I figured from the trailers that The Road was to star Viggo Mortensen in a self-indulgent vanity project where he prances flamboyantly about in designer costumes like Dorothy in search of the Wizard. Guess I was a little off. What can I tell you that you don't already know? This nihilist tale is a Tea Party member's wet dream: no big government, no military, no food stamps just good old fashioned salt of the earth types who spend their days in search of fresh meat. Unfortunately, fresh meat is an acquired taste because it is usually wrist-watched (it's man okay. They are cannibals. What I'm saying is that survivors must eat people). Viggo's achilles heel and reason to believe is his 9 year old son. Although all this boy has ever known is a lifetime spent in fight or flight mode-he's been sheltered literally and figuratively by his ever growing sicker and uglier Poppa-he is pretty much a pussy. So much for the coming of age tale I expected. As soon as Viggo finally drops dead, along comes an unclean nuclear family (the father, played by Guy Pearce with a voice that was a dead ringer for Eddie Vedder and I kinda hoped he would break into Hungerstrike) complete with pet dog and adopts our boy without skipping a beat. No sex, little violence. Bleak. Made me go home and kiss the kids. Viggo really rules.
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