Jeffrey Wells didn’t care for “two hours of rotted, ash-covered, end-of-the-world remnants captured in ravishing desaturated color.” I have a feeling the The Road is not going to cause a lot of positive word of mouth. I am 80% done with the book. Hardly a female in the story so far. No mention of a “wife” so I am not sure how Charlize Theron’s character got in the movie.
Okay, Viggo Mortensen and the kid are very good…yes, fine. But what they bring isn’t nearly enough. ● More from: Hollywood Elsewhere
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You’re 80% through the book and you didn’t notice the passages about his wife? Are you sure you’re reading the same book as everyone else, Norm? This makes me laugh. How could you NOT have picked up on that? Verily, I dismiss the rest of your comments.
As for the rest of what you said, LOTS of us are very anxious to see this movie, despite the fact that we “get” how dark it is. It’s an appeal that’s apparently lost on you. Too bad for you.
Oh I am very much looking forward to the movie. It sounds like my kind of film. I am only reporting the reactions of others who have actually seen The Road.
So I missed the wife? Hmmm . . . I have always said I have a difficult time with McCarthy’s writing style. I couldn’t make heads or tails of No Country For Old Men. After seeing the movie I went back and re-read the ending again. I STILL couldn’t get it.
I have finished the book. The word “wife” appears only once (at the 16% mark). It’s in regard to a picture in “the man’s” wallet. There is some dialogue with a woman in subsequent pages which I didn’t identify as the wife . . . but on a second read . . obviously it is. It’s a short appearance reflecting what ever happened that happened to the planet and what the plight of the “man” and “boy” will be.
So maybe I was a little harsh, eh? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. But I do apologize if I came across as a complete jerk. Even bloggers have feelings. Sometimes I think the anonymity of the Internet makes us less civil than we would be in a face to face situation [see above].
Really Norm, it’s mostly that I’ve just gotten a little impatient with people who claim to have read the book but miss some of its obvious references. However, in your case I DO believe you. We all do have our preferences in author style. Maybe Cormac McCarthy just isn’t your cup of tea. Hope you like the movie when you finally do see it. Have a great evening.
Harsh? I don’t even notice anymore.
I take same approach with online encounters as I do if I met, and chat with, someone new at a party or at the bar. But you are right in that many folks when hiding in the internet bushes feel free to lash out and act like jerks. I guess it says something about what they are suppressing.
Oh, I not only claim I read the book . .. I did read the book. Finished it this morning. I don’t have any trouble admitting what I don’t get. If I don’t get it . . . I don’t get it. As I said No Country left me cold. The Road is a much, for me, easier read. But I’d like a feel quotation marks so I can tell what someone is saying rather than what they are thinking.
Last comment. Your second post convinced that you’d read The Road. I really believe you! And again, I apologize for the sarcastic remarks. Really unnecessary.
As for “The Road” there’s a lot of thing I don’t “get” either. The lack of quotation marks didn’t bother me at all. But as I said, to each his own.
Still hope you like the movie, though:o)
I was trying to get the message of The Road. I guess there doesn’t have to be a message. It can be just a narrative of life in a post apocalyptic world. But I re-read that final paragraph trying to figure out what it meant.
Could someone help me out with a thesis for the movie The Road? Any ideas?