The Open Road

Play trailer

The Open Road

PG-13

2009

1h 30m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

25%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen

The Hollywood Reporter

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

Sep 1, 2009

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Norm Schrager

Filmcritic.com

plays like a familiar checklist

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2009

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Audience Member

Again very good movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Michael Meredith

Director

Jeff Bridges

Kyle

Justin Timberlake

Carlton Garrett

Kate Mara

Lucy

Harry Dean Stanton

Amon

Lyle Lovett

Hotel Bartender

The Way, Way Back

83%

84%

The Way, Way Back

Watchlist

It's Kind of a Funny Story

58%

66%

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Watchlist

My One and Only

69%

50%

My One and Only

Watchlist

The Winning Season

52%

54%

The Winning Season

Watchlist

House of D

10%

73%

House of D

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now