# Road movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807 "2011-09-01T01:05:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/21 "2011-09-01T17:39:57Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > Two-Lane Blacktop is a great one. > The Straight Story > Into the Wild is a road movie for the most part > Little Miss Sunshine > > In a slightly different vein, National Lampoon’s Vacation > > As a sub-genre, there are a lot of thematically similar movies about lovers on the run: > > Badlands > Wild at Heart > True Romance > Natural Born Killers I really wanted to love Two-Lane Blacktop, but I found it kind of slow and boring. I have read that it’s a movie that improves greatly with repeated viewings, so I’m not going to give up on it. I did enjoy Warren Oats. I love it when he plays that type of character. I seem to remember him playing the same guy in a western. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/22 "2011-09-01T17:57:53Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > Is _Field of Dreams_ a road movie? Wonderful movie, essential if baseball speaks as any kind of metaphor to you–but I say no, not a road movie. It has a road trip in the middle of it, but the thematic journey of the film is larger than that; much of the impact of the physical trip comes after it’s over. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/23 "2011-09-01T18:21:43Z")
I’m kind of partial to _The Road._ Best “Road Movie” of all time. It proves that road trips can still be fun even after civilization has been destroyed and humans have resorted to eating each other. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/24 "2011-09-01T18:42:26Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I’m kind of partial to _The Road._ Best “Road Movie” of all time. It proves that road trips can still be fun even after civilization has been destroyed and humans have resorted to eating each other. Well, if we’re going down that, er, road, we’d better include _Mad Max_ and _Mad Max II: The Road Warrior_, then. Meanwhile, I’ll throw in for consideration: _Sullivan’s Travels_ (1941) _Silver Streak_ (1976) (Hey, a railroad’s a road) _The Big Bus_ (1976) _Midnight Run_ (1988) _Rat Race_ (2001) (a sort of uncredited remake of _It’s a Mad, Mad…World_) ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/25 "2011-09-01T18:58:48Z")
> [@Snake\_Plissken](#): > > I really wanted to love Two-Lane Blacktop, but I found it kind of slow and boring. I have read that it’s a movie that improves greatly with repeated viewings, so I’m not going to give up on it. I did enjoy Warren Oats. I love it when he plays that type of character. I seem to remember him playing the same guy in a western. Warren Oates should have got an Oscar for that role. The movie is pretty sparse with not a lot of people in the background, but it was an earlier time where there wasn’t as much traffic on the back roads so maybe it was more realistic. The acting of the main characters, James Taylor (the singer) and Dennis Wilson (of the Beach Boys) was just terrible. It gives the movie a kind of home-made feel. Don’t miss a young Harry Dean Stanton as a gay hitchhiker, billed as H.D. Stanton. This is one of my favorite movies, I might have mentioned that before. “Sure did see you. Sure did talk to you.” ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/26 "2011-09-01T19:26:14Z")
_Scarecrow_ is a fairly obscure 1973 picaresque/buddy/road flick. I didn’t enjoy it as much as expected, mainly because the characters are a bit dim. > **[Scarecrow (1973) ⭐ 7.2 | Drama](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070643/)** > > 1h 52m | R > **[Scarecrow (1973 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarecrow_%281973_film%29)** > > Scarecrow is a 1973 American road movie directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Gene Hackman and Al Pacino. The story involves the relationship between two men who travel from California seeking to start a business in Pittsburgh. > At the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, the film tied for the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, the highest honor. While it fared poorly commercially, Scarecrow later gained cult status. > > Two vagabonds, Max Millan, a short-tempered ex-convict, and Francis Lio... from [Scarecrow (1973) - Trivia - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070643/trivia) “Before shooting, Gene Hackman and Al Pacino both dressed as hobos and hitchhiked through California to get into their characters.” Sounds like an interesting story premise right there. In his above post, El\_Kabong mentions _Midnight Run_–loads of fun. A buddy/odd couple/chase/road/sting movie. Probably has a few unneeded car chases, but the chemistry between DeNiro and Grodin is great. > **[Midnight Run (1988) ⭐ 7.5 | Action, Comedy, Crime](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631/)** > > 2h 6m | R ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/27 "2011-09-01T19:32:43Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Don’t miss a young Harry Dean Stanton as a gay hitchhiker, billed as H.D. Stanton. I’d put an old Harry Dean Stanton in another, **Paris, Texas**. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/28 "2011-09-01T20:28:52Z")
Thelma and Louise ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/29 "2011-09-01T20:47:47Z")
Elwood: It’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark… and we’re wearing sunglasses. Jake: Hit it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/30 "2011-09-01T20:51:52Z")
_Road Trip,_ a gross-out comedy with Tom Green, was way better than I was expecting it to be. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/31 "2011-09-01T20:53:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_. A great road movie with John Candy and Steve Martin. “Those aren’t pillows!” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/32 "2011-09-02T03:13:00Z")
What about the original [The Hitcher](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091209/) with Rutger Hauer? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/33 "2011-09-02T03:59:00Z")
I don’t think you can do better than the original ‘Road Movie’…_[It Happened One Night](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/)_. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/34 "2011-09-02T04:05:07Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > **Michael** with John Travolta, Andie MacDowell and William Hurt. It was actually the first movie that popped into my head when I heard road movie. What is odd is that I could have sworn that the girl that slept with Michael in the movie was Renée Zellweger, but she isn’t listed in the credits. Tip: Whenever you think Renee Zellweger is in a movie, but she isnt, then it’s probably [Joey Lauren Adams.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000725/) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/35 "2011-09-02T04:14:26Z")
Dumb and Dumber. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/36 "2011-09-02T05:41:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_. A great road movie with John Candy and Steve Martin. Second this and **Midnight Run** ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/37 "2011-09-02T07:51:37Z")
Wow, someone’s actually seen _Interstate 60_. I like it. Not strictly a road movie, but _Wristcutters: A Love Story_ spends a good portion of its time on the road with a Eugene Hutz epxy. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/38 "2011-09-02T08:14:25Z")
What, no **Road Warrior** yet? And don’t get me started on _Mad Max_. A shitload of crappy 70s and 80s films: _Smokey and the Bandit_ I and II and I don’t know how many more; _Convoy_, etc. Then there’s a ton of action films that are basically super long chase scenes; the first two _Terminators_ come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/39 "2011-09-02T11:00:36Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > **The World’s Fastest Indian** > Anthony Hopkins plays New Zealander Burt Munro and his road trip through California to get to the Bonneville salt flats to break a land speed record. Go Bert!! I loved the cure he drank for prostate problems - that part cracked me up… Duel Rocked! How do you talk road movies without mentioning that 60s hotrod movie with the gullwing that had a guy with long blond hair? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807/40 "2011-09-02T11:32:28Z")
Should probably add - the first Road Trip movie that I can remember watching, and an all time classic is “Good Bye Pork Pie” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/road-movies/594807.md?page=3)