Favorite Road Trip Movies
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- DirectorJohn HughesStarsSteve MartinJohn CandyLaila RobinsA Chicago advertising man must struggle to travel home from New York for Thanksgiving, with a lovable oaf of a shower-curtain-ring salesman as his only companion.Probably the pinnacle of director John Hughes and comic actor John Candy, two men whose careers were cut too short with the latter actor passing away in the early 90's and the former director passing away in the late 2000's. But the work onscreen is nothing short of perfect, in between brilliantly executed comedy are genuine moments of real warmth. The story focuses on an uptight but well meaning family man (Steve Martin), determined to make it home to Chicago from Manhattan in time for Thanksgiving with his family. But fate has different plans in store for him when he's blocked by every obstacle imaginable: crappy weather, robbery and bad geography. Only complicating it is the fact that he's inadvertently stuck with a well meaning but obnoxious slob of a salesman (a beautifully cast John Candy) as the two pave their way through every method of transportation possible for Martin's character to make it home. I really do consider this one of the finest comedies ever made, with a lightning-in-a-bottle casting with Martin and Candy in the leads. You just can't get any better.
Favorite Moment: Martin's character has a full on F-bomb laden breakdown at a car rental counter - DirectorPaul MazurskyStarsArt CarneyEllen BurstynRené EnríquezWhen his apartment building is torn down, a retired lifelong New Yorker goes on a cross-country odyssey with his beloved cat Tonto.Star Art Carney himself once said, that you don't want to associate your name with sewers, in referring to his eponymous role as lovable doofus Ed Norton in "The Honeymooners" show. Carney easily lived up to that quote in his Oscar winning role as a retired college professor and lifelong New Yorker, kicked out of his apartment building by developers. With his cat Tonto in tow, he sets out on a cross country road trip that has him encountering acquaintances, family and friends, both new and old during his time. Unlike many other films, this film is short on awkward drama and tells a reasonably wonderful tale about a man learning both about the world and himself.
Favorte Moment: Harry unexpectedly makes the company of a prostitute in Las Vegas. - DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsBreckin MeyerSeann William ScottAmy SmartFour college buddies embark on a road trip to retrieve an illicit tape mistakenly mailed to a female friend.A clear choice and obviously a literal one, as a college student accidentally mails a sex tape to his girlfriend, prompting him and his friends to travel from their school to hers. Many of the actors in this film, are at the peak of their film careers, anchored by Tom Green's pathetically old college student narrating the story. The movie certainly isn't short on the raunch, but I do see it as a throwback to the old 80's raunchy comedies. You might feel silly for having witnessed it, but I can assure you that there was at least a chuckle or two to be had.
Favorite Moment: The group makes the acquaintance of an all African-American frat house. - DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJohnny DeppBenicio Del ToroTobey MaguireAn oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.It was the perfect marriage of the stream-of-consciousness writing of late writer Hunter S. Thompson and stylistic director Terry Gilliam to work. Gilliam and company boldly adapt Thompson's trippy novel about a weekend of complete excess in the City of Sin through the eyes and voice of Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), Thompson's alter ego as Duke and sidekick in tow (A wonderfully out there Benicio Del Toro in layers of fat) as they travail the Las Vegas landscape in a psychedelic, drug-fueled haze. The book is a strange read and you need to be in the right mindset to really read it, and to grasp it. Thankfully Gilliam translates the material well, and if anything, do justice to the book that other filmmakers haven't been able.
Favorite Moment: The pair find themselves at the Circus Circus casino...and face great difficulty in escaping from it under the heavy influence of acid. - DirectorWes AndersonStarsLuke WilsonOwen WilsonNed DowdThree friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.Wes Anderson's 1996 breakthrough might be the least well known of his work to the average moviegoer, but that's not to say that this isn't a good film, which it certainly is. "Bottle Rocket" would only implement the auteur theory for Anderson as we see many of his trademarks here: moving camera shots, kickin' soundtrack, Owen Wilson, the dreamer leader archetype and familial dysfunction all rolled into the one. The story focuses on a miscreant trio, led by the the ever-so-determined Dignan (Owen Wilson), intent on establishing an outlaw image as they plot to break into a Texas storage unit. There's something very sweet about Anderson's characters, people damaged in some way, simply trying to make their way into the world.
Favorite Moment: James Caan's Mr. Henry, a seasoned criminal finally puts a bullying sibling in his place, at a country club, finishing off with the line "I don't mean to offend you, Bob. But your brother's a *beep* - DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsYves MontandCharles VanelPeter van EyckIn a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.
- DirectorPreston SturgesStarsJoel McCreaVeronica LakeRobert WarwickHollywood director John L. Sullivan sets out to experience life as a homeless person in order to gain relevant life experience for his next movie.
- DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracyMilton BerleEthel MermanA group of motorists witnesses a car crash in the California desert, and after the driver's dying words indicate the location of a hidden stash of loot, they turn against each in a race across the state to get to it.
- DirectorMonte HellmanStarsJames TaylorWarren OatesLaurie BirdWhile drag-racing through the American Southwest in a Chevrolet 150, a driver and his mechanic cross paths with an enigmatic hitchhiker and the tall-tale-spinning driver of a GTO.
- DirectorHal NeedhamStarsBurt ReynoldsRoger MooreFarrah FawcettA wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. However, the eccentric entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsJack NicholsonKaren BlackBilly Green BushA dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsRobert Downey Jr.Zach GalifianakisMichelle MonaghanHigh-strung father-to-be Peter Highman is forced to hitch a ride with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay on a road trip in order to make it to his child's birth on time.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsJohn CusackDaphne ZunigaAnthony EdwardsWalter Gibson is a university freshman going through a dry spell. His old buddy arranges a "sure thing" for him in California. Gibson and his classmate Allison then take a long road trip out to Cali, and both foil each other's plans.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJeff DanielsMelanie GriffithGeorge 'Red' SchwartzA free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-convict husband shows up.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsPaul GiamattiThomas Haden ChurchVirginia MadsenTwo men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.
- DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteGreg KinnearA family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsPaul ReubensElizabeth DailyMark HoltonWhen eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsChevy ChaseBeverly D'AngeloImogene CocaThe Griswold family's cross-country drive to the Walley World theme park proves to be much more arduous than they ever anticipated.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsMartin SheenSissy SpacekWarren OatesAn impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsRobert De NiroCharles GrodinYaphet KottoA bounty hunter pursues a former Mafia accountant who is also being chased by a rival bounty hunter, the F.B.I., and his old mob boss after jumping bail.
- DirectorAlbert BrooksStarsAlbert BrooksJulie HagertySylvia FarrelA husband and wife in their 30s decide to quit their jobs, live as free spirits and cruise America in a Winnebago.
- DirectorJerry SchatzbergStarsGene HackmanAl PacinoDorothy TristanAn ex-con drifter with a penchant for brawling is amused by a homeless ex-sailor, so they partner up as they head east together.
- DirectorBobby FarrellyPeter FarrellyStarsWoody HarrelsonRandy QuaidBill MurrayA star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyBobby FarrellyStarsJim CarreyJeff DanielsLauren HollyAfter a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.
- DirectorPeter SegalStarsChris FarleyDavid SpadeBrian DennehyAfter his auto-parts tycoon father dies, the overweight, underachieving son teams up with a snide accountant to try and save the family business.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
- DirectorDanny LeinerStarsJohn ChoKal PennEthan EmbryA Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.
- DirectorMike JudgeMike de SeveBrian MulroneyStarsMike JudgeBruce WillisDemi MooreOur intrepid adolescent heroes wake up to find their beloved television stolen, and embark on an epic journey across America to recover it, and, who knows, maybe even score.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsJohn KrasinskiMaya RudolphAllison JanneyA couple expecting their first child travels the U.S. seeking the perfect "family home." They have misadventures and find fresh connections with relatives and old friends who help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time.
- DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsViggo MortensenCharlize TheronKodi Smit-McPheeIn a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.