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 365 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 365 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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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

Empire 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

Happyislands

Jan 9, 2017

Emotionally devastating and utterly, crushingly, eye-wateringly bleak. Do not watch this on a Sunday night before going to work. I can't say I enjoyed The Road but I admired the craft of enormously.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Oli

Dec 14, 2009

A powerful adaptation of McCarthy's novel. I thought the acting was great all around, and the envisioning of the post-apocalyptic world was near perfect. I can understand how people would be turned off, but for me it worked.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

migou80

Nov 28, 2016

A masterpiece. In nowadays movie industry, this type of of cinema is fairly too rare. Both visually and by the pase the stroy is driven, director's John Hillcoat probably built up on the most powerfull and realistic envision of a post appocalyptic story (thanksfully to the original book,A masterpiece. In nowadays movie industry, this type of of cinema is fairly too rare. Both visually and by the pase the stroy is driven, director's John Hillcoat probably built up on the most powerfull and realistic envision of a post appocalyptic story (thanksfully to the original book, which defined this tone - and which I didn't read). Viggo Mortensen is, as often, endorsing the role briantly. To be franck, I haven been touched so deeply for ages.
Oh, and I've to say I'm a huge movie goer, and Im quite kind regarding blockbusters, but still happy to enjoy slower pace movies.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Sandy

Jan 23, 2010

Thank god for a quiet apocalyptic movie that DOESN'T have zombies in! Thoroughly convincing world created, focusing on the purpose of survival, not blockbuster destruction or exaggerated horror. It's enough to allude to the grimness of the vision without rubbing our noses in it. Thank god for a quiet apocalyptic movie that DOESN'T have zombies in! Thoroughly convincing world created, focusing on the purpose of survival, not blockbuster destruction or exaggerated horror. It's enough to allude to the grimness of the vision without rubbing our noses in it. For those that want gratuitous horror, look elsewhere. Good playing by Viggo Mortensen and Smit-McPhee.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

Arendelleawesom

Aug 2, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow this was a fascinating movie to say the least unlike other apocalyptic movies this doesn't have any zombies or something like that this is what I would call a realistic post apocalyptic movie there's a reason this movie is rated r it shows what would probably be a real life post apocalyptic world when watching this movie you feel unsure of what's going to happen and nervous this movie shows what dark and terrible things mankind would do to stay alive and let me just say some of the things in this movie are absolutely despicable the only thing I found unrealistic was the ending I would have rather seen something along the lines of the kid ending up a survivor and getting his act together instead of just staying like a boy I think something like that would have been more believable and realistic than him finding a "good guy" to take Carr of him as dark as it sounds I rather would have seen him turn out like Ellie from the last of us than stay an inefficient boy.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jose

Dec 20, 2009

If you were a fan of the book then you'll enjoy the move, everyone else should proceed with caution.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

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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31	#31 Most Discussed Movie of 2009
32	#32 Most Shared Movie of 2009