Product Details

• Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino, Elle Fanning
• Directors: Terry George
• Writers: Terry George, John Burnham Schwartz
• Producers: Nick Wechsler, A. Kitman Ho
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: April 8, 2008
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0010KP360
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,422 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Reservation Road" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After grappling with civil war in Some Mother's Son and Hotel Rwanda, Terry George turns to the tranquility of the American suburbs. Based on the novel by John Burnham Schwartz, Reservation Road marks a smooth transition into seemingly alien territory. The Northern Irish director first introduces Connecticut professor Ethan (Joaquin Phoenix) and attorney Dwight (Mark Ruffalo). One night, they end up on the same road; Ethan is returning with his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and kids from a school recital, Dwight and his son are heading home after a baseball game. In an instant, Ethan's boy is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Dwight knows what he's done, but doesn't say a word, as he doesn't want to lose custody of his child. Impatient for justice, Ethan becomes convinced the authorities will never solve the case, so he tries to track down the killer himself. Coincidence builds on coincidence--Dwight's ex-wife (Mira Sorvino) teaches Ethan's daughter (Elle Fanning), and Ethan hires Dwight as his lawyer. Just as the attorney-client relationship forces the two men to work together, the script asks the same of these gifted actors. Fortunately, Phoenix and Ruffalo rise to the occasion. That said, movies about grieving parents can be a tough sell. It remains to be seen whether Reservation Road will benefit from the success of In the Bedroom and Mystic River--or suffer from the onslaught of cinematic grief. At the very least, it allows more light in at the end of its dark journey into the soul. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Stills from Reservation Road (click for larger image).

Product Description

Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo and Academy Award® winners Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino deliver riveting performances in the gripping thriller Reservation Road. A powerful human story of anger, revenge and great courage, this film takes you on an intense journey that follows two fathers as their families and lives converge after the events of one fateful night. "Suspenseful, emotional and completely engrossing" (Pete Hammond, Maxim), Reservation Road is "a deft, satisfying thriller" (Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

174 of 177 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fireflies and the Effects of Extinguishing a Brief Life April 12, 2008

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

The profound effects of the accidental death of a child on three families is vividly portrayed in this dark film by writer/director Terry George ('Hotel Rwanda', Hart's War', 'In the Name of the Father') as adapted and co-written by John Burnham Schwartz on whose novel the film is based. While it seems we are seeing a glut of films dealing with revenge on the part of injured people who feel the Law isn't fulfilling its duty, when a film such as RESERVATION ROAD comes along the theme feels fresh.

Ethan and Grace Learner (Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly) and their children Josh (Sean Curley) and Emma (Elle Fanning) are the 'perfect family', living comfortably in Connecticut, until one night after a picnic where Josh captured fireflies for his sister, the family stops at a roadside station and while Josh releases the fireflies at his mother's request he is hit by a car and killed. The driver of the car is Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) who is trying to return his son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) to his estranged, remarried wife Ruth (Mira Sorvino) after a baseball game that ran too long. Instead of stopping when he hits the child, Dwight drives on, not wanting to upset his son. Within the tragedy of the next week the Learners are devastated and feel the police are not finding the perpetrator. They decide to engage a lawyer to assist the investigation and the lawyer they engage is Dwight, a man so torn by the sadness of his life that he is barely functioning - trying to find some solace in restoring a solid relationship with his son while dealing with the fact that he has killed another family's son. The events that proceed reveal the agonies of the accident and the effect of that death on both Ethan (enraged) and Grace (desperately trying to focus on her remaining child), and on Dwight (obsessed with guilt and driven to thoughts of suicide) and his ex-wife Ruth who acts as an unknowing intermediary. The final effects on each of these bruised people bring a surprising end to the story.

The quality of acting is strong as we have come to expect with the likes of Phoenix, Connelly, Ruffalo and Sorvino, who bring us into the tough story with considerable commitment: we understand the thoughts and drives of each of these sad characters. Adding to the sensitive atmosphere is yet another strong musical score by Mark Isham who understands the fine art of creating a soundtrack that enhances the story. The theme may be a bit repetitive and the script somewhat formulaic, but the emotional effect on the viewer cannot be denied. Grady Harp, April 08

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I'd like to have given this one 3 and 3/4 stars, having read the book...strong but flawed movie May 1, 2008

By K. Corn TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It has been hard to write this review, as I really loved the book and the author did work on the screenplay (which was ultimately trimmed by the director, I believe).

The movie has so many strong points and it deals with one of the most painful losses a parent can endure - and in such a terribly tragic and sudden way, no warning at all.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: When the Lerner family is driving home one night, they make a stop at a gas station. That is when their son gets out of the car to let some lightening bugs out of a jar, a car comes along, hits him and kills him - and two families' lives are forever changed. Joaquin Phoenix does a fine job as Ethan, the father of the dead boy. His anger is palpable. Also, if you see the DVD make sure you listen to his description of how hard it was for him to channel that anger. He actually had to talk to victims to get a sense of how they felt after losing a child.

It is hard not to feel sorry for both fathers - the one whose son was killed and the one who accidentally was the killer. Dwight Arno is the man who happened to drive into the boy and his pervading sadness is crafted superbly by Mark Ruffalo, an actor who always seems on the edge of sadness to me.

These men have wives, of course, and I don't mean to slight them - or the actresses behind their depiction. Jennifer Connelly is Grace, wife to Ethan and mother of the dead child. Mira Sorvino is equally strong as Dwight's wife, although they are divorced, but share custody of a son.

Having noted the solid acting in this movie, I do have to add that the plot did disappoint, having such high expectations after having read the book. The movie came very, very close to capturing the tone of the book but I think (in this case) the book's style, word choice and tone did not translate well to film. I don't fault the actors and I'm not sure ANY script could have done justice to the book.

What ended up on screen seemed overly long and somehow "off" from the perfection of the book's story. This is a very personal interpretation, of course, and others may well love this movie. Trying to catch the various facets of grief after a child dies is a difficult task for even the best of actors and actresses. Again, listening to Jennifer Connelly, Mark Ruffalo and the others speak about how they approached the movie might give some insight into why they came close - but fell short of the task.

Connelly admits that she could not think of the subject personally or imagine such a tragedy happening to her own child. Joaquin Phoenix felt sympathy towards the other father and had to learn how to dredge up anger and pain. Ultimately, the result is a film with integrity and heart but still lacking the flow and strength that would have made it wholly compelling. Again, my take and bias may come from having read the book and wanting the movie to live up to that.

I also want to note that I am a fan of Terry George, the man who made this movie. I loved Hotel Rwanda. This time around, however, I think the results weren't quite as spectacular.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Existential and engrossing thriller! June 23, 2008

By Hiram Gomez Pardo HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

"Reservation road" is by far one of the most gripping and tense thrillers of the year. The previous similar movie that I keep in mind was the unforgettable classic of Claude Chabrol: "This man must die" .

A fateful night, an unpleasant and disgraced incident will join the lives of two well different families, and so the anger, despair and pain will involve the heart and minds of these uncomfortable parents. In this order of ideas, and after having lost the patience and faith in the judicial system the next step of this troubled father will be to go for legal advise, and so the destiny will gather the prey and hunter face to face.

All the cast was terrific but Jennifer Connelly steals the show . her forceful and demanding performance overpasses the well known limits of the used to become a true reference pattern.

Watch her for instance, at the moment her husband refers her about the incident of the fireflies and observe carefully the dramatic progression of her facial aspects; or the brief but intense dialogue with him at the moment she wants to give all the things of her beloved son.

So, you will have not only a vibrant and riveting thriller, but a first -class performance and a careful camera work all the way through, that will involve you from start to finish.

Absolutely recommended.