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Poster for On the Road

On the Road

Seen it?

2012 | 142 min | Adventure, Drama

Weeknight Watch

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With middling reviews (45% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a lukewarm 5.6 out of 10 from audiences, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for adventure fans. If you loved I'm Thinking of Ending Things or 127 Hours, start here.
The mood
Exciting.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 22 min.
What might put you off
Rated R: meant for adults.

Sal Paradise is a young writer whose life is shaken and ultimately redefined by the arrival of Dean Moriarty, a free-spirited, fearless, fast talking Westerner and his girl, Marylou. Traveling cross-country, Sal and Dean venture out on a personal quest for freedom from the conformity and conservatism engulfing them in search of the unknown, themselves, and the pursuit of “it” -- the pure essence of experience.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsBelow par

    45% on Rotten Tomatoes, 56 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesBelow par

    5.6 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $9 million worldwide on a $25 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 116K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Walter Salles

  • Garrett HedlundDean Moriarty / Neal Cassady
  • Sam RileySal Paradise / Jack Kerouac
  • Kristen StewartMarylou / LuAnne Henderson
  • Amy AdamsJane / Joan Vollmer
  • Tom SturridgeCarlo Marx / Allen Ginsberg
  • Danny MorganEd Dunkle / Al Hinkle
  • Alice BragaTerry / Bea Franco
  • Elisabeth MossGalatea Dunkel / Helen Hinkle
  • Kirsten DunstCamille / Carolyn Cassady
  • Viggo MortensenOld Bull Lee / William S. Burroughs