bdshort

I can't wait to see this but since it seems to be a very limited "wide" release, I'll be waiting for the Blu-ray. I guess there's not word yet on when that'll be out?

Boba Fett

It looks like this is getting a quiet, small expansion. BoxOfficeMojo shows the film started out on 88 screens and is now up to 135 as of last week. I know for a fact his past Friday, it showed up in three additional theaters in my city.

Indy Jones Fan

I got to see this yesterday and it was a great movie but man, it was also the most depressing film I've ever watched. There's not a single ray of hope to be found anywhere. I have a son just a little younger than the boy in the film so it all really hit home with me.

Moleman1138

I really liked it. One of the best dystopic films of the decade alongside Children of Men. And it was better than McCarthy's other adapted novel, No Country for Old Men.

asianxcore

This film is finally showing closer to where I live. Hoping I can check it out sometime in the next week.

Re-reading the book again just so it stays fresh

asianxcore

Finally got to see the film at a late showing with a couple of good friends of mine.

I really enjoyed it. Definitely had it's Pros/Cons with following the book so closely. Though I did enjoy the slight change (from book to film) to..



As others mentioned, it made the scene even more tense than it already was in the book.

I also am happy to report that the scene that made both myself and one of my friends I saw this with laugh in the book...



...made us laugh as well in the theater

Gilgamesh1082

I saw this last weekend and felt exactly the same way. Never before have I sat through a movie and when the credits finally rolled, felt like getting completely hammered. Hell, when the lights came on, I told my friends, I'm going upstairs and getting drunk. I heard two other people in the theater say, "I need a drink" and "I'm going to go drink a gallon of antifreeze now." This movie was draining. But also extremely well done.

Cardiff Giant11

Finally saw this today with a buddy of mine. I read the book so I knew the plot well and knew that truthfully not much happens and it's much more of a character driven thing. I liked it, i didn't love it but I liked it. He wasn't a fan and said "nothing really happens". FWIW.

Daytripper

This is one of the most poorly handled movies in recent memory. Was to be released a year ago. Finally opened a year later in handful of theaters. Thought it was to get a wider release a week or so afterwards. But here in D.C., a fairly large market, I only saw it expand on just a few theaters. And now, it's all but gone.

Patman

Viggo Mortensen continues to add solid films to his resume, and "The Road" is no exception. While it's not going to go down as the "feel good film of the year", it examines the bond of love and dedication a father has for his child's safety and well-being under possibly the bleakest conditions imaginable (post-apocalyptical conditions) and takes the viewer on a highly emotionally-charged journey that isn't filled with histrionics, but rather rolls on with short episodes of the various places father and son encounter on their way southward to get away from the wintery climate they came from. The road is filled with dangerous situations and people, and each encounter leaves their mark on father and son, and the film goes to great pains to keep the viewer tuned into the emotional state of both characters on the road.

Mortensen is obviously the emotional anchor to the film, and he's up to the task, and gives a highly believable performance as the father, and Kodi Smit-McPhee is also fine as his son, and he did sort of looked like the mother, played by Charlize Theron.

I suspect for fathers who have young children, this film will hit them hard and earns all the heartbreak and tears it elicits from them. It's a solid powerful film, I just don't know if I could watch it again anytime soon.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.

bunkaroo

I unfortunately had enough distractions in my showing that I couldn't really get immersed in it. Still great though - can't wait to see it at home.

printerati

I finally saw this last night...in a theatre with a broken furnace, which only added to the atmosphere. A wonderful film overall, although the pacing in the final third (or so) seems a bit off. I absolutely loved the ending as well.

toddly6666

I think Viggo Mortensen should be nominated for Best Actor for the Oscars. I can't think of a better male lead performance than him.

RichC2

Sam Rockwell in Moon, though he is also getting snubbed.

AnonomusBob15

finally got around to seeing this, and it was amazing. If the Oscars had any sense, this would clean up. Loved the direction, the atmosphere, Viggo, the music, absolutely everything about it.

Boba Fett

Fantastic movie in every way but the screenplay. I had never heard of Joe Penhall before this film but I'll be sure to avoid anything else he's attached to in the future. He managed to take a fantastic, elegantly basic novel and pander to the lowest common denominator in pivotal scenes. Only the final act of the film accurately captures the tone and feel of the book, but even then



The only other complaint I'd throw at the film was the score. I am a huge Nick Cave fan but this was just blah. It felt like a Hollywood mandate to tell stupid people how to feel. The atmosphere would have benefited immensely from no score whatsoever, similar to how the Coens handled "No Country for Old Men."

Complaints aside, Mortensen deserves a Best Actor nom. as does Kodi Smit-McPhee. Normally children are relegated to supporting roles, but he held his own against an amazing talent and without his incredible performance the film would have crumbled altogether.

Fortunately, Hillcoat is teaming up again with Nick Cave as screenwriter.

toddly6666

It would be totally ridiculous if Viggo Mortenson didn't get nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars. I think he should win. Why does every actor have to do some overracting crying scene to win? Mortenson made his pain real in every single scene of his - his fear of losing his wife, not being able to protect his son, his fear of strangers, his awareness of his slim chance of survival. I can't think of a more emotional performance by an actor than Mortenson. Of the male actors, Christoph Waltz gives the most intense performance of the year and Mortenson gave the most real-emotional performance of the year.

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart (didn't see it, can't comment)
George Clooney, Up in the Air (he's good in it, but nothing special)
Colin Firth, A Single Man (didn't see it, can't comment)
Morgan Freeman, Invictus (an impersonation, so what)
Tobey Maguire, Brothers (bad overracting)

tbird2340

Just watched this and as a few others have said it is so much more if you are a parent.. I wanted to wake my 4 year old girl up and just hug her all night..

I will say that I originally saw the "action packed" trailer and was like WTF when I watched the movie.. I can see how a ton of people would be pissed.. I was pissed just that they marketed as such.. It was still a great movie but as we know, NOTHING like the trailer..

Such a deep, depressing movie.. Great performances by Viggo and his son.

Dr Mabuse

Just finished it.

Amazing film that leaves me thinking, as the best always do.

Hillcoat really pulled this off.

grrr

It's a fine film, and I particularly like the expansion of the dialogue between the man and his wife. I'm usually of the opinion that Theron is one of the worst actresses currently starring in "serious" films, but she held her own while sharing the screen with Mortensen, which is saying quite a bit. Duvall was as amazing as ever, and Smit-McPhee gave one of the most believable child-actor performances I've ever seen. I've only seen Hillcoat's two most prominent films (The Road and the Proposition), but he seems to have a great talent for getting extraordinary performances from his actors.

Only a couple of minor criticisms, namely that the film follows the novel a little too closely--in many ways, it feels like the Road rushes to hit the high notes of the novel's plot while leaving out the quiet moments of worry and dread that make up the heart of the book. It's the nature of the novel's adaptation, though, and couldn't be avoided without changing the pace of the film from a motion picture to a miniseries.

The second and more serious complaint is the score. I like Nick Cave and have several of his albums, but the score was sometimes schmaltzy and intrusive, particularly in the final ten minutes of the film.

Balancing all considerations, though, I'd have to put it in the top 10 films of 2009 that I've seen. It'll be well worth your time regardless of whether you read the book or not.

bunkaroo

I do wish the child had been cast younger. The kid's action in the book and the movie seem to be that of maybe a 7 or 8 year old. The kid in the movie looks more like 11 or 12. Minor quibble to be sure.

EdTheRipper

Just saw this tonight. Excellent movie. Mortensen was really good...he'd definitely deserve an Oscar nomination. After the movie was done, I made sure to give my son a big hug.

Gambit

Saw this and definitely one of the best movies I've seen in a while. The ending didn't leave me scratching my head like "No Country for Old Men" did, but I do have a question.

Indy Jones Fan

My take

thebunk

Any news on when this is getting released on DVD?