07.23.09 | Jason Marcewicz, Brian Sieck, Chris Cummins and Jon Morgereth | Staff NotesPrint this Post
Some road movies such as the Hope/Crosby films, It Happened One Night, The Grapes of Wrath, Easy Rider, and more recently, Thelma and Louise and Little Miss Sunshine are both critically acclaimed and immensely popular to this day. We’ve decided to divert from the well known avenues of these films, opting instead to travel off the beaten path with the ones listed below. Naturally, you may have previously passed through some of these byways, but hopefully some will lead you down unfamiliar trails that will become favorites of yours as well. Enjoy the trip!
SCARECROW
WHO: Al Pacino, Gene Hackman
WHAT: A road trip for two sad sacks with possible redemption for each on the horizon: a car wash business for Hackman; an unseen child for Pacino.
WHY: Two legends in their prime at the top of their game; an acting tour de force.
THE LAST DETAIL
WHO: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid
WHAT: Nicholson and Young are two hardened career sailors picked to escort a young naïve Quaid to prison for his insignificant crime of youth. A road movie where innocence—and, ultimately, freedom—is lost by all.
WHY: A Nicholson performance that becomes increasingly restrained (and constrained) as his character’s.
THE MUPPET MOVIE
WHO: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Orson Welles, Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor
WHAT: A hilarious—and often times oddly poignant—look at how the Muppets met and travelled to Hollywood to break into showbiz.
WHY: More than just a great children’s film, The Muppet Movie appeals to viewers of all ages thanks to a smart script, great performances from the puppet leads, and unforgettable songs like “The Rainbow Connection” that have rightfully become standards. To quote the Swedish chef, “Da film is okee dokey!”
FANDANGO
WHO: Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson, Sam Robards
WHAT: Recent college graduates in the early ‘70s road trip to reunite with old acquaintance, Dom—an easy excuse to run away from such fears as relationships, the Vietnam War, and maturity.
WHY: A smart breezy script by writer/director Kevin Reynolds; freewheeling acting by a young Costner, et al.
STARMAN
WHO: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith
WHAT: A crash landing strands friendly space traveler Bridges on Earth. He takes the form of widowed Allen's deceased husband and the two make their way from Wisconsin to a crater in Arizona where his people can pick him up, all the while being doggedly pursued by government agents.
WHY: Easily director John Carpenter's most emotionally charged and heartfelt film, and a superb performance by Bridges as the childlike, fish-out-of-water alien who just wants to go home. It’s like E.T. without the Reese’s Pieces.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
WHO: Steve Martin, John Candy, Michael McKean, Kevin Bacon, Edie McClurg
WHAT: Unable to get on his regularly scheduled flight home for Thanksgiving, stiff executive Martin finds himself joined at the hip by an affable, yet overbearing, travelling companion who makes his overly-long journey exasperating—and ultimately worthwhile.
WHY: Martin perfects the classic slow burn, finally venting all his pent-up anger at a car rental agency…a priceless scene! Candy shines as the loveable lug harboring a painful secret.
MIDNIGHT RUN
WHO: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Joe Pantoliano, Yaphet Kotto, Dennis Farina
WHAT: Bobby D. is a bounty hunter determined to get bail-jumping/annoying accountant/reluctant mob informant Charles Grodin back to Chicago. Grodin is equally determined to stay on the lam…and drive De Niro crazy in the process!
WHY: Spot-on deadpan comic performances by all involved; an atypical Danny Elfman score that paces the cross-country journey.
POW WOW HIGHWAY
WHO: Gary Farmer, A Martinez, Graham Greene
WHAT: Two Native American buddies make a trek from Montana to Santa Fe. Ostensibly to help out a relative in trouble, both come to realize that the journey means much more than the destination.
WHY: Funny yet poignant dramedy never hits a wrong note in dialogue, acting, nor direction. It was one of the first movies to deal matter-of-factly with the poor conditions of life on reservations—in this case through the lead characters—from both a modern-day practical standpoint and that of traditional (mystical) Indian wisdom.
ROADSIDE PROPHETS
WHO: John Doe, Adam Horovitz, Arlo Guthrie, John Cusack, Don Cheadle, David Carradine, Timothy Leary
WHAT: Los Angelino John Doe straddles his vintage Harley and sets off to fulfill the final wish of his recently-deceased buddy: to scatter his ashes in a small desert town in Nevada.
WHY: Spiritual enlightenment, personal beliefs, zen meditations, life choices, and the general search for identity and self awareness take center stage in this virtually plotless comedic “trip.” Hilarious cameos abound.
ROAD TRIP
WHO: Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, Tom Green, DJ Qualls, Amy Smart, Fred Ward
WHAT: Four college friends must make an impromptu you-know-what from the University of Ithaca in New York to the University of Austin in Texas in order to intercept a sex tape featuring Meyer and a coed that was accidentally sent to his girlfriend.
WHY: It’s arguably the ultimate road movie for Generation X and Y, featuring plenty of sex, drugs and crude humor.
A great list all around. My only addition would be Two for the Road with Albert Finney and Audry Hepburn.
Great list! We have a list here, too: https://www.greencine.com/central/guide/roadmovies
i enjoy alot of road movies,but if you want to take
a different road trip check out road games with
stacey keach
How abo ut one of the orignal road pics. "It Happened one Night" with Gable and Colbert.
Not including "Two Lane Blacktop" (Dir. Monte Hellman, Starring: James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates & Laurie Bird) or "Freeway" (Dir. Matthew Bright, Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon & Brooke Shields.) tells me your divergence off the beaten path has yet to venture outside the hollywood backlot...