
On the Road Review
With the Twilight series officially behind her, Kristen Stewart seeks to make the world forget she ever was Bella, one of the most nauseating protagonists ever put to film. In her first post-Breaking Dawn role, Stewart plays a supporting character who is unafraid to get frisky, get naked and participate in threesomes. Unfortunately, the rest of On the Road isn't nearly as titillating.
In On the Road, Sam Riley stars as Sal, an aspiring writer whose life takes a hard right when he befriends Dean (Garrett Hedlund) and his girlfriend Marylou (Stewart). The three hit the road, encountering a variety of characters (played by an impressive cast that includes Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen).
And that's it. There's some sex. Some gay experimentation. A little bit of pot smoking. A lot of driving. Not much purpose.
I've never been a fan of coming-of-age movies about young writers, especially coming-of-age movies about young writers set decades in the past. On the Road doesn't change my opinion of the subgenre, as Sam spends most of his time as a 1950's hipster writing cheesy poetry and doing random things. His relationship with Marylou is flat and lacks chemistry. After she departs the story, the movie becomes aimless.
The scenes with Kristen Stewart held the most promise, but she isn't in the movie nor is her character developed enough to save the overall story. On the Road looks good, but it largely lacks purpose. Even with threesomes and Kristen Stewart naked, On the Road veers off course quickly.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.