On the RoadMovie Reviews

On the Road Showtimes + Tickets

So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

not for kids

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

88

St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Joe Williams
Notwithstanding the characters’ spiritual camaraderie, Salles’ emphasizes the hard physical labor and loneliness in Sal’s story, including the jittery rigors of the writing process. When he reaches a crossroads choice between down-and-out Dean and his own rising career, Sal senses that except for the words on a typewritten scroll, his life on the road is gone, real gone. Read full review
75

Boston Globe | Ty Burr
A straightforward and rather sane version of the events described in the book and, against all odds, a surprisingly effective movie. Read full review
75

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
The result is a movie that, like the book, is episodic and has dips in energy but has more than its share of glory and illumination. Read full review
75

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
On the Road is an honorable homage to the bennies-and-booze-and-bebop-driven hegiras undertaken by the fiercely dedicated anti-establishment duo. But in Salles, screenwriter Jose Rivera and company's effort to get the details right, they only get so far. And it's not quite far enough. Read full review
75

Chicago Tribune | Michael Phillips
Call it a successful failure. Some movies worth seeing are like that. Read full review
70

The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy
Stewart, selected for Marylou five years ago on the basis of her striking debut in "Into the Wild," is perfect in the role, takes off her clothes more than once and nearly always seems to be breaking a sweat, which kicks the sexiness quotient up high. Read full review
67

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
What Salles doesn't conjure is the rapture of Kerouac's bohemian romanticism. Without it, On the Road is a remote experience, all reason and no rhyme. Read full review
60

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
Salles has made an admirable effort, which - while no roman candle - can be appreciated for its honest ambitions. Read full review
50

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
A dash of Tarantino might have juiced up Walter Salles' wrongheadedly well-mannered take on Jack Kerouac's 1957 Beat Generation landmark. Kerouac's semi-autobiographical novel comes to the screen looking good but feeling shallow. Read full review
40

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
The narrative lacks a strong heartbeat; you keep wondering why the spectacle isn't as affecting as it is picturesque. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for On the Road on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says not for kids Copious sex and drugs in boring adaptation of great book.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that On the Road is the first official movie adaptation of Jack Kerouac's legendary 1957 novel. There's lots of sex and drugs, and Twilight's Kristen Stewart can be seen somewhat naked and in many depraved situations. Expect partial nudity (female toplessness and naked male bottoms), sex (including threesomes and a graphic scene of two men having sex), and strong sexual innuendo. Characters smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol almost constantly and smoke pot in a few scenes. A minor character is a junkie with track marks on his arms. Language is likewise strong, colorful, and constant, with uses of "f--k," "s--t," and "c--k" throughout. After spending years on the drawing board, the finished movie is really very dull, and despite the K-Stew factor, teens may not even be interested.

Families can talk about On the Road's smoking, alcohol, and drug use. What causes these young people to consume so much? What problems does it cause? What are the consequences (if any)?
How does the movie depict sex? Does love enter the equation? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
How does the movie differ from the novel? What kind of impact did the novel have at the time? Do you think it would be the same if it were published today?
Should a writer observe everything in his life or actively take part in his life? What would a balance of the two look like?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Characters more or less drift around, indulge in iffy behavior, and occasionally decide to "grow up" or move on. Lessons aren't learned as a result of anything, and there aren't really any "arcs" to the characters.
Positive role models: The main character becomes a successful writer but earns his success through debauchery, problematic behavior, and mostly passive observance of events and other people in his life. He rarely seems to work hard or learn any lessons. This is doubly true for the secondary characters.

What to watch for

Violence: Arguing and the threat of violence. Characters often steal things, ranging from food to cars.
Sexy stuff: The main characters each end up sleeping with more than one partner. Brief female toplessness and naked male bottoms. Women get pregnant. Kissing and sex scenes are shown, including one that's pretty graphic and an attempt at a threesome. Very strong sexual innuendo is heard throughout, including detailed stories (one about an "orgy").
Language: Language is constant and colorful. Words include "f--k," "s--t," "piss," "c--k," "muff," "goddamn," "a--hole," and "God" (as an exclamation).
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: The main characters are almost constantly drinking and smoking cigarettes, and they take other kinds of drugs fairly often. They try pot in one long sequence. No addiction is overtly shown, with one exception: The minor character "Old Bull Lee" is shown to be a junkie, with track marks littering his arms.

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