Rafferty et les auto-stoppeuses

Alan Arkin plays a California driving instructor who is so bored with his job that he falls asleep in his student's car; getting kidnapped by two nuts like Sally Kellerman and Mackenzie Phillips is really just what he needs. Kellerman has done solid work in films such as "MASH" and "Slither", but she is truly remarkable here as a little girl in a woman's body, convinced she has musical potential and that street urchin Phillips can help her realize her dream of becoming a professional singer (she believes the best in everybody). Phillips is tough and guarded, but lets her walls down in surprising ways (at one point, Arkin sneaks a little kick at her and she kicks back--she's enjoying a grown up's closeness for the first time). As Rafferty, Arkin is wonderfully flexible and warm; alienated and confused, he isn't even hopeful enough to get a decent car (the one he does drive seems glued together). The friendship that develops between these three people is funny and touching. It probably catches them by surprise, yet the characters don't acknowledge their new bond (by discussing it, they may burst the balloon). I didn't care for a padded sequence mid-movie that has Arkin's brakes going out (the three leads "walk to town", only they're in the middle of nowhere), but I did love many scenes: Kellerman singing in a Tucson roadhouse; her visit to her father, an embittered cowboy who wants nothing to do with his daughter; Arkin desperately trying to hang onto his friends; Phillips nearly selling herself to buy Arkin a cowboy hat (the only present she's ever bought for anybody). An underrated, warm-hearted movie, "Rafferty" is a lost gem awaiting rediscovery. ***1/2 from ****

Not bad, not bad at all. Alan Arkin, an actor whose screen persona has been nearly as eccentric as Elliott Gould's, stars as a none too bright driving instructor abducted by a pair of oddball runaways, well played by the underrated Sally Kellerman and the even less appreciated MacKenzie Phillips. They endure each other's company, and along the journey (this is one of those "road" movies) become accomplices in what seems to be their mutual desire to escape from society's norms. I may be reading more into this film that what the writer has written, but it's an entertaining endeavor, mainly due to the cast.

Combine the personalities of Sally Kellerman and Mackenzie Phillips, one a mellow dreamer, the other a gun-toting schemer, and you have Kellerman's entire character from the previous years' road movie, SLITHER, making her passive, affable performance seem like she's merely along for the ride, leaving all the edginess to her other/better half...

And basically making Alan Arkin's Rafferty, a boozing ex-Marine/DMV instructor kidnapped by the pair, along for the ride's ride as RAFFTERY AND THE GOLD DUST TWINS goes from scene to scene/town to town gathering mossy strangers along the way...

From victimized gas station attendants to Las Vegas con man Alex Rocco to irate Arizona rancher John McClliam to Texas barfly Harry Dean Stanton and young soldier Charles Martin Smith (sharing a terrific motel scene with AMERICAN GRAFFITI alumni Phillips), they all merely serve witness to the eclectic trio who find predictable camaraderie along the breezy trip...

Although Arkin lacks initial reluctance: Seconds after Phillips sticks a gun to his head (and even fires it off OVER his head), saccharine elevator music lazily orchestrates a wide shot of the freeway like a TV-production, which this often resembles a grungy and freewheeling version of...

Actually a good thing since RAFFERTY has nothing to lose or gain to either educate or annoy an audience, which refers to both the character and the movie -- one worth watching over and over for that reason alone: Lethargy on wheels can be infectious.

Hollywood driving test instructor Rafferty (Alan Arkin) is a 20 years veteran former Marine and lives a sad lonely life. He's drinking in the park when he's approached by McKinley 'Mac' Beachwood (Sally Kellerman) and Rita 'Frisbee' Sykes (Mackenzie Phillips). Frisbee pulls a gun and forces him to drive them to New Orleans.

It's a road trip of petty crimes and misadventures. The movie is interesting for the actors. Mackenzie Phillips is only about 15 and the movie was released before her big break on One Day at a Time. Alan Arkin and Sally Kellerman are both very good. It also has some good support actors. I do wonder if Mac and Frisbee should be lovers. The movie would function better with a love triangle and some more jealousy. Frisbee jumping out of the car is a good scene but it would be even better if her motive has some sexual tension. The trio turns more into an odd little crime family. It is interesting that so many older men turn into creepy sleaze around her. It points to some unresolved sexual abuse in her past considering her anger issue. She needs a heart-to-heart with Rafferty about that. The ending could be improved. The three of them should drive away into the sunset together and there is no way the nun would just let her go with some guy claiming to be her dad. At least, Rafferty should show a fake ID. This is a fascinating little grimy 70's road trip indie.

I suspected this might not be a good movie since Pauline "Hates Everything Popular" Kael gave it a good review. Still, I gave it a chance, much to my regret. Though it's ostensibly a comedy, there is not one single laugh here - in fact, the movie often seems afraid of trying to generate any humor. None of the three leads is likable - Phillips is annoying, Kellerman bland, and Arkin is so boring it's no wonder we see his character asleep several times in the movie. To top it off, the movie is pretty much plotless, with the movie going whatever way it feels like, with no point in sight. This probably wouldn't have mattered had the movie been funny - but it isn't.