Road trip movies. There are just so many of them. The Muppet Movie, The Wizard of Oz, Elizabethtown, Joyride, No Country for Old Men, Transamerica, Star Wars. Each one is different, but they all are kind of the same. The characters set off searching for something (whether they know it or not) and by the end of the film they find it.
Maybe that's why Kerouac's On the Road has yet to be adapted into a film. I know people have tried, scripts have been written, but nothing has ever been shot. The book is the ultimate road trip novel, but it doesn't seem to fit the conventions of the road trip film genre. I feel unsatisfied at the end of this story, and that is a road trip movie no-no.
As I am attempting to adapt a novel into screenplay myself, I can see where a producer would smell trouble. First of all, this book is kind of a big deal. It's like asking someone to remake Citizen Kane or film the Bible. It has to be done to perfection, or not at all. Second, there are a lot of characters to keep up with. You can do it, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to tackle. Finally, there's that whole "it can't be a road trip if he doesn't find what he's looking for" conundrum.
All of which make it a completely fascinating story.
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