2/5
Stars
Aspiring writer Sal Paradise gets affected
deeply upon the arrival of his 'liberated' friend Dean Moriarty and his young
wife Marylou. The trio takes a road trip across the country and meets several people
who impact their journey and their lives.
At the conceptual level, the film works.
However, to be attentive enough for close to 150 minutes is something else. The
film, albeit embellished with marvellous visuals and brilliant acting, fails to
engage the audience. The plot isn't gripping enough to hold the audiences for
so long. The film was screened at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival under the
'World Cinema' category.
Sal Paradise (Sam Riley) is one shy fella
from New York. The aspiring writer meets the laidback vagabond Dean Moriarty
(Garrett Hedlund). Both of them hit it off instantly. Dean is an alcoholic,
speed demon, drug-addict, sex-addict, maverick and plain demented. He likes to
live the 'high' life and believes in trying out just about everything, even
threesomes, including another man. He can do just about anything for money. He
marries a girl because he needed money for car fuel. He, assumedly 'straight'
until then, has sex with another man, once again for favours in exchange.
Greedy and selfish he certainly is, but then he is egoistic too. This is why
his friendships/relationships/marriages are always on the brink of collapsing!
His young wife Marylou (Kristen Stewart) (not to be confused with the car fuel
one), an extremely sexually-liberated woman, along with him and Sal, set off on
a road trip! Their journey is barraged with mysterious occurrences. While
discovering the outside world, the three learn a lot about themselves and each
other. Sal, who is too busy to finish his book, learns a thing or two about
friendship and trust. Marylou learns what it feels like to get hurt and Dean
doesn't learn anything, until it gets too late.
Kristen Stewart is absolutely mind-blowing
in the film. Although the film was found lacking at some parts, her performance
shines all the way through. Sam plays the understated Sal perfectly while
Garrett owns the part of Dean Moriarty. However, the writing was found a bit
wanting. The film drags on and on, without any real purpose. Although their
lives are affected owing to the journey, there is too much of jumping around
between one place to another and the repercussions of the journey on them are
not really clear. Even the setting, showing the America of the 1940s and the
1950s, could have been a lot better. Cinematography is just about decent.
Direction by Walter Salles leaves a lot to be desired. Had this film been
edited a bit differently, it would have been something else (for the good, of
course!).
Although the subject is interesting, you
may avoid this one.
Shivom
Oza
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