Interestatal 60

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.

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.

"Interstate 60:Episodes from the Road" involves a confused college man, Neal Oliver (James Marsden), who wants to be an artist while his father pressures him to go to law school. He desperately wants answers and O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman) magically grants him his wish. Neal ends up on the non-existent I-60 traveling to the non-existent city of Danver where he hopes to meet his dream girl (Amy Smart). Along the way he meets many interesting people and learns several valuable lessons. Christopher Lloyd is also on hand along with glorified cameos by various notable actors (e.g. Michael J. Fox, Kurt Russell and Ann-Margret).

The plot starts out a little tortuous, but it morphs into a road movie before too long, broken up into several quirky segments, which is why the flick is subtitled "Episodes from the Road." Critics deride the picture on the grounds that the messages are clunky, moralistically naive, and preachy. But it's unique and intelligent with quality reflections about life, which are made simple so "stupid people" or teens can grasp them. In short, this is a fairly entertaining oddball road fantasy that's distinctive and insightful.

If you like films like "Michael" (1996), "City of Angels" (1998), "Holy Man" (1998), "Bruce Almighty" (2003) and "Evan Almighty" (2007), "Highway 60" (2002) is cut from the same thematic cloth, except that the supernatural being is a magical Irishman.

The movie runs 1 hour, 56 minutes and was shot in Ontario (Sunderland, Cannington and Toronto) and Arizona (Phoenix).

GRADE: B

I actually feel compelled to comment on this movie, and I haven't been compelled in a long time.

Simply put this film was excellent from the outset. I was hooked from go. No other movie this year can touch its quirkiness. It's a road movie that takes you to the greatest places that aren't there - you'll see what I mean. Some of the comments on society (in most cases American society) were spot on. And you cannot predict where it will go next, you just have to take the ride and accept. Each stop gets better.

Now its entertainment, so don't think it has message written all over it (although it kinda does), Gary Oldman does a wonderful turn as our wish granter, and it's the best film Marsden and Smart have done. The rest of the supporting cast are superb with too many to mention.

I haven't spent two better hours this year.

I just bumped into "Interstate 60" on TV. It puzzled me, at first.

Due to the somewhat cheapish look of the film and the surreal subject matter, I initially thought that I was watching an episode of the newest "Twilight Zone" series. Then I realized there were simply too many famous actors cropping up for this to be a TV production. Gary Oldman, Chris Cooper, Ann-Margaret, Kurt Russell - dang, that's actually a great cast! I still couldn't tell what on Earth I was watching, though.

Well, thanks to the magic of IMDb, I know now that "Interstate 60" is an indie flick, courtesy of "Back to the Future" scribe Bob Gale. I'm not too surprised to find out that it has weird origins. And I'm also not too surprised that lots of people love it, and lots of people hate it, judging from the user comments I've scanned.

My opinion is somewhere between the extremes. I was intrigued enough by the movie to keep watching, even though it was pretty darn late when I started. The social satire, though obvious, sort of amused me, and I was curious to see where it was going.

The trouble with a movie like this, though, is that its greatest strengths are also its weaknesses. The aggressive "oddness" of the film is compelling, but it kept me at a distance from the characters. In other words, the people and the proceedings were a little too surreal for their own good. It's interesting stuff, yeah, but I'm not too sure that it's profound or deep or anything. The general storyline of a young artist trying to "find" himself is actually pretty basic, run-of-the-mill material; only the weird execution makes it memorable.

On the acting end, I really had no problem with James Marsden's performance, unlike a lot of other commentators on this site. I find him to be a pretty charismatic actor, and I was glad to see him in a starring role for a change (I'm used to him playing second fiddle in super-hero films). But I've got to give the acting laurels to Chris Cooper, who steals every scene he's in. I became genuinely fond of his character, but not really anybody else.

In the end, I enjoyed this. I was glad to see Gale mock aspects of contemporary society that I can really do without - rampant substance abuse, out-of-control litigation, etc. He wasn't exactly subtle in his approach here, but he was memorable. And that's worth something, right?

Also, the movie's got the Pink Power Ranger as a crazy seductress! Nice bonus there. I could certainly think of worse movies to watch at 2 AM.