If you are planning on seeing The Road at any point in your life, I have 2 suggestions for you. One, don't watch it if you feeling seriously down in the dumps and two, don't have any really great plans afterwards because your mood is just going to be a lot more depressed after you see this movie. So actually, you might want to ignore suggestion number two and actually plan something super awesome so that you will get in a better mood.
You are probably reading this and thinking, "Why would I want to watch something that is going to depress me so much?" And, my friends, that is an awesome question. The reason is that while the movie tells a very sad and depressing story against a bleak and stark setting, the theme of the movie is one undying love and unwavering hope, which pretty much always makes an emotional, and usually great film. In addition to the theme, the film is ridiculously well acted and the story expertly told.
The Road is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy who is the same author that wrote All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men. So basically the dude can write. The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale that follows a father and son trying to survive by any means possible. The Man (played brilliantly by Viggo Mortensen--Lord of the Rings, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises) and The Boy (played probably more brilliantly by Kodi Smit-McPhee--who will probably be the kid in every movie made for the next few years) are trying to get to coast while traveling across a burnt-out, ash-filled, freezing cold, grey, dead America. Along the way they have to fight of gangs of cannibals, thieves, and their own fears and nightmares. It is dark and depressing most of the time, but The Man's love for his son and the son's love for his father are so strong that they bring a lot of warmth to the usual coldness of the setting.
The movie is primarily the Man and the Boy, but also stars the beautiful Charlize Theron as the Mother who is seen in flashbacks. Robert Duvall also has a great part and is almost unrecognizable except for his absolutely recognizable voice.
While the movie has a somewhat hopeful theme, it is still very dark and depressing and serious. At the end of the movie, not a single person in the theater said a thing for a few minutes. It's one of those kind of movies. I loved it because of the strong performances and the incredible story, but I can totally see where someone would not like it because of the bleakness of the story. I know this movie isn't for everyone but I honestly think that everyone should see it because I think it is a story everyone should experience and know. Just be warned that you aren't going to walk away with a smile on you face, but you will, I think, be glad that you saw it.
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