Highway 61

I saw this movie twice in the theatres in the early 90's. It was the first time I saw a movie and I thought to myself "That is the kind of movie I could make". Very inspirational, well-acted and directed for such a small budget indie movie. Very quirky characters. It has a tone similar to movies by Jim Jarmusch or Steve Buscemi's Trees Lounge. The cameo by the dead kennedy's jello biafra is a real treat as well. Try to find this indie gem!

What can be said about this bizarre little gem of a movie? As a Canadian I have a soft spot for truly good homegrown film, and Bruce McDonald really delivered with this one. The "rock 'n' roll road movie" seems like a cliched category to put this in, for yes, it does involve a journey (physical and spiritual of course), and great musical atmosphere, and yet there's just something completely different. Maybe it's Valerie Buhagiar's ethereal yet calculating performance as Jackie, the roadie whose friends are far weirder than yours. It might be Don McKellar's small-town trumpet-playing barber who finds a dead man behind his shop one morning. Maybe it's the Devil chasing them in his pickup truck, claiming souls with his Polaroid camera. Oops, perhaps I've given away too much already...

At any rate, I loved this movie. It was unconventional without being consciously "arty", and was just fun to watch. Your corner video store probably won't have it (especially in the States) but if you're lucky one of the big chains will have a copy.

I actually know the township where this movie was filmed the first 15 minutes or so. The place is called Virginiatown and it is in Ontario, they also filmed in Larder Lake, Ontario.

I decided to watch the movie(we have it on display where I work) and it is surprising how the place has changed. We also even have the barber chair and all his equipment that was owned by the actual owner of the barber shop, who appeared as a customer in the movie.

Even though this movie fits the typical "weird" movie, I actually liked it, but then again, I am a fan of those old 80's style movies. The only thing I have to say negative about it is that I don't recommend it to kids, this movie still contains things that should not be seen at a younger age.

Surprisingly had only two written comments on this film, and then I can't help myself! This film has got some scenes which you'll simply never forget. A road movie with everything you want from one of it's kind.

It all starts off when a local Canadian barber one morning is asked by a strange woman if he can drive her and her dead brother, lying in a wooden casket, down from Canada into the U.S. - But is it really her dead brother??? On the way they meet all kinds of strange people.

This film contains so much - like the most fantastic bingo-scene in film ever, the devil's hijacking of a little girl's soul, and what about indoor chicken hunt with guns, or the dream of having U2 to play in your wedding!?

I can't wait to see this movie again, and I understand it's now on DVD. So go buy it, never mind the price! This is hilarious fun with death on the back wheels! Don't miss it! The best Canadian film I ever saw!

more campy than roadkill (if that was possibly) and much lighter than dance me outside and hardcore logo, highway 61 is a great, fun film that fits perfectly on a snowy Saturday afternoon. the random plot twists as well as the off beat characters make this film truly unique and oddly Canadian. don mckellar proves here why he is Canada's most important actor - not because of any extensive talent, but because of his knack for playing the nervous, shy, eccentric who doesn't really fit in. this is one of those Canadian movies that totally could have gotten a bigger following if it had better distribution. now where's the DVD?