Going To Miss Me: The Best Road Movies of All-Time

Nothing is better than packing up, getting in the car and just driving. Well i suppose watching someone do it would be pretty fun too. Road trip movies are as present in film today as they ever were. But only a select few are worthy enough of multiple viewings, and the convented title of "Best Road Movies of All-Time"

Thelma & Louise

Directed by Tony Scott, this Tarantino-eqsue tale tells of Thelma and Louise (wouldn't have guessed if I hadn't told you) who are on the run from the law. They travel across the country and one point encounter a young Brad Pitt in one of his first memorable screen roles.

Dumb and Dumber

Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carey) come into possession of a briefcase that belongs to a woman Lloyd drove to the airport and fell in love with. They travel to what they believe is Aspen, Alaska (Which thanks to not learning the geography of the world till elementary school I thought was actually in Alaska until about 3rd grade). It turns out the briefcase has thousands of dollars in it and the hilarity ensues. The defining movie in both Daniels and Carey's careers.

Overnight Delivery

This indie dram-com from 1998 stars Paul Rudd as a college student who believes his girlfriend (Reese Witherspoon) has been unfaithful to him while away at college. So he goes out, gets drunk, takes a few pictures with some strippers and sends it to her. He wakes up the next morning and realizes his mistake and goes across the country chasing down the Fed Ex truck before it reaches it destination overnight. Not the best made of movies, and one can tell after watching it Kevin Smith wrote some of the dialogue, but it's still a nice guilty pleasure

National Lampoons Vacation

Probably THE road movie. This 1983 Chevy Chase vehicle went from a fun time at the movies, to a cinema classic. The Griswold's plan a vacation across the country to visit Wally World. Their adventure takes them to the ghettos of St. Louis to Kansas where Clark's (Chevy Chase) wife's brother Eddie lives, all the way to California. When they arrive at Wally World early, and after a celebratory run through the parking lot, they find out that Wally World is closed for two week due to maintenance. Clark buys a fake gun and forces the security guard (John Candy) to take them on all the rides. Every road trip movies looks first at National Lampoon's Vacation as the blueprint for the perfect road trip movie.

My Own Private Idaho

Not your typical road movie, but what Gus Van Sant film is a typical anything? The film follows the story of two friends, Mike (River Pheonix) as a gay street hustler in search of his mother and Scott (Keeanu Reeves) who is Mike's best friend and fellow hustler. Mike and Scott go on a journey to find Mike's mother in Italy. Scott is set to inherit his father's fortune but Mike has little to live for. He ends up finding out that the woman he is searching for left for the united States some time ago. Scott falls in love with a girl and leaves Mike to find his own way home. It's a truly depressing movie with a sad story and sad end. The bright side was that River Pheonix won multiple awards for his role and set up the foundations for a promising career. This story too, also had a sad ending.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

A far strecth from My Own Private Idaho, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back takes our two favorite heros across the country to stop the production of film based on the comic book characters Bluntman and Chronic, which were based off them. Lost yet? You have to be a hardcore Kevin Smith fan or a hardcore stoner to find this humour funny. Kevin Smith calls it his "$20 Million inside joke film" reference his past films and having the characters reappear. Ben Affleck appears as himself and Holden McNiel from Chasing Amy, Jason Lee appears as Banky Edwards from Chasing Amy AND Brodie Bruce from Mallrats. Brian O' Halloran and Jeff Anderson appear as Dautne Hicks and Randal Graves from Clerks and there is appearances from Chris Rock, George Carlin, Jamie Kennedy, Will Ferrel, Judd Nelson, James Vander Beek, Jason Biggs, and Mark Hamil in a role in which we finally get to hear Luke Skywalker swear. The film is exactly what it appears to be, a goofball comedy that is both entertaining, and a satirical comedy. It's not a classic, and the only awards it won were Razzies, but true Kevin Smith-ians will enjoy it.

Honoarable Mention

Borat: Cultural Learnings To Make Better Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Easy Rider
Tommy Boy
Road Trip
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Mad Max
No Country For Old Men

Photos Courtesy of:
www.imdb.com
www.bbcmedia.com