characters when you're seeing the movie. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee have really strong performances.
- Great Scenery: The environment can get really gray during the movie, showing the lack of supplies peopleStrong Points:
- Really Strong Characters. You really care about the characters when you're seeing the movie. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee have really strong performances.
- Great Scenery: The environment can get really gray during the movie, showing the lack of supplies people had.
- Good Soundtrack: The piano based soundtrack is a welcome addiction to a history like this. Every note of the soundtrack fits the movie.
Weak Points:
- Lack of explanation: Nothing about the apocalyptic event is explained.

Other comments: The narrative is very interesting, although it seems to have some flaws.
In my opinion, 8/10.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

r.ramdom

Jan 9, 2010

Loving the book was easy -it was poetic, stark, brutal and uncomprimising. Thinking of yourself without heat or electricity for 2 weeks can give you just a taste of what it would be to survive in 60% of North America in the face of an energy catastrophe, let alone of a nuclear scale or Loving the book was easy -it was poetic, stark, brutal and uncomprimising. Thinking of yourself without heat or electricity for 2 weeks can give you just a taste of what it would be to survive in 60% of North America in the face of an energy catastrophe, let alone of a nuclear scale or massive environmental rupture. But what did this movie lack that reduced empathy or trivialized the book? What could have made it the celluloid equal? The CGI was adequate and not over-bearing. The score was bleak in all the places. The casting of Theron and the boy was inspired as they literally look to be of the same DNA - that was uncanny. The characters that were scattered through out the movie were barely recognizable, but were. And I never forgot (nor was allowed to forget), for one instant, that they loved the book too and fought with their agents for those parts. I'll tell you what I think it was. The Road was empty. As a book you never saw the face of the man or the boy: they were as elemental and tortured as their environs. Not that the casting wasn't inspired but I'll be damned if I want the Returning Lord of All Rings as my 'Man', or a 'monster' or moll such as Charlize as the Woman. This is one movie that required unknown actors to lend the vehicle it's providence and impact, randomness and believability. It was that simple. The Road's universal message of paternal love is washed away and marred by Hollywood and it's agents. Viggo and Guy and Duvall and Theron were all amazing, but that is beside the point. In order to display the true and majestic truths and magnitude of the loss portayed in this adaptation, these had to be players you could not associate with any other plot. It's that simple. Not that Viggo didn't method un-wash, and unshave himself or didn't stink like a bear but this movie needed a... unknown face to portray a fearsome and unknown future.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

SchroederRock

Jan 11, 2019

The films nails the grim tone of the apocalypse and dire feeling of every encounter a father and his son would experience in those kinds of times. The filming and production work are also masterful as every shot makes you feel like you're watching some devasted portion of the planet. TheThe films nails the grim tone of the apocalypse and dire feeling of every encounter a father and his son would experience in those kinds of times. The filming and production work are also masterful as every shot makes you feel like you're watching some devasted portion of the planet. The film even carries a worthwhile tense feeling whenever anything living comes on to screen that isn't the main characters and that's awesome. What isn't awesome is the point of the film. Without spoiling it, there seems to be little point to the film other than the survival tale of a boy and his father. There's no focused narrative - no meaning. I can live with that if there's enough content that is experienced along the way that makes the film engaging and entertaining but while there's moments that meet that criteria the film as a whole just left me asking the question "why did this movie get made like this"? It's not a waste of a watch, I just doubt I'll watch it again. I'm disappointed because I enjoy this genre more often than not yet The Road never does enough to draw me in and keep me in. Side note: the audio mixing isn't great. Often the background noises are as loud as the dialogue, or louder, which left me having to focus on the dialogue a lot harder than I typically do. What's with that? I say that with my center channel speaker maxed out with my surround sound system at 60% volume so it's not like I was trying to keep the volume down. Odd miss by the studio that put this out.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Avalord

Feb 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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