On the Road

It might surprise you to know that I have never read On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It's one of those books that I knew I was supposed to read because it was important, but I never got around to it. This past weekend when we were trying to decide what to see, I noted that this movie was playing at the theater where we usually go to see documentaries and "indie" films. I had heard a so-so review on the movie in general, but also that the actors' performances were very good. Okay, then, why not?

This movie which is based on the book is somewhat autobiographical. Jack Kerouac was a member of the Beat Generation of the late 40's along with his friends, Allan Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. The names of the main characters are changed but their identities are obvious - Kerouac is Sal, Ginsberg is Carlo and Neal Cassady is Dean in the story. We went into this movie with open minds knowing very little about what we were going to see. Not so much for the other people in the theater with us. Many of the other movie goers in the audience seemed to be 10 to 20 years older than us and were obviously excited to see this story on film.

So now what I know about the Beat Generation is that it was the earliest beginnings of the hippie counterculture. The members of this post-war culture were considered "bohemian hedonists" who experimented with drugs and alternative sexuality while reveling in spontaneous creativity and non-conformist ideals. Although most of the Beat writers met in New York, many of them settled in San Francisco and were responsible for the San Francisco Renaissance. It was a lot to take in.

The film focuses on these characters and their complex relationships as they drive back and forth across the country in search of the ultimate hedonistic pleasures - sex, drugs and jazz. I can't deny that the actors' performances were good. They were very dedicated to portraying the iconic characters in an honest and realistic manner. I believed them. But did I enjoy the movie? Well, no, not really. Since I hadn't read the book, I had no idea if the movie was faithful to the story. I did get the sense from the other people in the theater that they were vaguely unsatisfied with adaption of the book into film.  The movie ended and left us wondering what happened to the various characters. When we got home I looked up these people on the internet and found out that both Kerouac and Cassady (characters Sal and Dean, respectively) died young - Kerouac at 47 from internal bleeding due to excessive alcohol use and Cassady at 42 probably due his use of drugs. A couple of very sad lives.

On the Road as a film educated me about a time in American history that I didn't know too much about. It's not a "feel good" movie in any way. I would recommend this movie to Jack Kerouac fans and would be interested to know how they feel about the adaptation from book to film.