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Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino, Elle Fanning ... see more see more... , Sean Curley , Samuel Ryan Finn , Eddie Alderson , Susan Powell , Cordell Clyde , Antoni Corone , Kevin Herbst , Gary Kohn , John Slattery , Nora Ferrari , Linda Dano , John Rothman , Geisha Otero , Brett Haley , Sinead Daly , Armin Amiri , Jonathan Tchaikovsky , Lee Goffin-Bonenfant , Americk Lewis , Danny Johnson , Bill Camp , Stephanie Weyman , Raum-Aron , Debra Robinson , Michael Anzalone , David Anzuelo , Julian Rebolledo , Peter Pamela Rose , Kathryn Markey , Ross Klavan

The lingering weight of tragedy threatens to pull two men under following a harrowing hit-and-run accident in a quiet revenge drama directed by Terry George and starting Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoen... read more read more...ix. When his son is killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident, a grieving father (Phoenix) spends his waking hours seeking vengeance against the man (Ruffalo) who perpetrated the deadly crime. It was a warm September evening when college professor Ethan Learner (Phoenix), his wife, Grace (Jennifer Connelly), and their daughter, Emma (Elle Fanning), went to see Emma's ten-year-old brother, Josh (Sean Curley), play cello at a recital. As usual, Josh's performance is superb and the rest of his family wells up with pride. Later, a chance stop at a gas station on Reservation Road results in a tragedy that will leave the surviving members of the family forever broken. On that same evening, hours earlier, law associate Dwight Arno (Ruffalo) takes his 11-year-old son, Lucas (Eddie Alderson), to see a Red Sox game. The loving father cherishes the time spent with his young son, and the pair hope to watch their favorite team pave a road to the World Series. When the game ends, Dwight prepares to drop Lucas off with his mother, Ruth (Mira Sorvino) -- who is also Dwight's ex-wife. On the way home, Dwight and Lucas stop at a gas station on Reservation Road. There, the accident happens in a flash -- so fast that Lucas never even realized what his father had done. But this crime wasn't without a witness, because Ethan watched every horrifying second of the tragedy unfold with his own eyes. As the police are called and the investigation ensues, everyone involved responds to the incident in their own ways, and two grief-stricken fathers are faced with making the hardest decisions of their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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54% liked it

13,870 ratings

Critics

36% liked it

112 critics

R, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Terry George

Release Date: October 19, 2007

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DVD Release Date: April 8, 2008

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Stats: 1,809 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,809)

  • 76Majikat
    December 15, 2010
    76Majikat
    A film that manages to capture thoughts and raw emotions of all envolved after a tragic accident, in one tragic moments, changes the lives of everyone envolved.

    I've not seen Joaquin Phoenix display a serious performance like this before and felt it came across well, as did Ma... read morerk Ruffalo.
  • fb619846742
    March 31, 2009
    fb619846742
    Decent story concerning a father's anger of losing his son to a hit and run accident while the driver is suffering an enormous amount of guilt. Sometimes it feels like its stealing aspects from "In the Bedroom", a far better depiction concerning a father's need to avenge his son'... read mores death. Other times, this is compelling stuff, with Phoenix and Ruffalo giving outstanding performances. Some of the scenes are very overdone though, with enough yelling and tears to last a lifetime. The end lacks closure big time.
  • romy861
    March 28, 2009
    romy861
    This was dull. Didn't move me at all, and just felt like a waste of time. The acting is all good and the cast, but just went nowhere.
  • DrBenway
    March 10, 2009
    DrBenway
    What happened here? Director Terry George was coming off of 2004's Hotel Rwanda, he had A-list talent like Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and the results end up feeling like a parody of awards-hungry films steeped in grief and set in suburbia. To be fair, the ac... read moreting is mostly respectable even if the characters start yelling a majority of their lines. The film moves at a swift pace that doesn't allow much time for the actors to react reflectively about grief and guilt.

    This could have been a great, paranoid thriller of the Fritz Lang school, but director Terry George is more interested in making a prestige picture, full of yelling and crying. The movie's only interesting trick is to slowly swap sympathy from the grieving dad to the suffering driver Dwight. Strong supporting roles by Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino and the subject is definitely captivating enough, but the other elements drown it in mediocrity. Both lead male characters feel incomplete; they suffer from a tragedy that should guarantee viewer sympathy/identification, yet there is no real connection. All this wrapped up with an ending you can see coming for miles.
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  • bookmunki
    July 20, 2008
    bookmunki
    well acted. some of the intertwining of events and circumstances stretched credibility. i think the book would reveal the psychological aspects of the main characters more so than the film representations.
  • mrbungle7821
    June 24, 2008
    mrbungle7821
    [center][img]http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/2043/theorphanagestill03cz3.jpg[/img]
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    [font=Arial][color=DarkRed]Reservation Road - What happened here? Director Terry George was coming off of 2004's stirring [i]Hotel Rwanda[/i], he had A-list talent ... read morelike Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and the results end up feeling like a parody of awards-hungry prestige films steeped in grief and set in suburbia. To be fair, the acting is mostly respectable even if the characters start yelling a majority of their lines. The film moves at an absurdly swift pace that doesn't allow much time for the actors to react reflectively about grief and guilt. The movie is kept afloat by some contrived coincidences, like Ruffalo's lawyer being hired by Phoenix to find the culprit responsible for the hit and run that killed his son (surprise, it was Ruffalo behind the wheel!). [i]Reservation Road[/i] doesn't dwell too long on the plot setups it crafts and stumbles into a sudden and convenient epiphany by Phoenix. The conclusion is neither satisfying nor emotionally grueling, and the movie just kind of ends abruptly with little resolved, crushed under the weight of failed pretensions. This movie wants to dig deep and say Big Things about the human condition but it's hard to do when you're as emotionally inert and dramatically flaccid as [i]Reservation Road[/i]. Seriously, what happened here?

    Nate's Grade: C

    The Orphanage - The haunted house spook sub-genre has mostly delivered fairly pedestrian results (Oh no, it's only a cat), but let [i]The Orphanage[/i] stand as undeniable proof that with patience and talent the haunted house can still be scary as hell. The film takes its time to establish a truly unnerving atmosphere where even genre clichés like creepy kids in creepy masks become compelling and scary. The haunted house usually revolves around some form of a mystery, and [i]The Orphanage[/i] is able to tap out an interesting tale that provides plenty of emotional depth. The mystery unravels at a nice pace and the film grows in intensity and dread. Plus, the movie doesn't spell out everything and respects the viewer's intelligence. Invariably, this film will be compared to [i]The Others[/i], another superior chiller also from a Spanish filmmaker, especially given the conclusions reached by the end. But debut director Juan Antonio Bayona certainly makes a strong impression with his subtlety and ability to transform conventional creaks and surprises into effective thrills. I'd be happy to sit through more haunted houses if they were all as good as [i]The Orphanage[/i].

    Nate's Grade: A-[/color][/font]
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    May 26, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    I never would have though one of my most anticipated 2007 releases would be pretty, for lack of a better word, awful...but Reservation Road is.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    May 6, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    Definitely an underrated film. I have no idea why this film didn't get the much buzz it deserved. I mean, it had a perfect cast (Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mark Ruffalo), a rock solid plot of revenge, justice and guilt and the director's reputation is widely acclaimed... read more. Why is this not talked about?

    Joaquin Phoenix, as in every of his film, is fantastic as ever. I'm hoping to see some of his works in the future. Jennifer Connelly was surprisingly effective too. She matches Phoenix's intensity on screen. It is best shown in the scene where she throws Phoenix's character out of the house and they were like arguing and shouting and doing a throw down of words. That was pure acting intensity number 8.

    Mark Ruffalo, I'll be seeing some shiny golden statues in his lap real soon. He is perfect in this film. The scene where he asks Phoenix's character to tell him to kill himself was the money-maker. That hit the spot. It was emotional.

    So, if you have nothing to do this summer, I suggest you rent this one.
  • bbcfloridabound
    May 4, 2008
    bbcfloridabound
    This movie deserves no less then 5 Stars. If you have young children the first 40 Minutes might be hard on you. But once you get pass that, its nothing but great, shows true feeling. Only reason I will not add it to my collection, it brought back to many bad memories.
  • MovieGeek13
    April 25, 2008
    MovieGeek13
    A bad book is turned into an even worse movie. The drama plays like a misguided soap opera. Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix overact to the extreme. Jennifer Connolly and Mira Sorvino are wasted as they hardly have any screen time. Worse is how the film explores these charact... read moreers' reactions to the tragedy that has befallen them. It never feels compelling or real. All you see is a bunch of actors crying and yelling and moping to the point where you start to become more annoyed with them instead of sympathizing with them.

View All Reservation Road Reviews

Critic Reviews

Amy Biancolli
October 26, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It starts with devastation and closes, after a few reels of narrative dithering, with a climax of hairpin emotional turns and indisputable power. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
October 26, 2007
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

A film of distinguished performances that rise above a coincidence-riddled and perfunctory screenplay -- without redeeming it. Full Review

Colin Covert
October 25, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Reservation Road is a car wreck of a movie about an auto accident. It's designed as a psychological suspense film, but every character development and plot twist can be seen far in advance. It's a mys... Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
October 25, 2007
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

An exercise in frustration and wasted opportunities. Full Review

Richard Roeper
October 22, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

This is kind of a terrible movie with some really talented people.

Geoff Pevere
October 20, 2007
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

The major failure here is fear of the very emotions the movie purports to be about. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
October 20, 2007
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Reservation Road is all about the darkness that lurks in the hearts of men, and although it's dark in there, all right, the power of redemption is always a possibility. This dour, ponderous picture ju... Full Review

Stephen Hunter
October 19, 2007
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

You know exactly where the story is going, and, dang, that's exactly where it goes. Full Review

Claudia Puig
October 19, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Unfortunately, the film grows contrived. Full Review

Richard Schickel
October 19, 2007
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Original and gripping. Full Review

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