As Good As It Gets

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A rich city boy from back East named Beckman (Judge Reinhold) encounters local bullies in the form of rural Arizona rednecks as he drives west through the desert. Together with his hitchhiking companion, Johnny (Willem Dafoe), the two buddies function as updated characters to Buz and Todd, from the old television series "Route 66". I never saw the TV series, but it must surely have been better than "Roadhouse 66".A lot of the screen time takes place in or near this roadhouse, a local greasy spoon, where guys play pool, a local band livens things up with blue-suede songs, and the manager is a savvy, streetwise gal who reminds me of actress Ida Lupino. The plot has Beckman and Johnny meeting some local babes and fighting the bullies in the cafe.The best thing the film has going for it is that it was filmed entirely on-location in Arizona; and there's no CGI. The desert scenery is nice. And I like the performance of the café manager who doesn't suffer fools gladly, having been one herself when previously married to the star bully.But like the town itself, the film is boring. Not a lot happens here. Original songs are blah and forgettable for the most part. And the ending is predictable. But the worst element is the casting of the two leads. I can't take Judge Reinhold seriously as an actor. He always reminds me of those irritatingly lightweight "comedies" of the 1980s. I also dislike his geeky persona and annoying smirk. Willem Dafoe carries around the same irritating regional accent in all movies I have seen him in. At least he had the smarts to avoid a career as a singer. This film shows why.This is a below average buddy/road film. For some viewers, and depending on their mood, it may help pass the time. Oh, and the prod design for the greasy spoon is not realistic, owing to the absence of a major component ... flies.

I'll be fair here, this is just a time passer. I enjoyed it more, when I first saw it back in 85. It's when I first watched Willem Dafoe who's become my favorite actor, but later I realized he was in Streets Of Fire as the lead thug. Now I remember. His performance was done with a intensity of evil when looking back on "Street's" that I really haven't watched since I first saw it in 84. With this one, that wouldn't have a chance at the cinema, he plays a retired rockin' roll singer Johnny Hart who has his reasons, for getting out. Standing in the middle of the road, just like John "Hitcher" Ryder, he's nearly run down by college guy, Reinhold, who's trying to outrun these local thugs, lead by a bad boy Hoot, (Alan Autry) who shoots out his radiator. He's met by drifter Dafoe, who when asked his reasons for standing in the middle of the road, he just answers with a brief smile. For Reinhold this is only the start of conflict, between him and the thugs, who reappear at this Roadhouse that functions at a bar, diner etc. Things escalate into more serious problems for them, when the local car wrecker, who caught Reinhold and Dafoe using one of their cars as a place of sleep, is burnt to death in his shed. All fingers point guiltily to Reinhold, as if he's responsible for the whole catastrophe, where Dafoe and him, plus their girlfriends (who are sisters), were using the shed to rebuild one of the cars for the big town race. Granted, this is the most exciting part of the movie, Hoot resorting to dirty play, before and during the race. Alan Autry gives probably the best performance of the film, and sexy Kate Vernon is good as Reinhold's girl. Dafoe sings a rock song in this too, where he met upon by an old buddy, though I doubt it's really him. In between these two things we have a stick fight between Dafoe and Autry which was pretty cool, where the old lady running the place intervenes with her gun, before they tear up the establishment. So Dafoe redeems himself with this song, that I wish I could get a hold on, plus the one at the start. Roadhouse 66 has a nice ending too, where we don't really know if hoot dies. The movie's no real feat, with no real potency, but still it's a good yarn, but movie wise, fair.

When "Roadhouse 66" first appeared on cable in Canada almost twenty-five years ago, I sat down to watch it, though about halfway through I quit watching it. I didn't remember why, however, so with it now available on DVD I decided to rent it and give it another try.I did make it all the way through this time... but barely. It didn't take me long to figure out why I stopped watching it the first time. This is one BORING movie. Although it runs about an hour and a half, there is only about thirty minutes or so of plot. The rest of the time, nothing of consequence happens.To make matters worse were the characters. Reinhold's character is the worst. His character is incredibly stupid, and you'll eventually relish the scenes where he gets over his head and into serious trouble. The bad guys are really mean-spirited for a movie that tries to be somewhat light-hearted the rest of the time.Oh, and the climatic race sequence? It was one of the most boring car races I have ever seen. For one thing, the cars for the most part seem to be going half speed instead of full-out.Maybe I'll give the movie another chance twenty-five years from now...

Besides being just a fun to watch movie, the on-location filming includes an area of historic significance. Although the location is listed as Kingman, it includes a race sequence to the old gold mining settlement of Oatman, AZ. I recognized many of the landmarks during the race, as well as the community of Oatman. The race turn around point (straw bales) is at the south end of town. The road race is on the original "Route 66", now known on the maps as CR10. It crosses a flat and winds up into the Black Mountains to Sitgreaves Pass, and down into Oatman. The Black Mountains were a significant obstacle to the many who motored west during the great depression, due to steep grades and sharp curves. Any trip on I40 passing Kingman, AZ should include a side trip through the tourist town of Oatman, which welcomes visitors and is truly a step into the past. Very few sections of Route 66 still exist that are as beautiful as this road. In the bargain, you can see (and stay in) the room in the Oatman Hotel where movie stars Clark Gable and Carol Lombard stayed on their honeymoon in 1939. Several other movies were filmed in Oatman.Enjoy this fun movie, and enjoy the filming location if you get a chance. You will remember the race sequence from "Roadhouse 66" when you travel this road from Kingman to Oatman.