The Road

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The Road

R

2009

1h 50m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

216 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.

Critics Consensus

The Road's commitment to Cormac McCarthy's dark vision may prove too unyielding for some, but the film benefits from hauntingly powerful performances from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi McPhee.

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Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

09/13/2022

I still recommend The Road; just keep in mind that this is Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale, not Richard Matheson's.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/30/2018

I cannot say how faithful this is but, having read other McCarthy books, would say the novel probably repaid your attention with its astonishing prose. This, though, puts you through the wringer, but doesn't repay you in any way.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

01/16/2018

It wasn't fascinating at all. The movie looked like it cost $500 to make, excluding actors' salaries, which were worth another $500.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 28

2/5

Bleak and grim are understatements. It's hard to come away liking a movie with this little innocence or hope.

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

05/07/2024

3/5

While The Road is not without its impressive aspects, it has not efficiently pulled taut the slack created by the loss of McCarthy’s commanding prose. And so, it is hard to avoid the sense that it needn’t have been made at all.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/30/2023

4/4

Plan to see it twice—once to familiarize yourself with its unconventional, non-commercial method of storytelling, and a second time that allows you to submerge into the material, to appreciate how stunningly composed it is.

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Catherine D.

@CatherineOrozco Mar 30

Dark, grim, treacherous, and horrifying. A constant pull on the questions of the limits of man’s humanity in trying circumstances. Faith bound and always drawing back to the fire inside us all. I couldn’t imagine myself in this position of the characters in the story. I love the constant drag back to “are we the good guys” as you watch the desperation grow. Despite others negative reviews there is a constant hope shown through the child and the movie ends with a beacon of hope! It is heart wrenching but a beautiful tale that will suck you in and have you on the edge of your seat throughout! If you have eyes to see and ears to hear there is numerous profound lessons throughout the film. The actors did an amazing job. I had no clue this movie was based off of a book and will be looking to read that soon!

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Scott H

@AndrewSHH Mar 19

I love post-apocalyptic stories. I like them grim and depressing. I don't want them to be funny or campy. This is me getting what I want. It's quite bleak. The central question running through the film is, "Does it make any sense to even keep living." This is a good depiction of a world that has mostly ended. Not a lot happens. The film focuses on just a few characters, mostly two. I'd like to see the same movie, but on larger scale. That's not a flaw. If the film showed that, it would be a different story. But I'd like to see that story. This film is good as it is. Given the bleakness and how little happens, it's good that they didn't make it longer. There would have been no point.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Feb 23

An apocalyptic vision that feels realistically unfiltered from fantastical speculations, thus resulting in a seemingly faithful adaptation magnified into a grittily bleak survival drama that’s effectively dreadful, from the atmospheric production to performative convictions manifesting the rawness, culminating into a depressing experience with a need for cheerful seeking afterwards. (B)

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Max M.

@Househuntermax Feb 22

Not a whole lot happens in this one. Pretty bleak. If you’re gonna watch an apocalyptic movie about a road, watch The Road Warrior.

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Durden 6

@Durden767 Feb 12

So so. Depressing as hell.

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Jennie B.

@fatbearsummer Jan 19

Dark and bleak take on humanity after an appocolypic disaster, enough to question what you would do to continue on in a world where to die is a luxury.

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John Hillcoat

Director

Viggo Mortensen

The Man

Kodi Smit-McPhee

The Boy

Charlize Theron

Wife

Robert Duvall

Old Man

Guy Pearce

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Synopsis

America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.

Director: John Hillcoat
Producer: Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Nick Wechsler
Screenwriter: Joe Penhall
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Dimension Films, Chockstone Pictures, 2929 Productions
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.1M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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