About Patrick Martin
Location: New York City!
Occupation: Professional Actor & Singer, Improv & Sketch Comedy
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A tightly woven web of tension and gut-gripping emotion. There are no easy answers in Reservation Road and no audience pleasing Hollywood ending either.
Normally when I see a film packed with this many Oscar winners/nominees as Reservation Road is, I get leery, expecting a cloying, manipulative piece of dreck that’s practically begging for another little gold statue (the ever-so-precious Pay It Forward and pretensious snore-fest Evening coming immediately to mind).
However, I am pleased to say that I found this film to be an incredibly powerful, well-written, directed and acted piece, masterfully delving into the issues of loss, grieving, deception and the destructive hunger for justice.
In Reservation Road, Joaquin Phoenix (who looks smashing with a little facial fuzz) plays Ethan Learner, a college professor who loses his son in a tragic hit-and-run car accident on the way home from a band concert. The story juxtaposes itself between Ethan’s grieving and the internal struggle of Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), the lawyer responsible for the death who’s slowly being torn about by guilt.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in police investigation and the deterioration of his relationship with his wife (Jennifer Connelly) , Ethan seeks out legal assistance. In a cruel twist of irony, he is assigned Dwight as his lawyer.
I feel to say much more about the plot would ruin what is a tightly woven web of tension and gut-gripping emotion.
Both Phoenix and Ruffalo do a masterfully underplayed job of living out the angst and pain that is consuming both of their characters without ever slipping into maudlin or melodramatic territories. Even though you hate Ruffalo for what he has done, I found myself completely identifying with the man and the horrible situation he has created. Similarly, while sympathizing with Phoenix total heartbreak, I was furious with him for allowing his rage to consume everything else he had left in his life.
There are no easy answers in Reservation Road and no audience-pleasing Hollywood ending either. What you get instead is a conclusion that is as disturbing as it is...well, just.
And some beautiful shots of the Long Island Sound.
DVD extras included some nothing-special deleted scenes and a lovingly crafted documentary that’s actually worth watching.
