Real life road trips are usually exciting, fun adventures. The couple I’ve done have been perspective altering trips where I get to know people on a deep level and meet all sorts of interesting characters in interesting new places. I was so innocent and dumb, like Ashton Kutcher or Seann William Scott in Dude, Where’s My Car?
In the classic movie world? Road trips are more of a mixed bag. Below are 6 classic road trip movies to consider, ranked on a Dude, Where’s My Car? road trip rating system.
This road trip is all about the apostrophe (‘). Robert Mitchum thinks everything is about him, and what’s more possessive than that apostrophe?
The Hook
A charismatic preacher type weasels his way into a family in order to retrieve money that the widow’s kids know about.
Why It’s Good?
Robert Mitchum is terrifying in this movie. Great scripts make the villain believe they are the hero of the story, and Mitchum’s lead has twisted himself into thinking he’s doing the Lord’s work even though everything he does is evil, particularly singing hymns in the pitch black darkness. The psycho chases his step children down the river bend, where they end up in the hands of the lovely foster parent, Lillian Gish. This movie is a terrifying parable of how religion can be used for both good and evil, and how important it is to pay attention and know the difference between the two.
Where seems apt, because Leslie Banks is always looking for Joel McCrea.
The Hook
A famous hunter gets shipwrecked on a remote island, where he encounters a man who engages in a more, um, elevated predator/prey situation.
Why It’s Good?
The short story on which this is based is requisite reading in high school, which helps with the story’s appeal. Leslie Banks walks the creepy/charming line quite well, and the sets are sinister and foreboding putting you on edge right away. This all culminates in the last 30 minutes or so, which deliver on a fun cat and mouse game putting you on the edge of your seat as time gets closer and closer to running out.
This movie, like real life, is filled with question marks (?).
The Hook
Malaised rich people go Italian island hopping, until one of their friends goes missing.
Why It’s Good?
Of all the road trips, this one is the most visually appealing, taking us from one beautiful Italian island to another. After one of the women goes missing, the movie turns into a road trip/star crossing of sorts with the missing girl’s best friend (the excellent Monica Vitti) falling for her friend’s fiance (equally good Gabriele Ferzetti). This is all held together by the wonderful direction of Michelangelo Antonioni, who takes this eye rolling premise and makes it much deeper than it has any right to be.
Dude, this movie is a frat boy’s dream! Space vacays, seductively hot Sharon Stone, explosions, and a 3 tittied woman!
The Hook
Run of the mill construction worker realizes he’s actually a brainwashed assassin, and goes to Mars to uncover what he was doing in his past.
Why It’s Good?
Paul Verhoeven movies are NEVER boring, that’s for sure. The dude certainly has an eye for weirdly erotic ideas, and ornate, strange imagery. In this movie’s case, he also surrounds it with a hella fun adventure flick, with Ahnold doing his action hero thing, putting a period at the end of every set piece with a well timed explosion. And I NEED to say it again, but Sharon Stone. I mean, damn, she fine, she badass.
Amazingly, this is the only road trip movie of the bunch where My Car applies.
The Hook
Aging Swedish professor receives lifetime achievement award, and returns to his hometown with friends and family to receive it.
Why It’s Good?
Many critics believe this to be Ingmar Bergman’s greatest film. High praise for one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Easy to see why: Bergman does this great trick of fusing past and present into the same film, as Victor Sjöström travels to accept his award, not just remembering, but constantly reliving his past with new people. It’s as life is: happy, sad, nostalgic, bittersweet, but always brilliant.
Commas (,) indicate a pause, or a break. Sadly, that applies here.
The Hook
An elected father makes a poor decision, resulting in his and his families exiling, which leads to an escalating series of heartbreaking complications and losses.
Why It’s Good?
Kenji Mizoguchi’s tale has a way of staying with you and burrowing a hole into your mind and heart. Because of one well intentioned poor decision by a man, it’s the women and children who suffer most, in this case leading to their enslavement and family separation. And yet, despite the terrible circumstances for Mother, Son, and Daughter, hope shines through, propelling each of them forward, or guiding them back to the light despite the darkness.
