Reservation Road, the newest effort from Hotel Rwanda’s writer/director Terry George, is a film that should be amazing. With a treasure trove of amazing actors, a rich source material, and a Shakespearean-like plot, the film should be a roller coaster ride of emotions and suspense. But the end result is disappointingly just a shade below compelling.
The plot revolves around a fateful night when college professor Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) and his family are attending their 10-year-old son Josh’s cello recital. It’s a near-perfect night, and on the way home, the happy family stops at a gas station on Reservation Road. Just a few miles away, law associate Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) and his 11-year-old son Lucas are leaving a Red Sox game. Driving his son back to his ex-wife, Dwight unknowingly heads toward a fateful encounter on Reservation Road.
At the gas station, young Josh hops out of the car to release some fireflies from a mason jar on the side of the road. Dwight accidentally swerves into the young child, killing him instantly. The accident happens so fast that Lucas is all but unaware, while Ethan — the only witness — leaves in a moment of confusion and panic.
Haunted by the tragedy, both fathers begin to react in unexpected ways. Ethan begins to ruthlessly hunt down his child’s killer, while Dwight begins to deteriorate on the inside.
Let’s start by saying what does work for this film. The male performances are all top-notch with Joaquin Phoenix delivering a devastating performance as a man completely destroyed by grief. No stranger to intense roles, Phoenix excels at perfectly capturing each of the stages of grief. As you watch his character transform from happy father to hurting father to vengeful father and eventually to repentant father, you can’t help but identify with Phoenix’s portrayal.
On the other side of the table is Mark Ruffalo, who seems to be the go-to actor to play likeable yet morally questionable middle-aged men in films these days. However, that’s not to say that Ruffalo just goes through the motions in this film. Saddled with the more difficult role of the film, Ruffalo delivers a subtle and realistic portrayal of man wracked with guilt. The scene in which Ruffalo meets Phoenix for the first time is a perfect example of an actor letting his body language convey all the necessary emotions of the scene.
So what doesn’t work for the film? Jennifer Connelly, who is usually reliable in these types of roles, delivers a weak performance. It might not be entirely her fault since the script forces her character to be sentimental in one scene and ruthless and harsh in the next. It’s an inconsistent performance from a usually consistent actress.
The pacing of the film is also problematic. Several key scenes in the film force Phoenix’s character to make life-changing decisions based on instant messenger conversations with other grief-stricken parents. These scenes are underwhelming and don’t provide enough motivation for his character to go to the lengths that he goes.
And the conclusion of the film, while necessary and effective, feels forced and predictable. In the hands of two lesser actors, the finale could have been a disaster, but thankfully Phoenix and Ruffalo add some much-needed intensity.
While the film is by no means bad, it simply isn’t as good as it should be with the talent involved.
This movie is in theaters starting today.
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