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Reservation Road (2007) Focus Features 1 hr. 42 mins. Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Miro Sorvino, Elle Fanning, Sean Curley, Eddie Alderson, John Slattery Directed by: Terry George This film is rated: R Reservation Road Rating:  
E-MAIL FRANK OCHIENG Shockingly, filmmaker Terry George—the mastermind behind the poignantly intriguing Hotel Rwanda—is saddled with overseeing the drippy drama Reservation Road, a tear-jerking tale about parental loss, ethical indifference and the moral dilemma among its grieving participants. It is incredible that George sustains this lightweight soap opera with the predictable pap of a Lifetime channel movie. Woefully manipulative and woodenly contrived, Reservation Road does some mighty pandering and it isn’t very convincing. Assuredly, George’s weepy narrative may cater to baseball fanatics around New England (the movie centers on the Boston Red Sox’s historical 2004 drive for their World Series championship). Also, soccer moms and disillusioned dads will freely have their emotional connection in check. Heck even the seedy reputation concerning shady lawyers will be cemented by ambulance chaser detractors. For good measure, George even throws in a power point cast filled with dueling Oscar-winning supporting actresses (Jennifer Connolly and Mira Sorvino) and a two-time Oscar nominee in the ubiquitous Joaquin Phoenix (“Gladiator”, “Walk the Line”). Still, these flourishes doesn’t diminish the fact that Reservation Road is a glorified mushfest that delves in coincidental quandaries and the biggest exploitative device of them all—the jeopardizing usage of a deceased child. Based on the heart-wrenching novel by John Burhnnam Schwartz, Reservation Road pits the anguish of two wayward men joined by the hip of chaotic disaster. Divorced weasel-minded lawyer Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) and his son (Eddie Alderson) were driving home to Connecticut from a Red Sox ballgame while a careless Dwight is trying to rush the sleepy kid to his ex-wife’s (Mira Sorvino) place. Becoming distracted and dodging an approaching vehicle, Dwight accidentally runs into a boy (Sean Curley) innocently releasing a bottle of fireflies on the side of the road. Enter college professor Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix). It was he and his wife’s (Jennifer Connolly) child who was mowed down by Dwight’s errant vehicle after they (along with young daughter Elle Fanning) stopped for gas and refreshments. As Ethan rushed over to cuddle his boy’s dying limp body, he witnessed Dwight’s truck continuing its movement thus turning this incident into a deadly hit-and-run. Dwight, panicking beyond belief, speeds off and explains to his groggy son that they hit a log on the road causing the minor to sport a black eye on the dashboard. As one can imagine, Ethan and his family are severely distraught over their boy’s senseless vehicular killing. Eager to bring his son’s reckless killer to justice, Ethan badges the local law enforcement to step up their investigation and find the culprit. Feeling frustrated and lost, Ethan conducts his own probe that clashes with the police’s efforts to solve the case. Through online support groups and random drives through the surrounding neighborhood, Ethan seeks to find his son's motorized executioner. Ethan’s wife informs him that he’s not being attentive to his surviving family members and needs to be emotionally stabilizing for them. In the meantime, nervous wreck Dwight is awkwardly dealing with his wrongdoing by covering his steps and hiding the truth behind his misguided actions. Between his twitchy behavior at work and his fight to spend quality time with his Red Sox-obsessed son, Dwight has his hands full while constantly looking over his shoulder. As if that isn’t enough, Dwight must assist the firm’s newest client—you guessed it...Ethan—to help along with the inquiry into his son’s death. If this doesn’t take the cake, Ethan’s daughter is taking special music lessons from Dwight’s ex-wife who’s also her deceased brother’s music teacher. Hastily, Dwight tries to avoid Ethan as much as possible but the persistent and pushy father wants results and FAST! Can Dwight derail Ethan’s curiosity about his son’s tragedy before he is exposed in his shame? Will Dwight come clean with his dirty secret or will he perish silently as his conscience eats him up? Can Ethan piece together the problematic puzzle involving his son’s caustic passing? Can both men get over the obsession of their sons for different reasons entirely? The plausibility in Reservation Road is ridiculous and George mashes these coincidences with all the silly-minded resourcefulness of slapping a stale peanut butter and jelly sandwich together. The pathos feels needlessly synthetic as a hairy-faced Phoenix sulks and wildly darts his eyes. Connelly, an intriguing actress in her own right, is left to screech on cue in annoying fashion. Ruffalo, often times resembling a weary-looking Tony Danza, is quite compelling as a repulsive sneak worth some sort of redemption especially when he lectures his son on misbehaving in school. Sorvino has nothing much to do beyond being the many wandering sources of Ruffalo’s internal aggravation. Conversely, Reservation Road goes through the perfunctory motions and never really elevates itself beyond a Kleenex caper about wounded men and their loved ones embracing transparent tension and drowning in crocodile tears. Under George’s half-hearted direction and one-dimensional tomb of brooding, this particular Road is certainly under construction. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Frank Ochieng © TheWorldJournal.com |
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