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.

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 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.

This movie essentially revolves around three men by the names of "Collie Ransom" (Anthony Franciosa), "Dennis 'Denny' McGuire" (Michael Sarrazin) and "Choo Burns" (Bob Denver) who share a beach house in Southern California and pretty much take the world as it comes. Then one day an attractive woman by the name of "Vicky Cartwright" (Jacqueline Bisset) appears and catches the eye of both Dennis and Collie but since Dennis was the first to meet her he is given the opportunity to date her first. What he doesn't realize, however, is that she is dealing with some personal issues that will make it difficult for anybody to get close to her at this particular time. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had an enormous amount of potential as it was gifted with talented actors and some good supporting musical numbers from both Dusty Springfield and the extremely talented but poorly managed rock group known as the Moby Grape. Unfortunately, the director (Harvey Hart) apparently had no idea what he was doing as the plot meandered all over the place with several sub-genres colliding with one another before ending on a dramatic and somber note. That being said, although I liked the overall late-60's atmosphere, I couldn't quite come to turns with the fragmented ambiance and for that reason I rate is as just average.