Motorama

Too bad 'Motorama' never found an audience that would appreciate it! Misleadingly thought by some to be a kids movie, it is closer in spirit to David Lynch's stylized surreal looks at the "real" America. Jordan Christopher Michael plays a young boy who runs away from home, and travel across America in a stolen car. Only it isn't exactly America as we know it. At a gas station he is given some "motorama" cards, which are part of a competition which has a possible 500 million dollar prize. He slowly becomes obsessed with the game as he continues on his increasingly bizarre trip, which sees him encounter a strange bunch of oddballs, eccentrics and weirdos. He even loses an eye along the way! The nutters he interacts with are played by an amazing array of character actors and cult figures including Lynch favourite Jack Nance ('Eraserhead'), Susan Tyrrell ('Flesh and Blood'), Mary Woronov ('Eating Raoul'), Michael J. Pollard ('Bonnie And Clyde'), John Diehl ('Stripes'), Dick Miller ('A Bucket Of Blood'), Robert Picardo ('Innerspace'), Flea, Meatloaf, and a teenage Drew Barrymore (note sleaze fans - a pre-breast reduction teenage Drew Barrymore!). This movie is easily overlooked in the video racks - especially with its misleading "Home Alone meets Thelma And Louise" packaging - but it is really worth watching. Fans of quirky road movies like 'Wild At Heart', 'Highway 61' or 'Roadside Prophets' should enjoy this quietly subversive dark fantasy, which in my opinion is one of the most unfairly overlooked movies of the last ten years or so.

I watched this film late at night on an independent station. When I saw the title, I wasn't very interested. But, the idea of a 10 year old driving intrigued me. Quite the strange film, but I enjoyed it. I really recommend it.

This movie is incredible. It is one of the few truly unique films out there, and I can't believe I hadn't seen it until just last night. It doesn't fit into any trite movie formula, but it's also not meaningless fantasy. Motorama truly has a hypnotizing effect on the viewer. You become as obsessed with trying to figure this movie out,as the boy is with winning motorama. I love how this film is pure metaphor and completely disregards reality. It takes place in a completely fictional world. Even the names of the states and the money are fake. And yet there is something so familiar about that world. I won't say anymore about the plot, but I just highly recommend this film to anyone who appreciates an original and strange story.

DON'T EVEN TRY to figure out the logic of this story. But do ride along with 10-year-old Gus on the most bizarre road trip ever witnessed. More weird characters and implausible situations than a Twin Peaks reunion! Nothing makes sense, yet it's impossible to stop watching Motorama! Now, where can I find that 'R'????

On the theory that you don't have to understand everything about a movie, "Motorama" succeeds. The story of a 10 year-old boy on an expedition is filled with interesting sights and people, and there are few points in the movie's road where you can see straight ahead. The camera has recorded lots of little details, so keep your eyes open--the kid's roadmaps, his money and especially his hair towards the end of the movie. On a broader note, you'd think a child driving a vintage Mustang would draw lots of attention, but not in this film. Somehow everyone treats him as just a "little person," and pretty soon that's exactly what you believe, too. Overall, a very nice movie with lots to see, and a quiet pat on the back