October Road

Plot synopsis:
Nick Garrett (Bryan Greenberg) left home ten years ago to go backpacking in Europe for a few weeks—and the brief trip ended up lasting for a decade. He left behind his girlfriend Hannah (Laura Prepon), best friend Eddie (Geoff Stults), and his family. Garrett is now a famous author and screenwriter living in New York City. Between the parties, social engagements, and living in a beautiful loft-style apartment, Garrett is suffering writer's block while working on his next story. His agent books him to do a one-day writing seminar at the local college in his picturesque hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts. Nick is excited about coming home, but realizes the feeling isn't completely mutual although his family and most of his friends welcome him back effusively. Hannah has a son, Sam, 10, and due to his age Nick questions if the child might be his biological son. Eddie is upset with Nick for walking out on their business plans and for depicting him as a fool in his book. Others are also upset with things Nick wrote in his book about the town. Nick will soon learn that it will be quite a readjustment coming home and that nothing will ever be the same again.
When Nick learns that Sam has a nut allergy like all male members of his family he decides to stay in Knights Ridge and persistently tries to obtain a job at that local college ("The Doof") despite botching the one-day seminar with a bad case of nerves. He eventually wears down the college Dean by pleading for the job on her lawn late at night. She finally relents after he badly sings "Where is Love?" from the musical Oliver!. Nick seeks out the boy, Sam, but backs off when Hannah reproaches him. Nick's father also becomes convinced of Sam's paternity when he sees the boy has similar eyes to those of the widower's late wife.
Nick eventually confronts Hannah with his belief about her boy's paternity. She disputes his view, pointing out how common peanut allergies are by asking patrons at the local bar for a show of hands of those with the allergy. Many people raise their hands. In the next few episodes. Nick and Hannah's feelings continue to develop. Hannah decides to break up with her boyfriend, prompting him to swear revenge on Nick. In the episodes to follow, Hannah's son, Sam, has an allergic reaction to a birthday cake made of nuts. In the tense episode that follows, Nick and Hannah are observed behaving like a couple in love. In the season finale, Nick rushes to her house to proclaim his love for her. They almost kiss, but are interrupted by Sam's supposed biological father.
While some people believe the show is based on the novel The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper, which was written in 2004, it is in fact based in the world of the 1996 movie Beautiful Girls which also takes place in the fictional small town of Knights Ridge.
Both Beautiful Girls and October Road were written by Scott Rosenberg, and semi-autobiographically based on his life and friends. October Road is loosely based on events following the release of Beautiful Girls.

Tags: flashback

Review:
I stumbled across October Road after watching Grey's Anatomy last Thursday.
I wasn't immediately hooked from the first moment like I was with Grey's Anatomy but it was definitely one of the better pilot episodes that I've seen in my life.
Being right after Grey's is going to help it a lot I think.
I hope that ABC will it give it a chance to grow because the story lines are interesting (even if they have been done before).
Overall, worth the watch and I'm looking forward to seeing where they take it.
Too bad this show is not getting the same executive support as Heroes for example.For those that get the subplots and subtle allusions there is clearly much more going on with these characters than meets the eye.
It brings back the kind of writing that one came to expect from Twin Peaks, but with a more engaging and alluring cast.Losing this show would be a mistake - not giving it better exposure and a better time slot will greatly reduce the ROI for this show!
To me, there are many shows and series out there that may start off rather slow and boring.
However, I tivo'd the other episodes, have watched them,and have LOVED them!
I personally think that given the chance, it will turn out to be a great show that should stick around for a while to come.....I'm behind you October Road!.
While October Road is not one of my all time favorites I still give it an 8.
It has a good cast of believable characters who for the most part seem pretty real.
The writing may be a little weak which is why I gave it an 8 as some of the story lines have been a bit unbelievable and the characters not given enough depth but the actors have done their best to make it work.
The veteran actors are really talented and the new faces were good characters who seemed very real.
With so many loser shows given so many chances they need to give decent shows a real chance and time for the show to really click and gain an audience.Watch this show on ABC videos if you have not seen it yet and let ABC know they need to give it another chance..
the dialogs and the characters are wonderful....there was no stuff happening on the big scale, everything is pretty ordinary and believable and no clichés...
and the show is original...and one of the few shows that i look forward to watching (another being brothers and sisters).
In contrast to serials like one tree hill and others which get too dramatic and too much keeps happening, this was a pleasant change and most definitely a good watch....
I mean, it isn't The West Wing or the OC I know, but it's got some really great elements.
The plot line can be a bit cheesy at times but the dialogue more than makes up for it.
I loved the show, I found the characters very interested, and can't wait to see what will happen next.
I loved all the other shows like Grey's anatomy, but I find it is turning into a soap opera.
I think all the characters are interesting, and you can't wait to see what will happen next.
The Pilot episode wasn't as strong as it could have been I only tuned in the next week because I was a fan of Bryan Greenburg from his performance on One Tree Hill, and of course Laura Prepon from That 70s Show.
The appeal of the show is not so much on the main characters but on its subplots; Phil, the man who never leaves the house (which I'm curious if we will find out exactly why), the aforementioned Eddie/Janet goings-on, and Ikey's secret love affair which his best friends wife.
I am pretty much the same age as the characters and I loved Kurt Cobain and Nirvana - yet my vinyl collection includes Boston, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etc.
But I recognize not everyone does that and some only listen to Top 40 pop and rock...so not understanding the mixture of Kurt Cobain and Boston would make sense.My high school friends and I were remarkably similar to the October Road group and I think that cast-wise, this show's great.
There are those who never leave town...some get married, some don't...some hold grudges, some don't...you get the idea.Compared to a lot of other shows on television, October Road is a bit more realistic (not completely, as prime time television is rarely a mirror of reality) and I'm enjoying the direction it's taking.
I started watching it when they were all leaving his room and going down to say goodbye to him.
And I sincerely hope that they actually put an ending to the show and not leave me hanging and wondering for the rest of my life what happens!
Laura Prepon's acting is now in sync with her character and has improved tremendously.
She finally looks just as good (better) as when she was a teenager and before she died her hair blond.
It has a very likable cast and seems like the kind of show that could really pick up steam if given the chance.
Hopefully they'll get behind it with advertising and it will have a nice long life.It's a great contrast to the Lost and Heroes type shows for me.
Granted, If that's the kind of show that you're looking for you will definitely be disappointed, but this is a nice laid back show that my wife and I can enjoy together.
Good actors, bad writing.
A fresh cast, a beautiful small town setting and a story with a lot of potential for growth.
It's a very elementary mistake to make when you start writing a script without imagining what they would actually sound like coming out of someone's mouth.
Much of the dialogue sounds like something straight out of a text book instead of actual conversation.
Not to mention, the writers often like to demonstrate their inflated egos when they constantly indulge in using long, twisted and complex sentences for every single character (including the friend with a most likely below average IQ).
The result is that either every one of these country town characters (including the little boy) had some kind of an Arts degree from a tertiary institution, or they are merely the result of a failed imagination.The characters themselves are actually quite believable, due to the decent acting done by most of the cast, but the awkward lines written for them made everything an uphill battle.
I get the feeling the show or the network is paying people to come on IMDb and vote it tens and write great reviews because there is no way this show deserves an 8.1 out of ten.
Or maybe it's the people who work for the show, or their relatives, or just some insane fans who actually like this awful show.
It has been a long time since I have found a show that makes you feel like part of the family.
I thoroughly enjoyed every character and plot twist.
Just started watching 2 season series last night, on Hulu, and I'm almost done.
However...The main character were awful actors, and needed to be recast.
The rest of the cast was great.The writing was weird, and wasn't how people talk in real life.The story of a guy coming back home and in all the drama of small town life was a great idea.The creators and writers destroyed the show.
THe good looking dumb landscaper said, " arusia ink" Why would a dumb guy know that word?
Well this is just a really great set of characters possibly you could say guy based (I'm a guy BTW), but really the women are well represented too.
Not all the acting is bad, but everyone manages to deliver at least some lines as if they had never seen them before and with no character interaction.
Jay Paulson and Tom Berenger are pretty good, despite having inept lines much of the time.
If you do enjoy it, and want to see it hang around, you better get your friends to start watching, since its viewership numbers may need some help to see another season..
The acting was average, although the story line was so fresh, after all how many shows have there been about somebody returning back home after being gone for ten years?
If you are almost 30 (&) or still have a heart and is full of your childhood dreams then this show will make you laugh and cry.The acting and the directing are of a very high quality.If it is violence, brainwashing politics and crime that turns you on then stick with CSI and 24.(I do not approve of this websites mandatory ten lines of text to submit a review I think men and women differ in the amount of words required to communicate.
I gave October Road a two because, even though it is really really awful, it taught me something.If you came across this show, like I did, by way of the excellent 1996 film Beautiful Girls, written by Rosenberg, then you will suddenly realise what a difference good acting, casting and direction make!
I thought Beautiful Girls was a very well put together film and had a great cast that gelled together really well (apparently Ted Demme, the director, made the entire cast live together for three weeks so they could bond and convey a sense of lifelong buddies).
So I liked Beautiful Girls and figured that was down to Scott Rosenberg's writing.
Even though the script is basically by the same guy, following a very similar premise, and written since he's had the experience of writing for a Hollywood production, October Road sucks.
It is so bad I don't know where to begin criticising it.I would say the camera work is bad, for example, but it wouldn't be fair on the cameramen as they probably went blind from watching such bad acting!
Clearly, though, Greenberg was cast for his male-eye-candy skills rather than his ability to deliver lines or show any emotion beyond, "do I look good in this shot?" The direction is also palpably bad.
In October Road its as though the director said, "Great, you delivered that randomly verbose line (which is so out of keeping with the fact that your character is a small town construction worker) without showing even the slightest sign of human emotion or natural intonation."Even though October Road is basically unwatchable, I recommend you watch it to compare it to Beautiful Girls.
The comparison should be a textbook example of what a difference good acting and direction can make to an unexceptional (or, in the case of October Road, completely inept) script..
We'll see if it gets better, but it is not looking promising..
I only wanted to watch this show because of Laura(she was so funny on that 70's show), but this show disappoints me.
The more I read comments about the line "rock the stadium of her heart", the more I liked the line and now think it's actually pretty cool!
These characters have shown more heart in 6 episodes than some have in a few seasons.
As for the acting, I think they are all doing a great job.
I think that Bryan Greenberg and Laura Prepon have great chemistry, and you can actually believe their characters were once a couple by their acting abilities.
I really like this show and love the time slot after Grey's.
Not many people talk like the characters and use the metaphors that these people use.
I think that once the writers find their groove and figure out the makings of each character, this will hopefully ease up.
I'd like to see how it develops and I look forward to it each Thursday night!.
Most of all, October Road is a show that reminds people a little bit of their own lives.
October Road is worth watching because the writers do a great job of making you fall in love with these characters.
If you are a person that really likes stories about friendships, family, love, mystery, and memories of past days, October Road is the show for you!
There is fun, silliness, music, one liners, and unique people on October Road, come on over to The Road!
I watched about 10 minutes of this and I knew it was not going to be, you know, good, or even adequate, or even watchable for that matter.
And I get the feeling the whole point of this show is relate-ability, especially to people like me.
Also, on "That 70's Show) Laura Prepon wasn't a great actress, but that was OK, 'cause it didn't need acting, but whoa!
When her character started speaking, I actually started laughing, her voice was so flat, I can't even pretend to act that bad.
Watch "Raines" instead, it's a much more interesting show, with, like, good writing and acting and characters and all that good stuff a show should have.
That is if, the applecart represents the thousands of viewers flipping their channel to ABC every Thursday, hoping that the small-town drama would get at least a little bit better.
Because when a show is so awful that you have a hard time sticking it out till the end, consistent is the last thing that said show wants to be.
I find anymore that I am watching CBS more than ABC and in the last few years I have always watched ABC more, but boy they are just getting ridiculous with the canceling of good shows and bring some weirder ones on!
This show was just getting good and why the people at ABC can't figure that out and give it a chance is beyond me!
Like I said before get us hooked just to take it away from us.
Why not some good clean fun and soap like series.
Looking only to be on for like 5 years.
SO, I decided to just watch October Road because I TOTALLY fell in love with it.
On the day that I found out about this show, they were playing reruns, the whole first season, so I just watched all 7 episodes.
I NEVER have been able to keep up with TV shows, but now, I just HAVE to watch 2 TV shows, Gossip Girl, and October Road.
These two shows are awesome, and hopefully, if more people watch, there will be a season 3 of October Road, because I REALLY LOVE this show, so please people, give it a chance, I'm SURE you will like it!.
October Road off to a good start.
They gave us enough insight into each character to keep us coming back for more.
There are enough characters, that they could give each one an episode to themselves.
There is so much going on in everyone's lives, that the writers should keep us happy for years to come.
When I saw the previews for this show I thought I should check it out cause it seemed like the kind of show that could keep you intrigued without dozens of plot twists thrown into the mix.I mean, I TRIED to watch the OC because I just love dramas, but it was just too out there for me and made me feel completely unsympathetic to all of the characters no matter how many bad things happened to them.
But this show makes me sympathize with all the characters case this is stuff that people really do go through.
If you go into any small town across America you will run into people just like this and fact that they can just throw real life on screen and keep you interested without throwing a bunch of useless drama into makes you want to just stay tuned..
I have watched only two episodes so far and I am not thrilled.
I was bored to near death watching these two episodes.
It is way off base when it comes to plot lines, and not at all believable either.
The girl he left has another man and yet she wants to kiss him with love in her heart after a decade of living another life and not hearing from the guy, yea right.
Only now his dad wants to take a good look at this kid and tells his son that the boy has "your mothers eyes".
I read that they are ending "October Road" and I am so bummed if that is the case!
Everyone I talk to watches and LOVES the program so why are they so quick to end it.
It's unique, funny, entertaining, it has great looking actors and actresses and most of all it keeps you hooked.
Why tease myself with the reality that "October Road" ended before it even began.
I was so hoping this wasn't going to happen here and I was overconfident to believe it wasn't going to happen with this program...I thought this show was way too good!.
But this show had a warm, endearingly personal quality that I'm not sure many others have ever had.The setting and cinematography were, again, incredibly gorgeous, and the cast of lovable (or occasionally hate-able) characters won a place in my heart.
If you could use some friends, or something that watches like a cup of warm soup on a clear, cold day, this series is well worth checking out..
The story is about a writer who returns to his hometown to face the people whom he based his book on.I was expecting more considering Laura Prepon and Tom Berenger were in the cast.
I see/feel no chemistry between any of the characters.
If the lead was a better actor, perhaps he could have pulled off the character, but this guy is about as interesting and compelling as watching paint dry.Sorry I wasted my time on this.