The Sweet Ride

"The Sweet Ride" is a product of the permissiveness that had seeped into films in the late 1960s. Since 1934, Hollywood had adopted the rigid new Production Code...and all sorts of content in films was being banned outright. Overt sexuality was a definite no-no during this period. But with the mid-late 1960s, the Code began to vanish...and studios routinedly ignored its rigid constraints. So, in "The Sweet Ride" there is lots of nudity and cursing...though the nudity was rather restrained and the women often turned away from the camera so you didn't see that much. But it was clear the men and women in this film were having a randy good time...a definite taboo in the Production Code era movies! Unfortunately, while this movie is more permissive, this doesn't translate to it being a particularly good or enjoyable film.

The story is mostly set in a beachfront house where three ne'er do wells live and spend their time doing anything but work. Mostly, they drink and chase women. The leader of these guys, Collie (Anthony Franciosa), is a 40 year-old who is the least mature of them. Choo-Choo (Bob Denver) is a piano player who seems to spend much of his time avoiding work and fighting. And, Denny (Michael Sarrazin), is a surfer...and not even a professional one. How they can afford this house is a mystery and they all seem like 12 year-olds in men's bodies.

Their lives are disrupted when a topless woman, Vickie (Jacqueline Bisset), struggles to find her way to shore in the most modest way possible. It seems her bikini top was pulled off in the surf. Denny saves her from this predicament and soon the pair begin dating. However, Vickie is a real screwball...a woman whose life is made up of lies. The story begins with Vickie being discovered in the road...beaten badly and left for dead. The story also seems to imply she was molested...though they never say it in so many words.

While I did like how the film ended for Denny, I really tired of the characters. After all, they all seemed pretty pathetic and difficult to like. Additionally, many will dislike the vagueness of the ending...as apart for Denny, the rest seem to be stuck in their awful lives. Overall, a mildly interesting film but nothing more.

A word of reassurance to anyone who's just read Mr. Stockett's plot summary: The character played by Jacqueline Bisset is NOT murdered, although she comes close enough. Actually, she's raped by a cycle gang leader, beaten by a Hollywood producer, then dumped in the street to be run over (a near miss results); the rest of the film unfolds mostly in flashback. This story of assorted aimless young folk who hang out at a tennis bum's beach pad could have been a real pain to sit through, but thanks to a good cast and understanding direction it holds the interest all the way, and accurately captures a certain American lifestyle. (Most critics hated this film, which is always an encouraging sign.) The talented cast makes the characters real and interesting; you really like most of these people, and their interplay is always interesting. And that terrific title song (performed by the late Dusty Springfield) should have been a big hit!

This film exemplifies its era both as an artifact, and in content. As the poster proclaims, it has it all: surfers, bikers, broads, not to mention Selective Service. (Maynard G.Krebs avoids getting drafted by pretending to be Gilligan-see for yourself!) A great theme song, too, written by Lee Hazelwood, and sung by Dusty Springfield.

The characters/actors really bring this together. Terrific chemistry all the way. The director was clearly not afraid to hang back and let the actors perform. And Tony Franciosa is great as usual. The film really captures the California beach bum/beatnik lifestyle. Highly recommended.

A mystery begins to unfold in the first two minutes of The Sweet Ride (1968), as we try to figure out who, almost killed, Vickie (Jacqueline Bissett), and left her for dead on the side of the road. The film switches into flashback mode from there and eventually, returns us back to current-day, leaving the last half-hour of the film, to fill in the missing pieces. We also have Anthony Franciosa as Collie Ransom and Michael Sarrazan as Denny McGuire, the tennis fraud and the surfer kid, who both fall under the spell of the beautiful, sexy Vickie Cartwright. The Sweet Ride (1968), is a different kind of crime-drama. There is definitely comedy sprinkled into this film, but it's mostly a drama. I was surprised by the amount of nudity seen in this film for 1968, but it was released, just at the time, that the change to the MPAA rating-system was happening. 1967-1969 was the start of the modern era of film. I also was stuck with a poor-quality, blurry, 4:3 copy of his film, that I found on YouTube, so I couldn't tell how noticeable the nudity was.

Bob Denver plays the third friend of, Collie and Denny's, interestingly named Choo Choo Burns. He is a hippie musician, in this very 1968 movie. The Sweet Ride (1968), shows signs of the Vietnam War in the background, by taking humorous shots at the crazy old Army guy, who lives next door. There's also plenty of marijuana use. Wow, Gilligan smoking a bong. That was great. His role in the Sweet Ride (1968), is a different kind of film for him. He's busy figuring out if his girlfriend is pregnant through half of the film. Thumper (Michele Carey), Choo Choo's girlfriend, is really hot and enhances this interestingly, unconventional role for Denver, because we were so used to seeing innocent, young, Gilligan for three years and not seeing a pot-smoking, ladies-man, who ironically gets drafted into the Vietnam War. Gillian's Island (1964-1967), ended the year before this film was released.

By the way, Jacqueline Bissett does a good Russian impersonation in the middle of the film. The story begins to get out of control slightly, with too many characters coming and going. The last half hour brings us to current day and the mystery becomes an afterthought. They really ruin the excitement of the mystery, that they had been building up to, since the beginning of the film. The poor character development, continuity and editing makes it look like Choo Choo disappeared. The passage of time isn't handled well. I guess his denouement was going to the drafting office, with his pink colored dog. Then he disappears. The film ends on an unsatisfying, boring finish, not really solving anything. However, the film is good enough, because the music was good, the jokes were good, the dedicated performances by the cast were good and some of the scenes worked out well.

PMTM Grade: 5.8 (D) = 6 IMDB.