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The Open Road

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The Open Road

PG-13

Released Aug 28, 2009

1h 30m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

25%

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25,000+ Ratings

While playing minor league baseball in Texas, Carlton Garrett (Justin Timberlake) receives word from his grandfather (Harry Dean Stanton) that his mother, Katherine (Mary Steenburgen), needs a life-saving operation. When Garrett reaches the hospital, his mother refuses to undergo the surgery until Kyle (Jeff Bridges) -- Garrett's estranged, former-baseball star father -- is present. Garrett then travels to Ohio with his pal Lucy (Kate Mara) to convince his unreliable father to return home.

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Amy Nicholson

Boxoffice Magazine

A screenplay that feels written by numbers, but excellent performances make it deserve more attention than this late summer dump

Rated: C

Sep 3, 2009

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Michael Ordoña

Los Angeles Times

The Open Road is no Grand Prix winner, but it's no six-car pileup either. It's a low-key road movie that doesn't stray far from the very, very beaten path.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 3, 2009

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Michael Rechtshaffen

The Hollywood Reporter

Despite its dependable cast, this ponderous road movie remains stuck in the slow lane.

Sep 1, 2009

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Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

An earnestly acted film with a movie-of-the-week vibe, it's watchable but too slow-moving -- and far too predictable -- to be entirely engaging.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 11, 2009

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Brian Orndorf

DVDTalk.com

The picture contains a few inspired moments of antagonism and redemption, but it's hard to get energized about a feature film that positions Timberlake in a leading role. The movie practically begs for more Bridges.

Rated: C-

Nov 19, 2009

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Norm Schrager

Filmcritic.com

plays like a familiar checklist

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2009

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steve d

Starts out extremely slow, but the father and son chemistry really works and the film grows on you.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

It's not that there is no potential here, but ultimately this doesn't mine any new territory and the heart of it feels a little forced.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

Again very good movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Scott W

Not a great movie... Bridges is good again... And you see that timber lake is a better actor now then back in 09

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/30/13

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Audience Member

I loved this movie. Well-acted and subtle. Not for the action/adventure crowd. but if you like nuance over the obvious, give it a try.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

nilufer e

Waste of time. I was fooled by the actors, yeah now I'm a fan of Justin Timberlake "the actor" but this movie was totally a failure, even though it has the mighty Jeff Bridges. The story is simple, nothing much going on throughout the movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Michael Meredith

Director

Jeff Bridges

Kyle

Justin Timberlake

Carlton Garrett

Kate Mara

Lucy

Harry Dean Stanton

Amon

Lyle Lovett

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Synopsis

While playing minor league baseball in Texas, Carlton Garrett (Justin Timberlake) receives word from his grandfather (Harry Dean Stanton) that his mother, Katherine (Mary Steenburgen), needs a life-saving operation. When Garrett reaches the hospital, his mother refuses to undergo the surgery until Kyle (Jeff Bridges) -- Garrett's estranged, former-baseball star father -- is present. Garrett then travels to Ohio with his pal Lucy (Kate Mara) to convince his unreliable father to return home.

Director: Michael Meredith
Producer: Justin Moore-Lewy, Charlie Mason, Michael Meredith, Jordan Foley, Laurie Foxx, David Schiff
Screenwriter: Michael Meredith
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
Production Co: Odd Lot Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 28, 2015
Runtime: 1h 30m

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