The Road (2009)

Nearly every frame of The Road is the color of a wet sidewalk, and the movie never lets up on that gloom. There’s very little story, just a father and son walking, hiding and searching empty houses for food, and at times it feels like a long, cold march. Viggo Mortensen plays the Man as someone who has lost almost everything except his son, and every choice he makes is about keeping the boy alive. Kodi Smit-McPhee is remarkable as the Boy, who keeps asking whether they’re still the good guys and won’t let his dad forget the answer. Robert Duvall has one quiet scene by a campfire that’s worth the whole runtime. The dangers on the road are frightening, and the film mostly keeps them off screen. Charlize Theron’s flashbacks feel thin. It made $27.6 million worldwide on a reported $25M. A 7.6 because the gloom wears you down and the love between father and son still shines through it. $6,079 says you finish this and make a real breakfast tomorrow, the big kind, just because you can.

What works: Mortensen and Smit-McPhee are heartbreaking together, and the father’s fierce, tired love for his son drives every scene.

What doesn’t: The plot is thin, and the relentless gray gloom makes the middle stretch feel like a long, repetitive walk.

Who it’s for: Patient viewers who want a serious, quiet survival story about a parent and a kid, and who are ready for a heavy one.