Joy Ride
Directed by John Dahl
Written by Clay Tarver, J.J. Abrams
The review:
I greatly enjoy both Paul Walker and Steve Zahn, so your mileage may vary* with this ridiculous thriller involving a CB radio, a prank, and a very persistent trucker.** The key to success with a movie like this is the level of commitment and the cast is all in. This is also a thriller that was pitched at my favorite level of thriller*** and made for a nice Saturday afternoon escape.****
The verdict: Good
Cost: free from Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
- Red Rock West
- The Hitch-hiker
- Gone In 60 Seconds
Further sentences:
*See what I did there?
**Not only does this have Walker and Zahn, I also picked it because LeeLee Sobieski is in it, though she turned out to not be super great. But John Dahl, director of Red Rock West, directed this! And with J.J. Abrams as a co-writer, you can see how it might turn into something worth watching.
***Not really scary because it isn’t going to happen to me.
****It appears there are sequels, but I will not be going any further in the franchise.
Questions:
- What’s your favorite kind of ridiculous thriller?
- What did you think about the triangle?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
For the nighttime chase scenes, the headlights of the trucks and cars were replaced by aircraft landing lights for extra brightness. This helped to bring down the exposure enough to keep the sky consistently black even at early dawn.
Also this, which I wondered about:
To avoid the unpleasant effects of having to remove tape from Leelee Sobieski’s hair and skin after the take, she was tied up with a strong, thick plastic film (like thick Saran Wrap) which looked like tape and stuck almost like tape, but which had no glue, making its removal simple and fuss-free.
Other reviews of Joy Ride:
- Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com
- Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com
- (You know what’s hard to find? Live links to a so-so movie from 2001 reviewed by women.)
