On the Road (in theaters Friday)

Simply one of the most anticipated adaptations of all time, Jack Kerouac’s frenzied, era-defining travelogue finally parks it in theaters this week. Based on his own poetic memories of two cross-country treks into the heart of post-war America, Kerouac’s be-bopping novel announced the intentions of the “Beat generation,” prefaced the folk protests and counter-culture drop-outs of the 1960s, and has inspired thrill-seekers and the creatively spirited for more than 50 years.

Brazillian director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) directs Sam Riley as Kerouac stand-in Sal Paradise and Garrett Hedlund as Neal Cassady’s rabble-rousing alter ego Dean Moriarity. This pair of mismatched drinking buddies, along with Dean’s gal Mary Lou, hit the road in search of long-lost friends, adventure, work, good jazz, and, well, everything.

Surrounding the young leads is an all-star cast of supporting characters pulled from the pages of On the Road, including Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst, Terrence Howard, Elisabeth Moss, and Viggo Mortensen as “Old Bull Lee”—a.k.a. William S. Burroughs. Rated R.

Watch the trailer below: