Decent Drama

Reservation Road (Universal)
Director Terry George specializes in didactic but emotional dramas about tragic events unfolding in the lives of ordinary people, including Some Mother’s Son and Hotel Rwanda. In Reservation Road, the director is aided by powerful performances from Joaquin Phoenix as a dad whose young son is killed by a hit-and-run driver, and Mark Ruffalo as the decent man whose decision to leave the accident scene will haunt him forever. Their final showdown is hopelessly contrived, but for the most part, George and his actors--including a shattering ly persuasive Jennifer Connelly as Phoenix’s grief-stricken wife--make this a worthwhile journey, with some reservations.
EXTRAS: Deleted scenes; making-of featurette.