Made in USA

Tuck & Dar, on the edge of unemployment and poverty in a mining disaster town (Centralia, PA) hit the road, pick up Lori Singer on the way, get scalped in New Mexico, and lament the various environmental catastrophes on the way to the West Coast. The film features a superb soundtrack by Sonic Youth, World Party, and Timbuk 3. The film is replete with a type of post-industrial pessimism found in many relics of its era. Excellent moody cinematography and disturbed characters make it worth a watch.

Chris Penn and Adrian Pasdar leave their dying coal town in Pennsylvania and begin a road trip to California with a spree of petty thievery and car theft. When they pick up Lori Singer, the crimes grow larger.

There was some fighting between director Ken Friedman and the suits at Hemdale over the final cut. What survives is a movie about two dumb drifters who fall in with an equally ignorant but politically radicalized woman. There's contempt in this movie, not just for the principals, but the society which created them. It's beautifully shot by cinematographer Curtis Clark, particularly the landscapes in Arizona and New Mexico. The people, however, are all ugly, either physically or spiritually. The editing is also poor; there's a major subplot in which they steal a truck, the truckers organize an effort to find them, and that's the last heard of them.

Friedman apparently showed his own cut at Cannes, there were lawsuits, and this version trickled out on tape over the next few years. While it is possible his version was a better one, we can't know that. What survives is a movie about three dumb drifters who stick it to the Man to little purpose.

In 1986 the production company for the movie had try outs for extras and stand ins. I had the great privilege to be Frank Beddors stand in for the movie. Who is Frank Beddor you ask? Tuck and Dar drove an older car and for the life of me I can't remember off hand what is is. But they had a couple of run ins with a rich kid(played by Frank Beddor as "Bud") Frank drove a 1987 Red Pontiac Firebird, with the Pennsylvania Registration plate "GOBUDGO" on it. For some reason my friends "Bud" was completely absent from the movie! I was picked as Frank Beddors stand in due to a similar overall skin tone height and appearance etc.. My job was to be positioned where the camera was about to shoot, lighting set up etc... then have Frank Beddor be brought in to do the shot. Franks real life girlfriend at the time was Cindi Dietrich playing as his girlfriend in the movie. First of all Frank Beddor was an overall nice guy and readily said hello and had no problem talking to you. But his girlfriend? That was another story. She couldn't be bothered talking to someone from the area. I recall people saying Hi to her and she just literally snubbed her nose and never said hello back. Both Bud and Tuck and Dar had a race down Main St. Ashland with Tuck and Dar ultimately winning. Penn and Pasdar got out of their car, popped out his T tops of the Firebird and Pasdar said I quote "What'll it be Bud, your pussy or your pink slip?" He hesitated for a few seconds causing Buds girlfriend to leave the Firebird in a huff. Awesome stuff if it would have been in the movie. A little trivia here: The leather jacket worn by Christopher Penn in the beginning of the movie belonged to his friend, according to Chris, died in his arms. It was stolen somewhere in Ashland and I believe when someone sneaked in his trailer. I got to drink a little with Chris and Adrian at one point during a lull in the filming. Nice guys for real. The movie gets a 5 because of the unsteady story line and the removal of Bud.

Very forgettable road movie, that wants to provide an ecological message, but the only message I received was how boring this film is. The words meandering, aimless, and pointless, immediately come to mind when describing "Made in USA". The late Chris Penn in an early role is why I picked this one up, but his performance cannot save what is essentially one long lesson in irresponsibility. Two out of work friends from Pennsylvania's coal cracking region, stealing cars on their way to California, is not enough to maintain interest. Like Centralia Pennsylvania, and Times Beach Illinois, which are prominently featured, the entire film is a slow death experience. Not recommended. - MERK

This is not just a road movie about two wild young men who are destined to go to California, who steal cars and everything else on their way to get there. It's not just a movie about Lori Singer being a hot looking, crazy chick. If you think it is, then you missed the real point of the movie. While those things are in the movie, they are the stories of a few, of many people, who have survived after seeing the decaying of their homes, brought on by industry and commerce.

The scenery shots are amazing to me as they show a real side of America that you will never see in any travel brochure. Almost every scenery shot was beautiful and flawed at the same time. The two towns that were evacuated are real. Times Beach MO. no longer exists, but the land that once was that town has since been cleaned up by the EPA, and is now a state park. The coal mine fire is still burning under Centralia PA. to this day.

I can't say that I fell in love with any of the characters in the movie. That might be it's main flaw, but I thought the part with the Lori Singer and the coyote was beautiful. It was in fact a coyote, not a wolf. It was, after all, in New Mexico.

Overall, I am glad I saved this movie on the Tivo. I almost didn't though, because I was expecting it to be a dumb party flick like "The Wild Side". I was very happy to find out that I was wrong.