I decided to see this latest film version of John Kerouac's classic novel, On the
Road, during my recent flight to Seattle. Before watching the movie I knew that nothing new could be brought to this story; thus, I was not expecting much. I just wanted to, again, go along and relive Sal and Dean's travels, adventures, and tribulations. As expected it was not a great movie. On the Road stars Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, and Kristen Stewart.
Riley plays Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac), a young writer who falls under the spell of the wild and reckless Dean Moriarty. Dean is a genuine hipster who loves to party, smoke weed, and explore his sexual freedom. He has a girlfriend, Marylou (Stewart), whom he loves, or at least thinks he loves. The three hop in a car for a cross-country trip, with Dean acting as ringmaster and Sal documenting the entire escapade. Along the way, they meet a variety of colorful characters who expand their consciousness. But Sal eventually sees that, despite outward appearances, Dean is not the carefree rebel he presents himself as, and their friendship starts to come apart at the seams.
On the Road tries to capture the free-wheeling vibe of the time. A pot and booze-fueled road trip may very well become a big mental blur to its participants, but that doesn't mean the film has to be one too. There is no real plot here; On the Road is essentially just a series of haphazardly edited moments which never tie together into something meaningful. It doesn't feel like the trip has any real significance, despite Sal's constant, impassioned reportage of it.