Interstate 60: Episodes from the Road
4/4
Starring: James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Amy Smart
Rated R for Language and Sexual References
Because this oddball little film was recommended to me by my best friend, I will write this review as a thank you letter to him.
Dear Best Friend,
I honestly don't know what to make of this movie. Words fail me when I try to describe it. It's certainly bizarre and quirky, and the movie "Big Fish" comes to mind. Cineastes might call it a surrealist expose on the search for the American identity. With all due respect, writer/director Bob Gale would probably tell them to shut up and actually watch the movie.
As I'm sure you know the plot, you can skip this paragraph if you want, since it's for readers who haven't seen it (or more likely, haven't heard of it). Neal Oliver (Marsden) is a young artist who has been living his father's (John Bourgeois) life. His dad essentially wants his son to live the life that he did: become a lawyer, drive the car that he wants, and so on. Neal doesn't like it, but doesn't think that he has much of a choice. Then on his birthday, he wishes for answers. In no short order, he's assigned to deliver a package to a city that's on Interstate 60 (which, as everyone knows, doesn't exist). Thus begins a truly weird and wild journey.
James Marsden is an actor of limited range, but here he hits the mark. The actor does best in roles that require a sense of being animated. This can be seen in his performance as Lon Hammond in "The Notebook," Corny Collins in the overrated "Hairspray," and as Rex in "Sex Drive." Here, Marsden does something he's never done well at: playing the straight man. And he does a great job. Neal is someone we can all relate to, and that's what makes this journey so much fun. Sure, it's full of wacky and unusual elements, but it would be hard to care much if we didn't like the guy guiding us through it.
The cast is littered with cameos and supporting roles filled by name actors. Gary Oldman turns up the weird as the wish-granting O.W. Grant, while the beloved Christopher Lloyd (where has he been?) shows up as David's employer. Also appearing are Kurt Russell as a sheriff with a twisted sense of logic, Chris Cooper as a dying businessman, and Ann Margaret as an owner of an art fraud museum (this by the way was my favorite segment).
With the words "quirky" and "offbeat" being used to describe the movie, I had a fear that this was going to be something like Wes Anderson would make. Surprisingly, they bear some similarities, although they are handled in a much different manner. Anderson is in love with himself and is convinced he is making art. Gale is simply pulling out all the stops in his imagination and giggling at the bizarre turns that his movie is taking.
Best Friend, this movie is so weirdly entertaining that I am more than willing to forgive its few faults. Gale's shot selection is static, at least one line of dialogue is unintelligible, and Chris Cooper's character has a little too much screen time. But the film follows its own wacky logic and it doesn't take long to realize that this strange film actually makes sense.
It's really a shame that this movie didn't get picked up by a major distributor, although I can't figure out why any more than you can. Sometimes film distributors are so hard to understand. It would make for a great midnight movie, and it's a good pick-me-up. It also has an undeserved R rating. But you know my feelings about the MPAA, so forgive me if I don't rant and rave until I'm red in the face.
Yes, I loved it, and I have no shame in admitting it. I can't wait to see it again.
Yours truly,
Mighty Mike
Starring: James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd, Amy Smart
Rated R for Language and Sexual References
Because this oddball little film was recommended to me by my best friend, I will write this review as a thank you letter to him.
Dear Best Friend,
I honestly don't know what to make of this movie. Words fail me when I try to describe it. It's certainly bizarre and quirky, and the movie "Big Fish" comes to mind. Cineastes might call it a surrealist expose on the search for the American identity. With all due respect, writer/director Bob Gale would probably tell them to shut up and actually watch the movie.
As I'm sure you know the plot, you can skip this paragraph if you want, since it's for readers who haven't seen it (or more likely, haven't heard of it). Neal Oliver (Marsden) is a young artist who has been living his father's (John Bourgeois) life. His dad essentially wants his son to live the life that he did: become a lawyer, drive the car that he wants, and so on. Neal doesn't like it, but doesn't think that he has much of a choice. Then on his birthday, he wishes for answers. In no short order, he's assigned to deliver a package to a city that's on Interstate 60 (which, as everyone knows, doesn't exist). Thus begins a truly weird and wild journey.
James Marsden is an actor of limited range, but here he hits the mark. The actor does best in roles that require a sense of being animated. This can be seen in his performance as Lon Hammond in "The Notebook," Corny Collins in the overrated "Hairspray," and as Rex in "Sex Drive." Here, Marsden does something he's never done well at: playing the straight man. And he does a great job. Neal is someone we can all relate to, and that's what makes this journey so much fun. Sure, it's full of wacky and unusual elements, but it would be hard to care much if we didn't like the guy guiding us through it.
The cast is littered with cameos and supporting roles filled by name actors. Gary Oldman turns up the weird as the wish-granting O.W. Grant, while the beloved Christopher Lloyd (where has he been?) shows up as David's employer. Also appearing are Kurt Russell as a sheriff with a twisted sense of logic, Chris Cooper as a dying businessman, and Ann Margaret as an owner of an art fraud museum (this by the way was my favorite segment).
With the words "quirky" and "offbeat" being used to describe the movie, I had a fear that this was going to be something like Wes Anderson would make. Surprisingly, they bear some similarities, although they are handled in a much different manner. Anderson is in love with himself and is convinced he is making art. Gale is simply pulling out all the stops in his imagination and giggling at the bizarre turns that his movie is taking.
Best Friend, this movie is so weirdly entertaining that I am more than willing to forgive its few faults. Gale's shot selection is static, at least one line of dialogue is unintelligible, and Chris Cooper's character has a little too much screen time. But the film follows its own wacky logic and it doesn't take long to realize that this strange film actually makes sense.
It's really a shame that this movie didn't get picked up by a major distributor, although I can't figure out why any more than you can. Sometimes film distributors are so hard to understand. It would make for a great midnight movie, and it's a good pick-me-up. It also has an undeserved R rating. But you know my feelings about the MPAA, so forgive me if I don't rant and rave until I'm red in the face.
Yes, I loved it, and I have no shame in admitting it. I can't wait to see it again.
Yours truly,
Mighty Mike
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