 Two-Lane Blacktop
Introduction: This is a breezy cult classic about racing cars ... Um, it stars James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, the drummer of the Beach Boys ... Plot Overview: The story is rather ambiguous, but the general idea is that two friends (James Taylor and Dennis Wilson) are on a cross country trip down Route 66 in a 1955 Chevrolet. The car looks dilapidated (needing a paint job badly among other cosmetic face lifts), but it has a souped up racing engine and Dennis Wilson's character is a first-rate mechanic. They're not going anywhere in particular--they're just going wherever life takes them. A hitch-hiking girl (Laurie Bird) drifts into their lives for no real reason--she just stepped into their car at a gas station, and they didn't seem to mind. They seem to make money by challenging other drivers to races and collecting the profits, which could be one of the reasons the body work of the Chevy looks so worn out. A middle-aged man (Warren Oates) is the only character who cares to divulge anything about his past, but it's later revealed that he makes everything up. He's also driving cross-country for no apparent reason, however this man seems considerably more wealthy and sports a fancy 1970 Pontiac GTO. These two parties passively butt heads, and they agree to a cross country race to Washington D.C. The winner of the race gets to keep the other's car. They begin the race, but it's not long before they get sidetracked. Wilson looks at Oates' engine and learns that there's a critical flaw that needs to be fixed. So, they stop off in the nearest town to work on it. You would think that they would have taken the opportunity to get ahead in the race, but they don't want their competition to be taken advantage of! Eventually, the idea of the race gets lost (in that respect, this film is almost surreal ... the way we wander around through our dreams sometimes with halfbaked ambitions). Commentary: This is such an odd movie, and I found it difficult to follow. It is definitely interesting to analyze, which makes this a great pick for people who enjoy thinking about their cinema. My immediate thought was to give the movie a 3/5 rating, but my impression of the movie improved immensely the hours after watching it. Movies that have that kind of lingering effect are the ones that end up changing my life, you know! Not that I expect Two-Lane Black Top will change my life, but it's a smart movie and I will think fondly of it for the rest of my life! This is considered an "existential" movie, which I presume comes from the fact that there doesn't seem to be anything happening. This aspect will bother many viewers who are addicted to mainstream Hollywood's idea of what a movie should be! I admit that it bothered me at first! However, even as I was watching this, I admired its breezy and light pace. This is such an easy movie to sit back and soak up even if you don't understand what's going on. There isn't much dialogue ... the filmmakers value silence (or just the hum of the motor) and lovely shots of the Route 66 countryside. There is definitely value in the lead actors being prominent pop stars. Their music certainly doesn't hint that they would ever star in an existential movie! However, they are strictly non-actors. Wilson doesn't say much and his character doesn't exhibit much emotion, which is probably for the best. Taylor definitely has much more dialogue, but it's also best when he's not talking! There is a moment in the film when Taylor is apparently supposed to be angry, but he looks and acts exactly the same as he does normally except he furrows his brow. Warren Oates is the only real actor. It's fitting that he has the most dialogue and the most emotive character. It's easy to see why he leaves a much bigger impression than the other actors. The very end is quite curious. They're about to go on a short-distance race, and then the film burns up... Well, it's creative and another thing to think about! Concluding remarks: Two-Lane Blacktop is imperfect, but it's one of those rare films that will improve the more you think about it afterwards. This is definitely a ripe pick for the art-film aficionado!! Date reviewed: April 3, 2007 FINAL SCORE: B
|
