Deuce Coupe

This is my favorite movie that I saw in a theater in Yorktown, Virginia in 1993 and has disappeared from the planet. It is supposedly owned by lawyers in California and I highly urge them to issue it as a DVD so we can watch it regularly. DEUCE COUPE was shot in and around Franklin, VA by a movie studio then located there. The studio closed and the movie was finished in California. The hot rods were built by Flatlanders in Norfolk, VA. Local hot rodders had bit parts in the movie. Paul LeMat and Candy Clark from the movie American Graffiti appear in DEUCE COUPE. Dourmar's Restaurant in Norfolk, VA was shown in the movie. It would be a great drive-in movie to this day if released. I cannot say enough good things about the movie and only wish I could view it again. A modern day classic of old style Hot Rod movies. Robert McKenzie (thejudge@pcdocs.net) Hampton, Virginia

This movie kind of sneaks up on you. The performances are mostly excellent and the recreation of the late 50's is superb for a low-budget film. It seems as if the filmmakers are trying to tip their hat to American Graffiti by casting some of the same actors and by using the same kinds of cars - especially the hot-rods. But this film, while not quite as clever as Graffiti, actually has more emotional weight. And the younger brother of Dermot Mulroney, Kieran, is especially good as younger brother Eddie, looking for the love of the town Hettie and the approbation of his older brother, excellently played by Brian Bloom (from Once Upon a Time in America, among others). The weakest performance is turned in by Danielle Von Zerneck, who was Donna in La Bamba, but she doesn't hurt the movie because her character is kind of a archetype anyway and we get it. The opening and closing of the movie bookends the main story and packs a wallop, with an unexpected twist involving characters you have really come to care about. All-in-all, this is a recommend!