Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road (2002) Reviews

• One of the best films I've seen in a long time!

  Katatonia2003-10-16

  Once in awhile there's a film that comes along that is amazingly fresh in it's idea. Interstate 60 is one of the best movies I've seen recently. I saw in a rental store and there was only one copy they had. I didn't see it in on the shelves of the other rental chains I usually visit several times per week. I debated whether or not I should even rent the movie. But, it had Christopher Lloyd in it...so it couldn't be that bad. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie. It's fun and utterly different than what I was expecting it to be. Interstate 60 cannot be classified into a single genre. It is many genres, from fantasy to comedy, to romance, to drama...and back again switching between these and so much more. The script is very well written, with many memorable lines of intelligent dialogue. There are several notable cameos by high profile actors such as Michael J. Fox, Ann-Margret, and Kurt Russell. All of their performances made use of their stellar acting abilities. Another must see role was played by Chris Cooper. Interstate 60 should really have had a wide theatrical distribution. It has the look and feel of a big budget movie, and surely has a wide ranging appeal. A lot happens in this movie and that is a good thing! It's a shame that a lot of people will probably never see or hear of the movie. If you can find it around you should definitely rent it. You also couldn't go wrong with just buying it, I know it is next on my list of movies to buy for my personal collection. I give this exceptional movie a 10 rating out of a possible 10!

• Under-rated and Under-distributed

  Lumacor2004-08-04

  The only way I got to see this film, was to order it online from amazon.com and ship it over from the US. I can't even remember how I came across hearing of the film, I think I was just browsing the net one day and saw the name 'Bob Gale' attached. I'm a huge fan of the BTTF series, and pretty much appreciate all works done by cast and crew of the series in other titles. Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Christopher Lloyd, and the great MJF to name a few! So how come I'd never heard of this film 'Interstate 60', as it contains 3 of the 4 aforementioned magical ingredients (albeit the 2 actors in secondary roles). Intrigued, I set about attempting to obtain the movie, which proved more painstaking than trying to remove barbed wire from your rear end. Nowhere in the UK has it or had even heard of it, there was no cinema release, no straight-to-video, nothing. Not even big Brit name Gary Oldman (who appears for his fair share in the film), or legend Kurt Russell seemed to have secured its distribution. Anyway, to the film, I think it has to be seen to be appreciated, I rate the plot quite well, with its quirky and surreal sense of humour. The direction and camera work are fantastic (albeit a little rough around the edges) for a low-end budget film, and is something Bob Gale should be proud of for his first outing as a director. The narrative element from BTTF, using the main character as eyes and ears for the audience is again used to good effect, and is once again an engrossing way to tell the story in 'Interstate 60'. Perhaps big distributors felt that the film was too odd, or strange to merit a push for release, which is a shame, as it's a hidden gem and well worth shipping over international waters anywhere. Strangely enough, it seems as though its one of the only films amazon will ship over to another country (so maybe they know its true value). If your at all interesting or intrigued as I first was, then you should definitely attempt to get hold of the film while its still about.

• A refreshingly moral story with important messages presented in a humorous way...

  MovieAddict20162003-09-20

  "Interstate 60" is about a highway that doesn't seem to exist, yet somewhere in between two highways in Louisiana it does, indeed, exist. The main character of the film has a hard time trying to find it at first, for his destiny lies somewhere upon the seemingly non-existent highway. People looking for "Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road" may have just as hard a time looking for the movie itself, as it was not theatrically released, has not been released on DVD, but continues to circulate around small theaters and film festivals since 2002, in search of more eager viewers who will no doubt be both surprised and inspired by the film's truthfulness and sense of morals. Yet "Interstate 60" plays like anything but a Surgeon General's warning. It isn't as openly strict or hard-nosed. It has a sort of subtle warning inside it that lets the viewer decide what it is about. It's a film that stays with you after it's over, and that's a rare thing these days. It all starts with a rich kid named Neal Oliver (James Marsden, "X-Men"). Neal's 22nd birthday has just arrived, and with it a shiny-red BMW sports car, with the license plate specially modeled after his father's own personal motto. In fact, the entire convertible seems to be modeled after Neal's father's own tastes. "I woulda killed to have something like this when I was your age," his dad mutters. We have a feeling he really would have, too. Neal makes a wish for his birthday, to find a meaning to his life. It is overheard by an odd man named O.W. Grant (full name: One Wish Grant), who decides to grant Neal his wish - by sending a painter's bucket flying from above, only to come to a stop on Neal's skull. Out of it for a while, Neal wakes up again and finds his perception noticeably different. He notices things he never noticed before; his senses are more acute. A strange doctor named Ray (Christopher Lloyd) explains a thing or two about perception and blindness to Neal, before Neal finds out there is no doctor on the staff at the hospital named Ray (though that seems a bit odd, don't you think?). Neal meets Ray again in a skyscraper, where Ray gives Neal a job to transport a small briefcase to Denvar (yes, DenVAR), a small town located along I-60. Neal reluctantly agrees to go on this journey in hopes of finding a girl he can't rid his mind of, and so he finally locates this nonexistent highway. Along his journey he once again meets O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman), as well as Laura (Amy Jo Johnson), a woman seeking as much sex as possible; a cop (Kurt Russell) in a small drug-infested town; an ex-advertising agent played by Chris Cooper; and finally he finds the girl of his dreams (literally), Lynn (Amy Smart). Along his journey, Neal comes to terms with himself and who he really is, and though this is predictable the way the film gets the message across is more than ingenious. The writer and director of the film is Bob Gale, the man most people will always remember as the creator and sole writer of the three "Back to the Future" films. Gale tried his hand at directing a few times, including the 1995 "interfilm" called "Mr. Payback," which I have not seen but have heard is a supposedly horrid excuse for a film. "Interstate 60" is not - it is a cleverly-written little film that avoided being released into the mainstream, and for a reason: It didn't want to become Hollywoodized. It hasn't. And it shows. "Interstate 60" is unmistakably a low-budget film, but it is all the better for it. It has some important messages that really should be seen by everyone. In a time when films like "Gigli" are invading the film market, this is a breath of fresh air, a step towards a better side of film-making, a side with morals for today's youth and future generations. There are some great messages in this film, it's a shame that the majority of moviegoers and families seeking quality films will never even see this film, much less hear about it.

• Absolutely awesome

  kotaba2004-12-08

  This film is one of the few modern movies, that really HAS something to say. I was very touched, as it reflected my own feelings of incertitude about the future. It contains the motive of the trip(escape), bravery to rise against the authority, but mainly the courage to change one's own life, while preserving the humorous aspect. Contains the love-story sub-motive, but just as moderate, as appropriate. I just loved the script. This film gives the viewer the hope, he can entirely change his life just by making a few crucial decisions. I'm giving 10 and going to buy the DVD!

• The very definition of 'underrated gem'

  tramsbottom2004-02-10

  This brilliantly original film somehow bypassed theatres due to the usual studio stupidity. An intelligent, offbeat road movie with fantasy elements is a hard thing to sell, so they don't bother and the film eventually limps its way onto DVD. With a bit more money this could have been one of the best films ever. As it is, director Bob Gale makes the best of things and it's a reflection on how strong the story is that he can get away with it on a measly budget. There are great cameos from Michael J.Fox and Kurt Russell amongst others. Like Donnie Darko, this is a weird little indie film you may never have heard of but buying the DVD will be one of the best choices you'll make.