As long as it
took for this film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s generation-defining novel to
come to arrive, it was sure to be met with mixed feelings. Any novel with a
following is bound to be judgmental of any interpretation which exists off of
the page and outside of the reader’s own imagination, and this is only truer
for a piece of literature many hold as nearly holy. I have no impression of the
original source material, though I can’t imagine Kerouac imagined a bunch of
pretty boy actors playing the roles in a tepidly safe adaptation of what was
once a controversial text.
I can almost see
the attempt to draw in a specific audience group with the casting choices, and
it was nearly brilliant in construction while the execution failed miserably.
Casting an actress from Twilight alongside a bunch of Abercrombie models
markets the film toward a younger audience, and with the film taking place
during the beat generation we are also given a clear example of how unoriginal
and uninspired hipsters are. The problem with a film starring a young and
attractive cast looking and acting similar to the target audience is that it
then has to appeal to that target group. Kerouac’s novel may have been youthful
and exuberant, but the source material seems to have aged with him and the
narrative in this film is so lifeless that it nearly has one foot in the grave.
Sam Riley heads
up the cast as Sal Paradise, our narrator and a struggling author who finds his
voice through a relationship and random adventures with the selfish whirlwind
of personality, Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hudlund). They travel cross country,
occasionally with Dean’s first young wife, Marylou (Kristen Stewart), in tow.
There are times that Marylou is along, even as they travel for Dean to visit
his second and current wife (Kristen Dunst) and children. We are meant to
dismiss Dean’s abysmal irresponsibility, because he is a free spirit. In the
end, Sal just comes of a putz for trusting Dean or ever thinking he is capable
of friendship without needing something in return.
The cast is
impressive, although mostly under-used. All people seem to be talking about is
Stewart’s “bold performance,” which is code for her being willing to show her
breasts and taint the image which fueled her career in another adaptation of a
popular book. Stewart is good for reasons other than nudity, which is actually
tasteful and limited. The cast also includes Amy Adams, Elisabeth Moss, and
Viggo Mortensen, though none are used as much as they should be. Each scene with
one of these actors is heightened, until we are forced to return to the story
of Dean and his shadow.
The Blu-ray
release includes deleted scenes and a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Disc Features: 3/10
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