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THE ROAD (2009)Movie Reviews
Drama about a man and his son, survivors in a post-apocalyptic America, who travel south in search of safety, defending themselves along the way from other wretched survivors and bands of cannibals. Cast:Charlize Theron, Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Garret DillahuntDirector:John HillcoatRelease Date:November 25, 2009DVD Release:May 25, 2010From:Dimension FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr 51 min
The Road (2009) played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Rick Groen wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...respectfully faithful to the text and skillfully evocative of its postapocalyptic setting... The two principals are superb, and the direction is resonant..." • And Lisa Kennedy wrote in the Denver Post, "...a willfully, skillfully crafted film with insufficient heart to the task it undertakes." More Reviews Below...
The Road (2009) Positive Reviews (43 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a grim world and a grim film, but one imbued with hopeful glints of humanity and a spare, effective performance by Viggo Mortensen."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 100 words, 11/26/09
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a bleakly beautiful movie... See it if you have the strength, but if your friends turn you down, arm yourself with a stiff drink on the way in; fortification is needed."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 726 words, 11/20/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...for all its vivid desolation, 'The Road' remains a curiously unmoving experience -- or maybe not so curious, given that nothing really happens in it."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 11/27/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...captures the essence of the bond between father and son. Their efforts to hold on to their better natures amid soul-killing conditions is stirring and life-affirming."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 403 words, 11/25/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...hampered by compromises and half-measures... engrossing and at times impressive, a pretty good movie that is disappointing to the extent that it could have been great."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 992 words, 11/25/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...this film's unique, near-total bleakness is something to admire. As a parable about death and a kind of global homelessness, it leads to some extraordinary places."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 11/25/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...evokes the images and the characters of Cormac McCarthy's novel, but lacks a core of emotional feeling.... an honorable film, a sincere attempt to film the story."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 800 words, 11/25/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...despite numerous strong areas, including fine acting by Viggo Mortensen and young Kodi Smit-McPhee, what we've been given is no more than a reasonable facsimile..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 11/25/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an act of faithful adaptation. Yet its faithfulness is more to the letter than the spirit, and it's not the work of an inspired director, merely a dogged one."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 11/25/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "It brings you down, down, down, and its characters' famishment is contagious... 'The Road' comes up short, not because it's bleak but because it's monotonous..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 11/16/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...respectfully faithful to the text and skillfully evocative of its postapocalyptic setting... The two principals are superb, and the direction is resonant in its very restraint."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 156 words, 09/11/09
Josep Parera, La Opinion: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Hay tantos detalles sobresalientes, tantos momentos inolvidables, tanto drama sobrecogedor, que es casi imposible enumerar qué es lo que merece destacarse..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 11/25/09
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...brings to bleak life McCarthy's story of an unnamed man and boy trying to survive a catastrophe of unknown origin, with their bodies and souls intact."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 11/25/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "An old hand at heroes ('The Lord of the Rings') and enigmas ('Eastern Promises'), Viggo Mortensen delivers a performance of pure, agonized transparency."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 580 words, 11/25/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Stick with it... you'll find the promise of hope among a ruined world. If everything you know and love is gone, can one ask for anything more?"(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 11/25/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "I cannot think of another film this year that has stayed with me, its images of dread and fear - and yes, perhaps hope - kicking around like such a terrible dream."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 11/25/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If I have mixed feelings about the movie, it's because John Hillcoat honors the story's minimalism without bringing his own sensibilities to bear on the material."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 11/25/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The film is spare and pure and serious. It is pitiless and close to greatness. Every image carries weight. The editing is jagged, flinch-inducing."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 11/25/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "John Hillcoat finds a chilly beauty in the ravaged landscapes... Viggo Mortensen warms the film with his presence, creating a vivid portrait of a bereft man..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 11/25/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The spare, beautiful writing comes to life in the desperate doings of father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee)."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 428 words, 12/18/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...faithful in tone and texture to McCarthy's painful vision and heartening in its moral fiber as well as in its artistic determination and mastery."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 11/25/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...only those readers left shattered by Cormac McCarthy's book are likely to peer beyond the drabness to find something worth the admission price."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 11/25/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...dark, bleak and nightmarish but also stirring and beautiful and optimistic: As long as life remains, the movie argues, there is always hope."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 11/25/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a willfully, skillfully crafted film with insufficient heart to the task it undertakes.... It has brutality but not benevolence."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 623 words, 11/25/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: FAIR "Mortensen and Australian newcomer Smit-McPhee may deliver intense, often gut-wrenching performances, but their journey is too mysterious and soaked in one-note misery..."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 11/24/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Bob Mondello, NPR All Things Considered: GOOD "...the director sure knows how to make it cinematic. Dystopias come and go. But in 'The Road,' the end of the world feels about as real as you'd ever want it to."(See all of Bob Mondello's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 179 seconds, 11/28/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...hampered by compromises and half-measures... engrossing and at times impressive, a pretty good movie that is disappointing to the extent that it could have been great."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 992 words, 11/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "Normally you give yourself to a movie, suspending disbelief. In this one you hang on to yourself for dear life, resisting belief as best you can..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 11/27/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...despite numerous strong areas, including fine acting by Viggo Mortensen and young Kodi Smit-McPhee, what we've been given is no more than a reasonable facsimile..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 11/25/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: WEAK "...leads nowhere. If you're going to adapt a book like Cormac McCarthy's 2006 bestseller, you're pretty much obliged to make a terrific film or it's not worth doing..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,002 words, 09/04/09
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "Hillcoat has performed an admirable job of bringing Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to the screen as an intact and haunting tale..."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 617 words, 09/03/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...despite numerous strong areas, including fine acting by Viggo Mortensen and young Kodi Smit-McPhee, what we've been given is no more than a reasonable facsimile..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 11/25/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD "...hampered by compromises and half-measures... engrossing and at times impressive, a pretty good movie that is disappointing to the extent that it could have been great."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 992 words, 11/25/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "Normally you give yourself to a movie, suspending disbelief. In this one you hang on to yourself for dear life, resisting belief as best you can..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 11/27/09
20.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Road (2009)'s reviews are separated by an average 20.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Road (2009) (43 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Road (2009)'s reviews cover 91.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 23,221 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 540 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 15.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Road (2009)'s reviews on average broke 15.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Road (2009)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Road (2009) (43 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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