Highway 61

I actually know the township where this movie was filmed the first 15 minutes or so. The place is called Virginiatown and it is in Ontario, they also filmed in Larder Lake, Ontario.

I decided to watch the movie(we have it on display where I work) and it is surprising how the place has changed. We also even have the barber chair and all his equipment that was owned by the actual owner of the barber shop, who appeared as a customer in the movie.

Even though this movie fits the typical "weird" movie, I actually liked it, but then again, I am a fan of those old 80's style movies. The only thing I have to say negative about it is that I don't recommend it to kids, this movie still contains things that should not be seen at a younger age.

What can be said about this bizarre little gem of a movie? As a Canadian I have a soft spot for truly good homegrown film, and Bruce McDonald really delivered with this one. The "rock 'n' roll road movie" seems like a cliched category to put this in, for yes, it does involve a journey (physical and spiritual of course), and great musical atmosphere, and yet there's just something completely different. Maybe it's Valerie Buhagiar's ethereal yet calculating performance as Jackie, the roadie whose friends are far weirder than yours. It might be Don McKellar's small-town trumpet-playing barber who finds a dead man behind his shop one morning. Maybe it's the Devil chasing them in his pickup truck, claiming souls with his Polaroid camera. Oops, perhaps I've given away too much already...

At any rate, I loved this movie. It was unconventional without being consciously "arty", and was just fun to watch. Your corner video store probably won't have it (especially in the States) but if you're lucky one of the big chains will have a copy.

more campy than roadkill (if that was possibly) and much lighter than dance me outside and hardcore logo, highway 61 is a great, fun film that fits perfectly on a snowy Saturday afternoon. the random plot twists as well as the off beat characters make this film truly unique and oddly Canadian. don mckellar proves here why he is Canada's most important actor - not because of any extensive talent, but because of his knack for playing the nervous, shy, eccentric who doesn't really fit in. this is one of those Canadian movies that totally could have gotten a bigger following if it had better distribution. now where's the DVD?

This is one of my favorite movies of all time (the other one is The Purple Rose of Cairo). If you haven't seen this movie yet then I envy you, because I can never watch it again for the first time like you can. It is the story of Pokey, the small-town barber who has never left his home of Pickerel Falls (well - he hasn't travelled further than Thunder Bay), and his awakening into adulthood one summer as he travels down highway 61 with a mysterious red-haired woman who asks him for a ride. Their adventures along the way as they race for New Orleans with Satan close behind, are often riotous (as in my favorite scene in the bingo hall), and always kooky.

I loved this movie from beginning to end. There have been way too many predictable road movies made since the 60s. It's difficult to find one that surprises and entertains without being contrived. Highway 61 does it, and I admire the hell out of it for doing so. Wonderful script, superior acting, nice use of music throughout, this is pure delight. Hats off to Bruce McDonald and Don McKellar!

And remember - you can't cheat at Bingo!