The Road to Wellville (1994)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers (WGA):

T. Coraghessan Boyle (novel)
Alan Parker (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | History

Tagline:

A comedy of the heart and other organs.

Plot:

A story about the ins and outs of one unusual health facility in the early 20th century, run by the eccentric Dr. Kellogg.

Plot Keywords:

Health | Sex | Patient | Diet | Adopted Son

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Dr. John Harvey Kellogg
Bridget Fonda	...	Eleanor Lightbody
Matthew Broderick	...	William Lightbody
John Cusack	...	Charles Ossining
Dana Carvey	...	George Kellogg
Michael Lerner	...	Goodloe Bender
Colm Meaney	...	Dr. Lionel Badger
John Neville	...	Endymion Hart-Jones
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Ida Muntz
Traci Lind	...	Nurse Irene Graves
Camryn Manheim	...	Virginia Cranehill
Roy Brocksmith	...	Poultney Dab
Norbert Weisser	...	Dr. Spitzvogel
Monica Parker	...	Mrs. Tindermarsh
Jacob Reynolds	...	Young George Kellogg

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | Iceland:L | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York, USA

Company:

Beacon Communications

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Mr. Unpronounceable is dead, you can see him breathing.

Quotes:

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg: My own stools, Sir, are gigantic and have no more odor than a hot biscuit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Action: Blowhard (#1.4)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

All Ungherese

Corn flakes anyone?

Not having seen this film before, it came as a total surprise the other night when it was shown on cable. Alan Parker, the director, has adapted the T. Coraghessan Boyle's book into a hilarious comedy that evidently, judging from some of the comments to this forum, is not a crowd pleaser, yet, the film rewards those with an open mind to enjoy this hysterical take of a mad scientist, a spa, and the people that tend to patronize those places.

The story about the use of cereals, championed by Dr. John Henry Kellogg, is the basis of the story. This revolutionary doctor's methods were amazing in the way they were applied to patients going for the cure of their bad stomachs caused by the prevailing eating habits of the time.

This farce is great fun because of the cast assembled for the movie. Anthony Hopkins plays the mad Dr. Kellogg with glasses and false teeth that distort his face. We have to look hard into this mad man to realize the transformation Mr. Hopkins achieves with his character.

John Cusack, as the enterprising Charles Ossining, travels to Battle Creek, Michigan in search of riches, trying to capitalize on the cereal craze. He finds a partner in the devious Bender, played with great panache by Michael Lerner, one of the best character actors in the American cinema.

As the patrons of the spa, we encounter a young couple, the Lightbodies that go for a treatment. Briget Fonda and Matthew Broderick play the Lightbodies, a pair that is separated at their arrival and who encounter satisfaction in more ways than one, as they discover their sexuality. Lara Flynn Boyle, Camryn Manheim, Traci Lind, John Neville, Dana Carvey, Colm Meany and Jacob Reynolds are all good in their small roles.

This film, with its different kind of humor, will make anyone laugh.