Roadside Prophets

Road movies aren't easy to pull off. 'Roadside Prophets' tries and isn't entirely successful, but still has enough cool scenes and good intentions to make it worth watching. Musicians turned actors, Doe (X) and Horovitz (Beastie Boys) play bikers who form an uneasy partnership. One of the problems with the movie is right there - Doe is a natural actor, Horovitz isn't, and doesn't convince.

Anyway, the two set out travelling across America, in a deliberate homage to 'Easy Rider', and the movie in a subtle way is a eulogy for the 60s and a comment on the changes America has seen since then. Many interesting faces pop up in cameos - John Cusack, Timothy Leary, David Carradine, Don Cheadle and Alex Cox regular Biff Yeager to name several - which is half the fun. Especially Cusack's character. It was a pity there wasn't more of him here.

'Roadside Prophets' is uneven, but still enjoyable. If you like this I suggest you have a look at the road movies of Canadian director Bruce McDonald, especially his superb 'Highway 61', a more original and successful movie than this.

The main character of this film is on a journey to find a place his dead friend (who he knew for all of 3 hours) talked about and scatter his ashes there. Along the way he bumps into a young man with an obsession with a chain of motels and fireworks who eventually ends up following him everywhere. They become friends (sort-of) and have a very strange adventure indeed. I bought this film to see Adam Horowitz and he gave a great performance. John Doe was average at best but the star had to be John Cusack in a small cameo. Worth watching if you like very odd films. I do so I give it **** out of *****!

This is one of those films which you can watch a dozen times and get something different out of it each time. Lots of guest appearances in this movie. I remember the first time I watched it and thought he looks familiar then realized it was Timothy Leary (Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out Dude from the 60's) not long before he died. I had seen him on a lecture tour around the same time as the movie came out. Also people like Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, Don Cheadle, John Cusack, etc. My favorite part is the entire section with David Carradine.

This is a road trip movie and if I didn't already know who had directed it, I would have thought it was a Robert Altman film. Lots of good weirdness and things for you wrap your head around. Quite a few "in" jokes that you might not catch the first time you see it. If you watched one time and thought it was okay, then watch it again.

...and this certainly helped put him six feet under.

I finished ROADSIDE PROPHETS, but it took some work. The movie is watchable, but that's about the only thing "good" I can say about it. A couple of "alternative icon" cameos (and John Cusack obviously in need of any kind of a paycheck back in '92) do not make it worth your time.

Doe is OK, but Horovitz is better sampled in small 4 minute doses. Check out his funny turn in the "Sabotage" video, but walk on by this one the next time you're going to take a chance at the video store.

Doe meets a man at work who comes off as very annoying and empty headed. The type of person most people would want to run from. Yet Doe befriends him immediately. Then, when this new friend dies suddenly, he decides to honor him by burying his ashes in a mythical city called El Dorado, Nevada.

Thus begins a very feeble attempt at a road movie. It was made by those who never did it themselves, but still think it would be a cool idea. It's the same people who like the idea of 'rebelling' yet have no idea what to rebel against. It has all the bad road movie cliches with none of the substance. It's too contained with none of the ruggedness. The quirky story threads and 'hype' philosophy are simply attempts to cover up it's own hollowness.

There is some introspection involving looking at the 60's through 80's eyes. It shows how Generation X loves the allure of the 60's and wants to emulate it, yet has no real understanding of what it was about. It also shows how the aging boomer still longs for the open road even though he has now become apart of that dreaded responsible class that still needs to hold down a job. Yet all this is only done in minute spurts with the rest of it drowned out by a trendy existentialism that just doesn't work.

John Doe, the lead actor, aptly fits his name. He is very boring and transparent. The 'celebrity' appearances are nothing more than tired walk ons by fading 60's icons. Horowitz is the only one that manages to give a interesting performance. His youthful energy seems sincere and lively.

It's all very flatly shot and cheap looking. It looks like it should have gone straight to video. It also has some real stilted moments and bad acting too. This thing has the audacity to bill itself as THE EASY RIDER of the 90's even though it doesn't come close. It is pure imitation. Watching the real thing would be better or even watching some of the lesser known road pictures of that era.