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On The Road (2012) and its underlined message

PS This is a Time Capsule for me. This is something I posted online years ago, after seeing the film and I just ran into this again. I still feel this way about this flawed film, that I love....

I saw this Indie film last night titled “On the Road”, which is based off of a book that was written by Jack Kerouac and published in 1957. I have yet to read the book, but after watching the film, I feel like I must read the book that this film was adapted from.

I saw the trailer to “On the Road” months ago on iMDB.com, and right away I knew that I had to see this film starring Kristen Stewart, not because I am a fan of hers, but because the film looked different from anything that she had done before. I could not wait to see this film, the only problem is that the film was not to be released in the USA, but only overseas (the film did not get an official release date in the USA until recently), so there was no way for me to see this film. That was true, until last night, 10/27/2012.

BAM Cinemas, in Brooklyn, NY, did a screening of the film just last night, and I was super excited when I found out. I let my female friend know that I would be going to see this Indie film that looked spectacular, titled “On The Road”, and she decided she wanted to come along. We went to buy our tickets early, went to dinner, then went to the theater to get our seats at 8:40 p.m. (the film started at 9 p.m.). To my surprise, the theater was crowded. We sat down, and spoke until 9 p.m., when the film began.

During the film, there were many moments that made me laugh, and many moments that broke my heart. As I watched this film, I kept thinking to myself, this is a great film, but what is the point? What is the message? I could not figure it out, until after the film, when I was able to sit down and really think about what I had just saw.

There is an underline message to “On the Road”, and it is easy to miss it if you are not careful.

The underline message to “On The Road” was about morality, and choices that we make in life, from what we do to have fun, to who we hang out with. We can choose to work hard, and be good people, or steal, lie, cheat, and use people for all they have until they have had enough of us. We can take the good choices we make, and the bad ones, and learn from them, and grow as people and move on (Sal), or we can continue to do the the wrong things, making poor choices, never learning from the things that we do, willing to do whatever, to whomever, as long as it benefits us, and stay in the same place, never growing as people (Dean). In the end, Sal took all that he did, and learned from it, and grew up, and changed his ways, and who he decided to hang with (when at the end he cut Dean off finally, who was influencing him in a negative way, and holding him back from moving forward in some ways) while Dean continued to live his life the same way, full of poor choices, immorality beyond belief, and ended up homeless, and alone because he used everyone around him to the point that they finally had enough of the abuse (Camille and Marylou are examples), never growing up or learning from the MANY mistakes he made, and staying stuck in the same exact place. One grew and learned while the other was stuck in the same place. Sal applied everything, and did something for himself out of it all, while Dean did the opposite, with his beauty fading, and nothing to offer any longer. The underlined message was about morality and choices that we make, and the consequences that come from these choices.

Once I analyzed the film, I realized that any adult can relate to this film, or any of the characters. The film is one that may go on to be a classic, and rightfully so.

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by Anonymousreply 8January 20, 2020 2:45 AM

This film introduced me to Garrett Hedlund, and I grew infatuated.

by Anonymousreply 1November 13, 2019 1:00 AM

Great film. Loved it.

by Anonymousreply 2November 13, 2019 11:28 PM

I haven't seen the movie but I read the book. I remember how repressed Sal seemed in regards to his appreciation of Dean.

by Anonymousreply 3November 14, 2019 2:32 AM

Dean in the book was far more vivacious and colorful and had so much energy compared to Garrett’s portrayal

by Anonymousreply 4November 14, 2019 2:38 AM

Great movie

by Anonymousreply 5January 20, 2020 1:25 AM

OP, I think you mean "underlying message", rather than "underlined message". The words mean opposite things -- "underlying" is subtle (implicit), whereas "underlined" is emphasized (express).

by Anonymousreply 6January 20, 2020 1:36 AM

The book is a classic and I encourage you to read it and savor it. For me, it's really about the writing style that Kerouac invented for it, which he called "spontaneous prose." It's a hybrid of prose and poetry, sometimes with very long sentences, which he likened to the long improvisational solos of jazz and bop musicians. It's also a picture of some of the "beatniks," the bohemian, countercultural types in the 1950s, who preceded the hippies of the 1960s.

by Anonymousreply 7January 20, 2020 2:22 AM

Neal Cassady inspired the character of Dean. A house where he lived in San Jose, Calif is still there:

"Beats' Menage House -- 1047 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose Neal Cassady is listed on one line of the 1952 Crisscross Directory as a 'brakeman' for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The little cream stucco house he rented with his wife, Carolyn, sits next to the parking lot of the Chapparral Super. There is a back house where Allen Ginsberg lived and a little yard between the two. Kerouac was a frequent visitor (you do the math). Today, at least two families live in the houses, and laundry hangs in the yard. They were happy to hear of the famous tenants that preceded them, and the houses are full of life but falling into disrepair."

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by Anonymousreply 8January 20, 2020 2:45 AM
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