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Amazon.co.uk Review
After grappling with civil war in Some Mother's Son and Hotel Rwanda, Terry George turns to the tranquility of the American suburbs. Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, Reservation Road marks a smooth transition into seemingly alien territory. The Northern Irish director first introduces Connecticut professor Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and attorney Dwight (Mark Ruffalo). One night, they end up on the same road; Ethan is returning with his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and kids from a school recital, Dwight and his son are heading home after a baseball game. In an instant, Ethan's boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Dwight knows what he's done, but doesn't say a word, as he doesn't want to lose custody of his child. Impatient for justice, Ethan becomes convinced the authorities will never solve the case, so he tries to track down the killer himself. Coincidence builds on coincidence--Dwight's ex-wife (Mira Sorvino) teaches Ethan's daughter (Elle Fanning), and Ethan hires Dwight as his lawyer. Just as the attorney-client relationship forces the two men to work together, the script asks the same of these gifted actors. Fortunately, Phoenix and Ruffalo rise to the occasion. That said, movies about grieving parents can be a tough sell. It remains to be seen whether Reservation Road will benefit from the success of In the Bedroom and Mystic River--or suffer from the onslaught of cinematic grief. At the very least, it allows more light in at the end of its dark journey into the soul. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Synopsis
A wrenching drama, Reservation Road is the story of two men whose lives are torn apart by a tragic accident. Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly) are consumed with grief after their son Josh (Sean Curley) is struck by a hit and run driver. The man behind the wheel was Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), a divorcee who was racing to get his own son back in time in accordance with a custody agreement. A lawyer himself, Dwight is all too familiar with the consequences of his actions. Unsure of what to do, he panics, then conceals his car in his garage. Lucky for him, the police can't find any leads, and the case quickly turns cold. Time passes, and Emma wants her family to heal and get on with their lives, but Ethan has become consumed with finding his son's killer. In a bizarre coincidence, he shows up at Dwight's office seeking legal advice about how to catch and prosecute the perpetrator. The guilt is eating away at Dwight, and he makes a plan to turn himself in, but not before he has a proper goodbye with his own son. When an image suddenly jars Ethan's memory of the accident, he begins to piece things together, causing him to quickly seek his retaliation, which results in a gripping and emotional stand-off.
Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly are excellent as the grieving parents, both offering a painfully realistic portrait of grief. Mark Ruffalo is equally impressive as the tormented and conflicted Dwight. While the film works nicely as both thriller and family drama, it at times has an emotional intensity that can be almost difficult to watch. Yet, all tear-jerking elements aside, director Terry George has crafted a smart and complex tale of loss, and the long, difficult road to healing.
Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly are excellent as the grieving parents, both offering a painfully realistic portrait of grief. Mark Ruffalo is equally impressive as the tormented and conflicted Dwight. While the film works nicely as both thriller and family drama, it at times has an emotional intensity that can be almost difficult to watch. Yet, all tear-jerking elements aside, director Terry George has crafted a smart and complex tale of loss, and the long, difficult road to healing.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:DVD
When a child is killed in a hit and run accident, both his grieving father, Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix), and the guilt-ridden killer, Dwight, (Mark Ruffalo) suffer horribly. Things get even worse when Ethan hires Dwight to solve the case.
The first 90 minutes of the movie were very good. The anguish of both father and killer was intense and obviously building to an emotional confrontation. The actors blew it in the final scene, however; neither actor had the depth to convey the misery the script demanded. The great build-up fell flat with shallow and unconvincing acting. Another problem was that the two male leads looked too much alike; they had to give Phoenix a bushy lumberjack beard so we could tell them apart and it was distracting. Also, Jennifer Connelly was never believable as a devastated mother; in fact, her reaction when the child died made me assume she was his step-mother.
This is a disappointing movie.
The first 90 minutes of the movie were very good. The anguish of both father and killer was intense and obviously building to an emotional confrontation. The actors blew it in the final scene, however; neither actor had the depth to convey the misery the script demanded. The great build-up fell flat with shallow and unconvincing acting. Another problem was that the two male leads looked too much alike; they had to give Phoenix a bushy lumberjack beard so we could tell them apart and it was distracting. Also, Jennifer Connelly was never believable as a devastated mother; in fact, her reaction when the child died made me assume she was his step-mother.
This is a disappointing movie.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Reservation Road is showing very lifelikely how parents must feel when they loose their child from one minute to another. The story becomes even more dramatic when the hit-and-run driver responsible for her son's death is hiding and lying instead of going to the police and telling the truth. The grief-stricken father (Joaquin Phoenix) is chasing the hit-and-run driver on this own because he feels no support from the police. The mother is acting in a different way, she tries to get on with her life, it seems that she's doing it primarily for the little daughter.
Dwight (Mark Ruffalo), is not strictly a bad person, he is a loving father, and the guilt he is carrying most time of the movie, eventually destroyes his life too.
I felt that all roles were played very well and after seeing the film two times, I'm still very impressed - thought-provoking movie!
Dwight (Mark Ruffalo), is not strictly a bad person, he is a loving father, and the guilt he is carrying most time of the movie, eventually destroyes his life too.
I felt that all roles were played very well and after seeing the film two times, I'm still very impressed - thought-provoking movie!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Reservation Road [2007]
Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly) comfortable family existence is shattered when their son Josh is killed by a hit and run driver.
Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) the driver that killed Josh is not drunk or on drugs, he is a sensitive lawyer who is late retuning his son after a days parenting access and is rushing to return his son to his divorced wife. Dwight does not report the incident and as a lawyer is briefed to try and put pressure on the police on the flagging investigation into Josh's death.
This is an intense drama in a very fine screen play, but the film falls short of its potential.
Mark Ruffalo gives a good performance as the conscience stricken Dwight, but surprisingly Phoenix and Connelly just do not seem comfortable in their roles. In the documentary Phoenix says he had difficulty emphasising with the reaction of his character to the tragedy.
Grief is a very difficult emotion to confront unless you have experienced it, and Jennifer Connelly as a mother could not face up to fully understanding the loss of a child.
If only Phoenix and Connelly could have allowed themselves to be carried along with the gut wrenching emotions of the drama this could have been a great film, unfortunately they did not and it falls that essential bit short.
Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and wife Grace (Jennifer Connelly) comfortable family existence is shattered when their son Josh is killed by a hit and run driver.
Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) the driver that killed Josh is not drunk or on drugs, he is a sensitive lawyer who is late retuning his son after a days parenting access and is rushing to return his son to his divorced wife. Dwight does not report the incident and as a lawyer is briefed to try and put pressure on the police on the flagging investigation into Josh's death.
This is an intense drama in a very fine screen play, but the film falls short of its potential.
Mark Ruffalo gives a good performance as the conscience stricken Dwight, but surprisingly Phoenix and Connelly just do not seem comfortable in their roles. In the documentary Phoenix says he had difficulty emphasising with the reaction of his character to the tragedy.
Grief is a very difficult emotion to confront unless you have experienced it, and Jennifer Connelly as a mother could not face up to fully understanding the loss of a child.
If only Phoenix and Connelly could have allowed themselves to be carried along with the gut wrenching emotions of the drama this could have been a great film, unfortunately they did not and it falls that essential bit short.
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