From IMDB:
Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for “It” results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S.
The movie is based on the book written by Jack Kerouac, and if you’re a cool little hipster thing, then you’ve probably read all of his stuff. Or at least pretended to. Or maybe you’re just well-educated. Heck, you might even enjoy Kerouac’s writings. Maybe that’s how you ended up here. Who knows. I checked it out on my trusty Wikipedia source, and it says this about the book:
On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of the postwar Beat Generation that was inspired by jazz, poetry, and drug experiences. While many of the names and details of Kerouac’s experiences are changed for the novel, hundreds of references in On the Road have real-world counterparts.
When the book was originally released, The New York Times hailed it as “the most beautifully executed, the clearest and the most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as “beat,” and whose principal avatar he is.” In 1998, the Modern Library ranked On the Road 55th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. The novel was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005.
So, oh my. I haven’t read a book on the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Does that make me ignorant? Illiterate? Ensconced in modern-day drivel like Harry Potter and the Twilight series? I sure hope not. I mean, it’s got to count for something that I thought the movie looked good even before I actually read up on the plot, right?
All I know is that, no, I have not read the book, and I’m not going to put on any pretentious airs when I say that I’ve read any Jack Kerouac, because I am neither a cool little hipster thing, nor am I well-educated. No, strike that last thing. I’m pretty well-educated, I just never read the books enough to know whether or not I like them. But this movie! It looks pretty good, and I think it’s definitely going to be yet another role where Kristen Stewart can flex her acting muscles. I know a lot of you guys think she’s crap and can’t act her way out of a artfully-crafted-to-look-vintage holey faux-leather satchel, but you know what? I do. I really, really do.
You guys interested in seeing this movie? Have you read a lot of Kerouac? Is this something I’m missing out on big time? School a naive girl, OK?
Making snide little comments like that regarding reading and hipsterism is actually rather annoying. The Beats were an important period and reading is actually very important. Everyone should read ‘On The Road’ and by labeling that as something a hipster fuck would do is very idiotic.
Just thought you should know
Come again?
Girl, I personally know a lot of “hipsters” (not, you know REAL hipsters AKA the beat generation, and big ups to that American History II course I took all those years ago for learning me on it all) who pretend to read trendy authors like Kerouac and Palahniuk and Vonnegut (need I go on) because it’s the ‘in’ thing to do. I’m not going to pretend, hence the … never mind. You’re smart. You probably catch my meaning.
I do enjoy reading, thanks, and because I *haven’t* read something that’s all Big and Important and whatever doesn’t make me any less intelligent than someone who has.
It’s just the way you put it, it’s like the only people who actually read/love that book are pretentious. Just reading books like Potter/Twilight don’t make you stupid of course, but come on, litterature has much to offert than just this, don’t you think?
I didn’t read On the Road yet, but this is sure I read it before I see the movie. I don’t want Stewart performance in my head when I will read the book. Just like I’m very happy to have read Bel-Ami a couple years ago, I don’t have hope for this movie.
Yes I’m maybe harsh, but I don’t feel that I have to lower my standard.
Anyway as for Kristen Stewart being good in a movie, I will believe it when I will see it. Same thing for Rob and the other Twilight actors (minus Sheen and Facinelli). If Rob do good in Cosmopolis I will forgive/forget everything else!
For the On the Road trailer, I show it on a french litterature website that I’m a member of, it gave high enthusiasm, but personally I’m meh, I will wait to see the movie.
Actually, she never said the book wasn’t a good read she just pointed how how a lot of hipsters now read the book. I thought she was spot on, actually.
You haven’t read ANY book on the top 100? Did you go to school? At all? Well educated = pop culture regurgitation.
Reading comprehension fail.
this book was on the summer reading list when i was in high school and i chose too read it
dear GOD i do not know how people like it, it’s SO BORING i hated it…i mean it’s not The Scarlet Letter boring but it’s up there
then they put awkward pants in there and well…i hope the movie is more interesting than the book/better than the Twilight comdies (they’re supposed to be funny right?)
I actually really enjoyed The Scarlet Letter. A lot more than some of the other things we had to read, anyway.
Derp
Derpette
The interesting thing about On The Road is that Kerouac typed it all up on a single (long) sheet of paper (I think you can see it in the trailer at one point). Also it underwent either no or very little editing, which always piques my interest about books.