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I found this movie on Netflix and had to add it to my queue. I wasn't disappointed when I got it as it's just as funny now as when I saw it at a local drive-in theater back then.

It builds to a climax nicely with you getting glimpses of the various characters as they begin their trip across America on the "Honky Tonk Freeway, America on wheels." This was a strange comedic role for William DeVane as I remember him as Kennedy in the 1974 TV film "The Missiles of October" and felt no one could have pulled that dramatic character off as well as he did.

It reminds me a bit of Dick Van Dyke in "Cold Turkey' where Van Dyke played the local minister. DeVane's role as mayor, minister, and activist was typical for small towns so it makes his character seem amusing and real.

Howard Hessman and Teri Garr as the spoiled family in the RV was on target for the time as well. Anyone who has traveled across country with small children, (Are we there yet?) will appreciate those scenes.

The scenes of a small town struggling to survive reminded me a lot of the small town I grew up in but they handled it with the charm and humor that you often only saw in small towns. It's sad that many small towns disappeared because of the freeway system and it gives a realistic if humorous view of what they had to do to survive. (Used zoo animals anyone?)

All in all, it's a lightweight comedy with no particular message but a humorous glance at America during the early 80's. Well worth watching if you just need a bit of good cheer.

From writer Edward Clinton and director John Schlesinger ("Midnight Cowboy") comes this offbeat collection of character driven vignettes. It's overall quite engaging and it's too bad that the film was a major flop upon its initial release. The cast is excellent and the movie is generally amusing, the kind of thing that should generate some smiles if no outright belly laughs.

The main story thread is that of a tiny Florida town named Ticlaw, whose only real claim to fame that they can make is a safari park (including a water skiing elephant) operated by mayor / entrepreneur Kirby Calo (William Devane). When the government creates a brand spanking new freeway, but neglects to put in an exit leading to Ticlaw, Calo and the various citizens resort to some desperate measures to ensure tourist traffic - such as painting the town pink. As this goes on, we're introduced to an assortment of people who each have their own reasons for travelling to Florida. Among them are a pair of bank robbers (George Dzundza and Joe Grifasi), a waitress transporting her mothers' ashes (Beverly D'Angelo) and a copy machine repairman / wannabe children's' book author (Beau Bridges), a veteran nun and a novice one (Geraldine Page and Deborah Rush), a dentist and his family (Howard Hesseman, Teri Garr, Jenn Thompson and Peter Billingsley) in an RV, an old ad man and his alcoholic wife (Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy) and a truck driver & wannabe country & western songwriter (Paul Jabara, who does co-write some of the songs for the soundtrack).

One of the delights here is in checking out a cast just FULL of familiar faces - in addition to those mentioned, David Rasche, Daniel Stern, Celia Weston, Frances Lee McCain, Jerry Hardin, John Ashton, Frances Bay, Nancy Parsons, Leo Burmester, Jeffrey Combs, and an uncredited Anne Ramsey all turn up as well. There are enough lively and amusing moments to make for decent entertainment, as well as an ingratiating mixture of satire and slapstick. Schlesinger proves himself quite capable of handling comedy on a grand scale and keeps things interesting throughout, allowing the large cast time to create some memorable and endearing characters. While watching, the viewer will be intrigued to see how all of these people will meet, and what their fates will be. Plus, you just can't help but root for Calo and his crazy comrades, no matter what their methods might be.

Overall, "Honky Tonk Freeway" is good fun, is punctuated by some catchy songs, and has enough spirit to make it watchable for a decently paced 107 minutes. Another review here describes it as "Hal Needham meets Robert Altman", which is a very good way to put it indeed. Hopefully more comedy fans can discover it and lift it out of obscurity.

Seven out of 10.

HONKY TONK FREEWAY involves a small Florida tourist town named Ticaw and the people who live there, led by William Devane playing the part of the Mayor/Preacher Kirby T. Calo who also operates a hotel and tiny wildlife safari park. The town's major draw is a water-skiing elephant named Bubbles. When the state highway commission builds a freeway adjacent to the town, Devane slips an official 10,000 dollars to assure an off ramp. The off ramp doesn't come so the townsfolk literally paint the town pink to attract visitors. Meanwhile, we are introduced to several characters from various parts of the United States all for one reason or another are heading to Florida. We know they will all end up in Ticaw but finding out why and how is half the fun. There are bank robbers from New York (George Dzundza, Joe Grifasi) who pick up a cocaine dealing hitchhiker (Daniel Stern), a Chicago copy machine repairman and wannabe children's author Duane Hansen (Beau Bridges) who picks up a waitress Carmen Odessa Shelby (Beverly D'Angelo) who is carrying her mother's ashes to Florida, a dentist and his family (Howard Hesseman, Teri Garr, Peter Billingsly) vacationing cross country in their RV, an elderly woman Carol (Jessica Tandy) with a drinking problem and her loving husband Sherm (Hume Cronyn, of course), two nuns (mother superior Geraldine Page, novice nun Deborah Rush), a wannabe country song writer hauling a playful rhino and other wild animals to Ticaw, and more. This is a very funny movie with quirky interesting characters, good actors, a great director (John Schlesinger who helmed Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man and The Falcon and the Snowman) and a mix of slapstick comedy in the tradition of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and biting satire of American small towns such as Cold Turkey. Think Mayberry meets Picket Fences, or Hal Needham meets Robert Altman. A fun film with where half the fun is to see who's going to show up in the film and what's going to happen next.

I remember watching this movie over and over again when I was a kid. I loved it. Whilst I haven't watched it recently, I am sure I would enjoy it just the same today. Its a very light funny movie guaranteed to make anyone laugh. The situations with each one of the characters were so funny and imaginative! I particularly liked the one with the girl traveling with her mother's ashes (who ends up picking them up on the highway after the explosion) , the robbers and the nuns. This nice humour style is much missed these days. Also, this movie proved that actor Paul Keenan (Dynasty/Days of our Lives) was off to a great start. I recommend it to anyone lucky enough to find it in their local video shop.

Unappreciated in a way MAD MAD WORLD was celebrated, HONKY TONK FREEWAY is an international view of crass funny Americana. A megaton flop in its day, it does deserve reappraisal and basically awe for the extravagant scope and cost of the production. Also like NASHVILLE or THE BIG BUS or even RAT RACE it is an ensemble comedy cruelly harpooned by dumb critics of the day who only reviewed the excess and the cost. This must have been an unappreciated accounting legend, like CLEOPATRA, or 1941 (which I love), HEAVENS GATE, LUCKY LADY or later THE BLUES BROTHERS as demented American films that are clever and made with vision, especially when one considers the cost and failure of Mall releases of today. A DVD reissue with the sort of 3rd disc that Cleopatra has will be very welcome.