The enigmatically titled BAD GEORGIA ROAD is to film: as rot-gut liquor, liberally laced with a large dose of kerosene, is to alcoholic beverages. The VHS copy I rented was so old and sloppily put together that the label on the cassette was misspelled BAD GEORGIE ROAD. The movie's title is as ill conceived as the rest of the movie: the farm is in Alabama, the only destination mentioned in the film is Birmingham, Alabama, and there is no mention of any road named Georgia Road.
A New York feminist, Molly Golden (Carol Lynley), inherits her uncle's farm in Alabama only to find that it is the site of a moonshine business operated by hillbillies, Leroy Hastings (Gary Lockwood) and Arthur Pennyrich (Royal Dano).
Despite the fact that the movie persists in Southern stereotypes and commits the cardinal sin of using southern California to double for the great state of Alabama, I actually enjoyed the movie. (Note to Yankees: Southerners secretly enjoy the idea that you think we are all inbred, tobacco-chewing morons.) The movie has a subplot about running moonshine, but the story is truly about how Leroy teaches Molly that women cannot find happiness or sexual fulfillment outside the arms of man so blessed by his inbred genes that testosterone oozes from the pores of his Pennzoil stained skin. The climax of their romance ensues after Leroy tires of the platonic nature of their relationship and, in a bad approximation of a Tennessee Williams play, Leroy rapes Molly. Afterwards, Molly aims a shotgun at Leroy with the intent of killing him, but she's just lying to herself and the gun is not loaded anyway; so she decides to have sex instead because deep down she really enjoyed Leroy taking control of their relationship.
Long stretches of boredom are interspersed with brief moments of surprisingly funny scenes. After Molly calls Leroy a male chauvinist pig and then explains the definition of chauvinist to him, Leroy is unable to understand how that can be an insult and then replaces her suntan lotion with motor oil.
While Carol Lynley is functional at best in her role as the Yankee snob taught a lesson in Southern inhospitality, Gary Lockwood is near perfect in his portrayal of the redneck Romeo and Royal Dano is very funny as the religious moon shiner who imbibes in his product too frequently. The inevitable car chase scenes of any moonshine movie are tame to anyone who grew up on DUKES OF HAZZARD, (BAD GEORGIA ROAD's better looking cousin) that actually lives in Georgia (as portrayed by southern California). Like moonshine, BAD GEORGIA ROAD may be hard to swallow for some, but perfectly fits the tastes of others. If you would consider a velvet painting of Elvis a work of art, then BAD GEORGIA ROAD may appeal to you.
A New York feminist, Molly Golden (Carol Lynley), inherits her uncle's farm in Alabama only to find that it is the site of a moonshine business operated by hillbillies, Leroy Hastings (Gary Lockwood) and Arthur Pennyrich (Royal Dano).
Despite the fact that the movie persists in Southern stereotypes and commits the cardinal sin of using southern California to double for the great state of Alabama, I actually enjoyed the movie. (Note to Yankees: Southerners secretly enjoy the idea that you think we are all inbred, tobacco-chewing morons.) The movie has a subplot about running moonshine, but the story is truly about how Leroy teaches Molly that women cannot find happiness or sexual fulfillment outside the arms of man so blessed by his inbred genes that testosterone oozes from the pores of his Pennzoil stained skin. The climax of their romance ensues after Leroy tires of the platonic nature of their relationship and, in a bad approximation of a Tennessee Williams play, Leroy rapes Molly. Afterwards, Molly aims a shotgun at Leroy with the intent of killing him, but she's just lying to herself and the gun is not loaded anyway; so she decides to have sex instead because deep down she really enjoyed Leroy taking control of their relationship.
Long stretches of boredom are interspersed with brief moments of surprisingly funny scenes. After Molly calls Leroy a male chauvinist pig and then explains the definition of chauvinist to him, Leroy is unable to understand how that can be an insult and then replaces her suntan lotion with motor oil.
While Carol Lynley is functional at best in her role as the Yankee snob taught a lesson in Southern inhospitality, Gary Lockwood is near perfect in his portrayal of the redneck Romeo and Royal Dano is very funny as the religious moon shiner who imbibes in his product too frequently. The inevitable car chase scenes of any moonshine movie are tame to anyone who grew up on DUKES OF HAZZARD, (BAD GEORGIA ROAD's better looking cousin) that actually lives in Georgia (as portrayed by southern California). Like moonshine, BAD GEORGIA ROAD may be hard to swallow for some, but perfectly fits the tastes of others. If you would consider a velvet painting of Elvis a work of art, then BAD GEORGIA ROAD may appeal to you.