Fans of the Book

I was wondering if anyone who was a fan of the book was kind of put off by the sex scene.

I don't understand what purpose it served other than the whole audience got to see what Buscemi looks like as a bottom. Which is kind of cool, I guess, but doesn't really serve any greater point.

That scene was not in the book. I know it was originally going to be in the book but I think Kerouac or his Editor decided to cut it out. Point is, they both agreed it didn't really jive with the Dean character as presented in the book. Sure, they were all gay in real life, but the book isn't real life.

The director butchered the whole Old Bull Lee sequence. Where was the gigantic piece of oak he was turning into a table? Why was that replaced with the orgone breathing machine? Why didn't they do the scene at the race track? The Old Bull Lee part in the book had some of the best stuff and some of the best lines, none of which was used in the movie.

Where was the scene where Sal looks out at the baseball field and wishes he was anything but a white man?

The director cut out a lot of good scenes and themes from the book. I can't think of one scene that he got right from the book. And I think with a book like On the Road that you have to nail the great scenes or else your movie is going to add up to nothing.

The director didn't really get what made the book great. The book is great because its lyrical, poetic, energetic, and fun with a thread of sadness and melancholy running through it. This movie is just plain dour. No kicks, no madness, just a lot of sullen looks. I think they had that one scene in the Jazz club but that was a pretty ugly and ineffective scene. I just don't think Salles had a good grasp of the book or I get the feeling he's not a fan of the book.

On the Road needed to be done the way Terry Gilliam did Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Gilliam made that movie move. Walter Salles made On the Road a joyless slog.

sorry just had to get that stupid rant off my chest. Thanks for reading.