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IMDbPro

The Road

  • 20092009
  • RR
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
243K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,213
8
Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization.
Play trailer1:59
5 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaFantasy
In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
243K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,213
8
    • John Hillcoat
    • Joe Penhall(screenplay by)
    • Cormac McCarthy(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Charlize Theron
    • Kodi Smit-McPhee
    • John Hillcoat
    • Joe Penhall(screenplay by)
    • Cormac McCarthy(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Charlize Theron
    • Kodi Smit-McPhee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 633User reviews
    • 359Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

    Videos5

    The Road: International Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch The Road: International Trailer
    The Road: Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:35
    Watch The Road: Trailer #2
    The Road
    Trailer 2:42
    Watch The Road
    IMDbrief: What You Missed in 'Bird Box'
    Clip 3:20
    Watch IMDbrief: What You Missed in 'Bird Box'
    The Road
    Interview 0:44
    Watch The Road

    Photos124

    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
    John Hillcoat in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
    John Hillcoat in The Road (2009)
    Charlize Theron in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen in The Road (2009)
    Charlize Theron in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)
    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Viggo Mortensen
    Viggo Mortensen
    • Man
    Charlize Theron
    Charlize Theron
    • Woman
    Kodi Smit-McPhee
    Kodi Smit-McPhee
    • Boy
    Robert Duvall
    Robert Duvall
    • Old Man
    Guy Pearce
    Guy Pearce
    • Veteran
    Molly Parker
    Molly Parker
    • Motherly Woman
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    Michael Kenneth Williams
    • Thief
    Garret Dillahunt
    Garret Dillahunt
    • Gang Member
    Bob Jennings
    Bob Jennings
    • Bearded Man
    Agnes Herrmann
    • Archer's Woman
    Buddy Sosthand
    • Archer
    Kirk Brown
    • Bearded Face
    Jack Erdie
    Jack Erdie
    • Bearded Man #2
    David August Lindauer
    • Man On Mattress
    Gina Preciado
    Gina Preciado
    • Well Fed Woman
    Mary Rawson
    • Well Fed Woman #2
    Jeremy Ambler
    • Man In Cellar #1
    • (uncredited)
    Aaron Bernard
    Aaron Bernard
    • Militant
    • (uncredited)
      • John Hillcoat
      • Joe Penhall(screenplay by)
      • Cormac McCarthy(based on the book by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      To live the role, Viggo Mortensen would sleep in his clothes and deliberately starve himself. At one point, he was thrown out of a shop in Pittsburgh, because they thought he was a homeless man.
    • Goofs
      The "current" portion of the movie takes place approximately 7-8 years after the "disaster" happened that caused all plant life to die off. If all plant life had died off, there would be no dry grass shooting from the soil, nor dead grass lying on the ground especially with all the weather turmoil happening around. All leaves and dried grass would have decomposed in that amount of time. Furthermore, trees would not have dried leaves hanging from the branches.
    • Quotes

      The Man: Do you ever wish you would die?

      Old Man: No. It's foolish to ask for luxuries in times like these.

    • Crazy credits
      Over the end credits, we hear the sounds of children playing. What the world must have been like in happier times.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2009 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 3 in E Major: Adagio Ma Non Tanto
      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (as J.S. Bach)

      Arranged by Ryan Franks

      Performed by Ryan Franks & Harry Scorzo

      Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

    User reviews633

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    "The Road" a Fresh Approach to Tired Post-Apocalyptic Genre
    By Zach Copeland "The Road" Takes Fresh Approach to Post-Apocalyptic Genre Ever since God flooded out the entire human race in the early pages of Genesis, literature has abounded with stories of the apocalypse. For generation after generation, from The Book of Revelations to The Stand, we have obsessed over the end of the world, how it will come to pass, and what, if anything, we can do to stop it. Now that humankind has reached a point where the End could conceivably happen in an afternoon, our glimpses into this theoretical future are all the more intriguing. And they've never been more important.

    The Road, directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men), is a dark, poignant story of a father and son journeying through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, withstanding harsh weather, malnutrition, and under the constant threat of marauders, thieves and cannibals. Their goal is simple: to carry on.

    Those looking to sink their teeth into mindless disaster-porn (not that there's anything wrong with that) can get their fix elsewhere. The Road is a smaller, more penetrating film that draws strength from its intimacy and its ability to do so much with so little.

    Viggo Mortensen gives an emotional tour de force as the embattled father; look for him on the red carpet come March. Watching children act is oftentimes painful for me, but I thought Kodi Smit-McPhee was impressive and genuine as the son, and takes on the task of being in literally every scene with rare fearlessness. Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, and Guy Pearce give small but highly memorable performances, Duvall in particular, whose portrayal of a withered old man journeying all alone will haunt you.

    The desolate environment in which the story takes place is itself a character, foreign yet eerily familiar, and so perfectly conceptualized that it matches – heck, surpasses the standard of realism set by films such as 28 Days Later and Children of Men. Shot throughout four states, including at the site of the Mount St. Helens eruption, Hillcoat and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (The Others, The Sea Inside) paint a backdrop that is altogether beautiful and devastating.

    They say that every generation since the dawn of man has feared the End, and while this may be true, not every generation has seen what our modern technology is capable of. The Road is a dark looking glass into our future, and what it is likely to become if our primal nature is left unchecked.

    Early in the film, the son looks at his father and asks him, "We're the good guys, right?" The father's response is in the affirmative, but as their situation become increasingly desperate, that sense of morality we think to be ingrained is put to the test. Hillcoat does a masterful job of portraying human beings as what we are and always have been. He holds up a mirror to the world and hypnotizes you with it.

    As far as post-apocalyptic movies go, The Road is hands-down one of the best ever made. Despite its raw, gritty facade, which will understandably be a turn-off for many theatergoers, the story underneath has a sense of serenity that everyone can relate to.

    The Road opens everywhere on November 25. Need I say more? *The Film Crusade* www.filmcrusade.com/survive-and-advance/
    helpful•148
    82
    • MovieNut237
    • Nov 19, 2009

    FAQ8

    • What is "The Road" about?
    • Is The Road based on a book?
    • What caused all the wildlife to be wiped out?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 25, 2009 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Abandoned Turnpike Tunnels, Breezewood, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Dimension Films
      • 2929 Productions
      • Nick Wechsler Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 51 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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