The 411 Movies Top 5 11.27.09: Week 193 - The Top 5 Road Trip Movies

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 11.27.2009

This week, the 411 crew packs up the RV and embarks on a quest to find the greatest road trip movies ever made.



Well, it's not like anyone would consider the cross-country trek that father and son embark on in The Road to be a really great "road trip" or anything. But still, thinking about that movie got me thinking about other great movies that feature similar sorts of life-experience building trips. With that in mind, I put it to the rest of the 411 crew to help me this week in deciding:

THE TOP 5 ROAD TRIP MOVIES

TREVOR SNYDER

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Road Trip, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Little Miss Sunshine

5. Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings trilogy might not come to mind as an obvious example of the genre, but if you think about it it's nothing if not one of the most epic road trips of all time. Over great distances and a span of several years, this trip actually ends with nothing less than saving the world from pure evil. So if nothing else, I think we can agree this was more productive than the usual road trip.

4. Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Steve Martin and John Candy proved to be a perfect comedic pair in this, not only one of the best road trip movies, but probably the best Thanksgiving movie ever. Martin plays an uptight fellow forced to spend time with the annoying Candy in order to get home in time for the holiday. Of course, as road trips will do, the two eventually do bond, but not before a series of frustrating – and hilarious – adventures.

3. The Straight Story

The weirdest thing about this particular David Lynch movie is that it's directed by Lynch at all. A gentle and heartfelt Disney film, The Straight Story tells the true story of a crippled WWII veteran (Richard Farnsworth, in an amazing performance) who, upon hearing that his estranged brother is dying, decides to visit him and bury the hatchet. The only problem is he can no longer drive a car, so instead he drives his riding lawnmower across state lines, encountering all sorts of interesting folks along the way on his six-week journey. An underappreciated gem.

2. Easy Rider

My two top choices would almost have to be considered the two main road trip movies, although both are very different kinds of films. Easy Rider is a revolutionary classic – both an open love-letter to the counterculture spirit of the ‘60s and a startling warning of the backlash against it. Both Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper (who also directed) give iconic performances, but the film will perhaps be best remembered for kicking off Jack Nicholson's rise to superstardom. A must-see movie for any serious students of film.

1. National Lampoon's Vacation

I don't know how many of you readers have actually gone on a family road trip, but I bet all of you who have probably found it impossible to do so without making references to this classic. The Griswolds' trek to Wally World still holds up as one of the funniest comedies of the ‘80s, and an obvious career high-point for star Chevy Chase. This movie pretty much set the formula for any future road trip comedy that followed. And as crazy as everything that happens is, the movie still has a somewhat positive message about the joys of a family vacation. Admit it, when you watch this movie, you kind of wish you a Griswold kid. The good news is, considering how many Rusty's and Audrey's they've gone through, you might someday get your chance.

SHAWN S. LEALOS

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Zombieland, Duel, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

5. Easy Rider

I have to include this because it is the most iconic road movie there is. I just don't like the movie as much as I feel I should. The acting is supurb, from Dennis Hopper to Peter Fonda to a young Jack Nicholson. I never got why this movie was so great outside of its obvious influence on that generation of filmmakers. Bonnie and Clyde is the better movie but on a top list of road movies, you can't ignore this one.

4. Dogma

I am showing my fandom by having two Kevin Smith films back to back. The first is Dogma, where Jay and Bob must escort the last scion of Christ to stop Ben and Matt from walking into a Catholic Church, which would piss off God royally. Except God is in a coma because he likes skeet ball and got beat up by some skater punks working for My Name is Earl, who is tempting Ben and Matt to go into the church while sending a Shit Demon to Salma Hayek's tity bar to mess with the only black disciple, who has joined the road trip to the disdain of Hans Gruber only for everyone to find out that God is actually - well "You Oughta Know." Now that is a road trip

3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

But then things get better for Jay and Bob when they decide to go to Hollywood to stop a movie in production based on their likeness thanks to My Name is Earl selling the rights while pretty much ignoring poor Bennifer, but this time there is nothing about God or Scions. Instead they meet up with some cat burglars (including Faith!!!), but along the way watch as Rufus gives blow jobs, Princess Leia won't, Gus Van Sant sells out, Good Will goes hunting, Will Ferrell wants to spank a monkey, Luke Skywalker wants to whip out his glow stick and Dawson gets it on with the guy who stuck his dick in a pie. People wonder why I like Kevin Smith so much.

2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Now this is a road trip movie. Johnny Depp is awesome as Hunter S. Thompson, recalling the author's road trip to Las Vegas to cover a desert race. Along the way, he and his attorney, played with equal craziness by Benicio Del Toro, meets up with a creepy Gary Busey, pick up a weirdly strange Tobey Maguire and a party girl played by Christina Ricci all while tripping on every drug imaginable and hallucinating in some of the strangest manners you could imagine. This is a Terry Gilliam movie and proves why he is a genius.

1. True Romance

There was a top ten column a week or two ago about ensemble casts. This movie should be at the top of anyone's list. Basically Christian Slater saves "hooker with a heart of gold" Patricia Arquette from her evil pimp Gary Oldman. Along the way he takes what he believes is her suitcase and goes on a road trip after realizing it is full of cocaine. This causes Christopher Walken and Tony Soprano to come after them while they are trying to sell the drugs to Saul Rubinek, who is represented by Balky. Also coming for them is the FBI, led by Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore. Brad Pitt is amazing as a stoner that lives with Slater's best friend, Michael Rapaport. Did I mention that Val Kilmer is the spirit of Elvis and gives Slater advice? This is one of the greatest movies ever made.

LEN ARCHIBALD

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Little Miss Sunshine, Wild at Heart

5. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Steve Martin (as neurotic nutcase Neal Page) and John Candy (as accident-prone and loveable Del Griffith): two bohemian heavyweights of comedy (I can already see the John Candy jokes…) Put them together as complete polarizing figures, both wanting to make it home for the holidays and sutff them together so there is no way they can't be apart for the duration of their trip and with John Hughe's direction, you have a recipe for one of the great comedies of all time. Man, how fitting that I think of this film the day after Thanksgiving? Those AREN'T PILLOWS!!!

4. Bonnie and Clyde

Arthur Penn's take on the French New Wave starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the folk-hero, bank-robbing duo is one of the definitive films of the 1960's counterculture, the mother of American cinematic depictions of violence (The Wild Bunch is the father) and the launching pad for three of Hollywood's stars that helped lead the charge for the 1970's "Golden Age" (Gene Hackman is the third) – it's also a helluva road-trip picture. The exploits of the infamous "Barrow Gang" has been well-documented and there probably will never be a better picturesque account of the criminals who became cult heroes during their cross-country (mis)adventures in the Central United States.

3. Five Easy Pieces

Not the definitive road trip film, or the funniest, but the best crafted and most insightful. Bob Rafelson's magnum-opus about Jack Nicholson's oil rig worker who decides to just up and leave to see his family is poignant, funny, head-scratching and true to form. Every character and situation is created because of the identites of the characters reacting in realistic fashion to the situations presented to them. It takes the film into some truly fabulous twists and turns of self-discovery and is a masterclass of writing and cinematic composition. If for no other reason to heap praise on this great film, I present to you in all it's glory a moment known only as "The Chicken Salad Scene":

2. National Lampoon's Vacation

The only reason this isn't #1, is because in my mind, the #1 pick is way too obvious and I would shoot myself in the face if I didn't place it as such – but if that film never existed, this would hands-down, by far and away be my numero uno. What is there to say about Vacation, really? It's the crazy Griswolds going on a crazy trip to go to WallyWorld, where disaster (and hilarity) ensues at every stop and turn. Chevy Chase has never topped this film in my mind – but of course, it's pretty hard for MOST comedies, past or present, to top it anyway.

1. Easy Rider

Look, there is no doubt in my mind that Easy Rider is the definitive road trip movie. Even if you haven't seen the film, if you are a lover of movies (which is an oxymoron, because if you love movies, you've seen this film – whether you wound up liking it or not) you have at least stumbled upon the iconic and picture-esque moment of Jack Nicolson strapped behind super-hippie Dennis Hopper on his motorcycle, while riding beside Peter Fonda's Captain America wearing a football helmet. It has all the elements of the "road trip" genre: an established trip (in more ways than one) and reason for getting to the destination, characters determined to get there, kooky supporting characters met along the way – hell, Easy Rider ENDS on the road. Even if the message is a little heavy-handed at times and Dennis Hopper's weird editing techniques are somewhat jarring upon first viewing, Easy Rider basically shaped, molded, defined and re-defined the road trip genre.

JEREMY THOMAS

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Transamerica, Zombieland, Dogma

5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This is one of the "wild, zany ride" type of road trips, and you just have to love the crazy way this plays out. I've talked about this one before in Top 5 lists, but I don't mind saying again and again how great Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro are here in their Hunter S. Thompson-based bender/trip to Vegas. It's one of the most quotable road movies in history and I can't say enough good things about it; it's a testament to the movies above it that they force this one all the way down to number five, because it really is a phenomenal road movie.

4. Away We Go

Away We Go is an overlooked gem of a movie from this year. Directed by Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty), it stars Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski as Verona and Burt, a couple who upon learning that they're going to have a baby decide to travel to various locations to find the best place to raise their child-to-be. Along the way they encounter various people who influence their decisions, including Verona's mean-spirited boss and Burt's old friend who is an uber-hippy (and played hilariously by Maggie Gyllenhall). The movie is both poignant and very, very funny. It's not quite your standard road movie in that the trip doesn't have a set destination, but it definitely works within the genre and is a great film to boot.

3. National Lampoon's Vacation

This is a road movie and a half right here. Hell, even the theme song is "Holiday Road." Where a lot of road films tend to me more serious films, this was one of the first major road films that looked at the genre in a more humorous way and it worked so well. Chevy Chase makes the perfect dad who wants to make the perfect vacation trip for his family, and when it all goes wrong we can't help but laugh. The trip spans quite a distance and we have a lot of the conventions of the genre, gently poked at for laughs. Personally, as much as they get into huge amounts of trouble, I would still kill to be on that trip to WallyWorld...and that says a lot for this movie as a road trip film.

2. The Lord of the Rings

This is, very nearly, THE definitive road film. I mean, what more do you want from a road film. You have a group of people travelling across the country...bonding, experiencing heartache and triumph, smoking the wacky hobbit tobacco, getting detoured, finding challenges to over come...and walking. Lots, and lots of walking. Really, the road movie is just a modern twist on the old heroic quest...the "hero's path" taken literally. So when you see a heroic quest that does involve a road trip, and one that's done as well as Pater Jackson did with these three films, you have to give it up to them. Horses were the original Harleys, and this was one bad-ass group of bikers.

1. Easy Rider

Len put it right, this is THE definitive road trip movie. It's iconic, with some of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's best work they ever did; Jack Nicholson is fantastic in an early role, the first to garner him serious acclaim. This film is so well-known that I think it's easy to be a bit disappointed by it, because expectations can be built up a bit too much by the many accolades it earned (AFI's 100 Years lists, National Film Registry, Academy Award nominations). But after you view it, I think that it's hard to deny that the movie has earned those honors. I believe it is unfortunate that Hopper's next film, The Last Movie, failed as drastically as it did because it largely killed Hopper's career for a good decade and we could have seen some very good work come out of him. Whatever the case, this one has certainly established its place in history as the top road movie of all-time.