Rafferty et les auto-stoppeuses

This movie was given to me with a large assortment of videos, and this was the first one I watched, lucky me eh? Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins is a road movie about a sad sack of a guy who is kidnapped by a pair of uh, how shall I say it, UNUSUAL female hitchhikers. A woman named Beachwood, played by Sally Kellerman, who seems to have some mental problems,. And a teenager named Frisbee played by Mackenzie Phillips who seems to have some personal issues that the film never REALLY gets around to explaining. Anyways, after some road hijinx, the three get used to each other and all agree to go to New Orleans, since Frisbee is from there. They travel to Vegas, get into some hijinx there, go to Houston, get into more hijinx, etc etc. No real plot, just a light.. really light character study. Arkin is the best actor here, Kellerman is just slightly strange and I'm not 100% sure if it's her character or what. Oh and she sings too (shudder) and lip syncs badly (shudders even more). Finally, what the hell was Mackenzie Phillips so annoyed about? Her face doesn't raise above a scowl for 95% of the movie. The only time she smiles is at the end of the movie. So did I, Mackenzie, but just because this movie was over.

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.

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.

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 ****

This film has one of Louis Prima's last appearances. (He took ill in 1975). Louis can be seen in the Casino scenes along with longtime backups,Sam Butera and the Witnesses. They perform excerpts of "When Your Lover has Gone", "Che la Luna" and "Got you Under my Skin". Although the sequence is short and peppered with dialog,the old Prima magic shines thru. By this time,Louis was working with Sam and the Witnesses only. Keely Smith had been gone since 1961 and Gia Maione,Louis' singing partner and wife was only appearing with the group occaisinly The film is so-so,but worth staying with to enjoy Louis,Sam and the Band.