Get Your Kicks, on Route 60...
Benjamin J Burgraff | Las Vegas | 10/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Take a pinch of MR. DESTINY and THE FAMILY MAN, add a dash of TWILIGHT ZONE and BACK TO THE FUTURE, throw in a healthy portion of THE WIZARD OF OZ, shake the mix vigorously, and you'll have the recipe for Bob Gale's wonderfully inventive fantasy, INTERSTATE 60, one of the best 'indies' of 2002. A comic American tall tale of half Leprechaun/half Indian O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman, who is totally terrific!) who grants individuals one 'wish', but has a wickedly funny way of fulfilling them literally, and the young man (James Marsden) he takes a liking to, INTERSTATE 60 satirizes truth in advertising, our fixations about sex and justice, 'legalizing' drugs, and the American 'Dream', without ever becoming 'preachy' or boring. The film is as adventurous and unpredictable as the title highway of the film.Marsden is Neal Oliver, a likable 22-year old who dreams of becoming a serious painter, reads comic books, peels his grapefruit, and has visions of a gloriously beautiful fantasy woman (Amy Smart). His girlfriend and father, however, have made different plans for him, involving law school, and a 'prestige' job. While trying to decide his future, Oliver takes an assignment from the mysterious 'Ray' (Christopher Lloyd, making a welcome return to the big screen) to deliver a package to 'Danver, Colorado', via the mysterious Interstate 60. Joined by the likable, if enigmatic Grant, the young man begins a journey that will determine his destiny.With cameos by Michael J. Fox, Kurt Russell, Chris Cooper, and Ann-Margret, INTERSTATE 60 is filled with so many quirky characters and oddball situations that you may want to view it a second time, just to catch things you may have missed, the first time around.This film is a gem, vastly underrated. If you take a chance on it, you may find yourself searching for the 'Red Spades and Black Hearts' in your own life! Definitely a KEEPER!"
One of those Direct-To-Video movies that shouldn't have been
brutesentiment | 10/27/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I came across this gem of a film in the preview guide for the video store I work at, and got immediately intrigued. The movie premise, A mysterious mystical man sends a disaffected youth on the strangest road trip of his life, was basic enough. But the cast (Gary Oldman, Christopher Lloyd and Chris Cooper joined the true star James Marsden...surprise Cameos abound, though!) was stellar, and the writer's previous credit of Back to the Future is about as good as it gets, so I took a flyer on it.I was not disappointed.Despite the trap of a simple and overplayed concept, this film deftly sidesteps the pitfalls many an independent feature falls into. Part of this is due to the 'guest' cast. Though Marsden is competent, it's the appearances by Lloyd, Oldman, Cooper, and some great surprise cameos that entertain and surprise you at each stop on this journey. But equally responsible is a script with depth and intelligence, posing a few hypothetical 'What ifs' rather than just strange stuff for laughs. The script might be fairly predictable, but it's just wild enough to keep you on guard, and that's part of it's charm. Although the morals are obvious (and in the case of drugs, hammered in with 'Snake' like precision), the script keeps from being preachy.The filmmaking technique and cinematography aren't anything special, but they also aren't loaded with the gaffes or mistakes you can catch in many independent features. Though this movie isn't independent by any means, it feels like it, which can only be a good thing. The screen shows you exactly what you need to know, nothing more, nothing less.Overall, this is a charming movie in the same way that 'Playing by Heart' was; nothing challenging, but great performances by actors with a script with genuine heart. Great for dates and pick me ups, and an absolute gem to find at your local video store."
Take a trip down I-60. It is one trip you won't forget.
Ramsis Lion | Long Island, NY USA | 08/04/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Bob Gale, the creator of the Back to the Future series, writes a brillient and well thought movie that will really make you think and even give you a look at life that you may not have thought of before.
A young man who is at a cross roads in his life (James Marsden) makes just one simple wish "He wants an answer." A trickster who happens to grant just one wish and only one wish to those that ask (Gary Oldman) gives him his one wish, but it is anything but a simple wish.His wish takes him on a mysterious journy along an unlisted highway , Interstate 60. It's not on any map and it is a road that holds many intersting and unique towns. All that in a way take a look at his own life and what could be.
After he meets with a mysterious man named Ray (Christopher Lloyd) he agrees to do a special delivery for him to a town named Danver. The only way to get there is by taking I-60. He recieves a simple magic 8 ball that will give him the answers to his questions. But his wish is far from over, once he gets on the interstate things have just begun. Along the way he meets the trickster himself, the girl of his dreams and towns that are filled with lawyers, drug addicts and people who demand only the truth and nothing but the truth or they will blow you up. Bob Gale comes up with some of the most creative characters ever and you really do get involved in the situations that James Marsden's character finds himself in. Every decision he makes leads to a new twist, every town he comes to makes him think of what it means in his own life and nothing is really what it seems.
This movie is a lot of fun and a great watch. I truly enjoyed it and am glad I purchased it. The creator of the Back to the Future series still has it and even brought in Michael J. Fox for a cameo at the begining to add to the familiarity. Just the thoughts and ideas that they pass through this movie will make any watcher think of thier own lives and how they see things in our own reality. Many cameos and many stars fill up this movie. It's a shame it never was released in theaters as I truly think it would have been a sleeper hit. But it works just as well on DVD either way.
Now it's time to take a ride on Interstate 60.. a journy on a roadway like no other. Just be sure to buckle your seatbelt as it's one heck of a ride."