Made in U.S.A.

Made in USA i suppose is not for everybody. its simply about these two guys going cross country to of course California. listlessly, they drive through town after town until they bump into Lori Singer. she's a little crazy and i guess one of the better scenes of the the film is when she takes them to her house and they see the town she lives in and her mother...its not really a well deserved shock, but the film later becomes very interesting when their explorations leads to noble foolery.

Made in USA, takes you on a strange ride; although, it has its bumps and scratches, you will probably end up enjoying where you are dropped off.

Tuck & Dar, on the edge of unemployment and poverty in a mining disaster town (Centralia, PA) hit the road, pick up Lori Singer on the way, get scalped in New Mexico, and lament the various environmental catastrophes on the way to the West Coast. The film features a superb soundtrack by Sonic Youth, World Party, and Timbuk 3. The film is replete with a type of post-industrial pessimism found in many relics of its era. Excellent moody cinematography and disturbed characters make it worth a watch.

This is not just a road movie about two wild young men who are destined to go to California, who steal cars and everything else on their way to get there. It's not just a movie about Lori Singer being a hot looking, crazy chick. If you think it is, then you missed the real point of the movie. While those things are in the movie, they are the stories of a few, of many people, who have survived after seeing the decaying of their homes, brought on by industry and commerce.

The scenery shots are amazing to me as they show a real side of America that you will never see in any travel brochure. Almost every scenery shot was beautiful and flawed at the same time. The two towns that were evacuated are real. Times Beach MO. no longer exists, but the land that once was that town has since been cleaned up by the EPA, and is now a state park. The coal mine fire is still burning under Centralia PA. to this day.

I can't say that I fell in love with any of the characters in the movie. That might be it's main flaw, but I thought the part with the Lori Singer and the coyote was beautiful. It was in fact a coyote, not a wolf. It was, after all, in New Mexico.

Overall, I am glad I saved this movie on the Tivo. I almost didn't though, because I was expecting it to be a dumb party flick like "The Wild Side". I was very happy to find out that I was wrong.

In 1986 the production company for the movie had try outs for extras and stand ins. I had the great privilege to be Frank Beddors stand in for the movie. Who is Frank Beddor you ask? Tuck and Dar drove an older car and for the life of me I can't remember off hand what is is. But they had a couple of run ins with a rich kid(played by Frank Beddor as "Bud") Frank drove a 1987 Red Pontiac Firebird, with the Pennsylvania Registration plate "GOBUDGO" on it. For some reason my friends "Bud" was completely absent from the movie! I was picked as Frank Beddors stand in due to a similar overall skin tone height and appearance etc.. My job was to be positioned where the camera was about to shoot, lighting set up etc... then have Frank Beddor be brought in to do the shot. Franks real life girlfriend at the time was Cindi Dietrich playing as his girlfriend in the movie. First of all Frank Beddor was an overall nice guy and readily said hello and had no problem talking to you. But his girlfriend? That was another story. She couldn't be bothered talking to someone from the area. I recall people saying Hi to her and she just literally snubbed her nose and never said hello back. Both Bud and Tuck and Dar had a race down Main St. Ashland with Tuck and Dar ultimately winning. Penn and Pasdar got out of their car, popped out his T tops of the Firebird and Pasdar said I quote "What'll it be Bud, your pussy or your pink slip?" He hesitated for a few seconds causing Buds girlfriend to leave the Firebird in a huff. Awesome stuff if it would have been in the movie. A little trivia here: The leather jacket worn by Christopher Penn in the beginning of the movie belonged to his friend, according to Chris, died in his arms. It was stolen somewhere in Ashland and I believe when someone sneaked in his trailer. I got to drink a little with Chris and Adrian at one point during a lull in the filming. Nice guys for real. The movie gets a 5 because of the unsteady story line and the removal of Bud.

Like most people I saw this movie by accident. I then hunted down a copy on VHS and found it in a bargain bin at my local Blockbuster. This film gets better on repeat viewing. As a fan of road movies this film is an unappreciated little gem. Like other lost films of the 80's, like Miracle Mile, I hope a DVD will be released eventually. Why is it worth checking out? 1. It stars the late, great Chris Penn and 80's bad boy Adrian Pasdar, of another 80,s cult classic, Near Dark ,fame. 2. The sound track arranged by Sonic Youth, inc. tracks by Timbuk 3 and World Party, like any good road movie ,is excellent, e.g. Wild At Heart and Easy Rider. 3.What makes this different, unlike most road movies, is that it shows the America not of wonderful scenery and natural beauty but of ecological and economic decline during the era of Reagonomics. 4. The cinema-photography is extremely powerful, showing us a normally unseen side of the American landscape. 5.With its unsympathetic characters, on the road, looking for redemption in one form or another,the film is a nod to Easy Rider. But this being the 80's they travel by stealing cars or trucks, pass through ecological disaster areas and the goal of their quest is a beach babe in a surfing magazine. The possible reason for the film's disappearance? 1.Lori Singer. Lori Singer. Lori Singer.Oh ,dear remember her? a flaky character played by Miss Kooky 1988. 2. The wolf.This story thread just does not make any sense at all. All cult films must have some moments of imperfection. But for it's bravery in going against the grain in the era of Rambo it deserves some recognition.