As alluring as the open road can be, taking the first step in a journey can be a scary thing, especially when the destination is not entirely clear. Perhaps that’s why some road movies have become iconic in cinema history, they allow us to travel with the characters into wild new destinations, while learning valuable lessons on our way there. So if you’re finding yourself unsure of whether you should start a lengthy voyage anytime soon, check out these five movies to find some sort of inspiration to seek adventure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m662obIvhY
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) by Terry Gilliam
A frontrunner for trippiest film in history, this drug-fuelled cult classic was adapted from a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, the founder of gonzo journalism. The movie is pretty straightforward: two guys drive to and within Las Vegas, get high on a variety of drugs, and wreak havoc on Sin City. But like it happens to the title characters, to whom every simple task becomes impossible by the sheer amount of drugs they ingest, trying to summarize the film is only possible by over-simplifying it. It’s a dense and cluttered piece of work that’s able to reproduce the oppressive atmosphere found in the book, and Johnny Depp’s performance as Duke, Thompson’s alter ego, is spot on (they became close friends after they lived together for three months so the actor could prepare for his role).
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
At first glance, the story of a family traveling cross-country to help their daughter fulfill her dreams might seem like the polar opposite of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, thankfully that’s not the case, not when said little girl’s dream is winning a beauty pageant by performing a strip dance routine in the talent portion of the show. Little Miss Sunshine is funny, unique, dark, and impossibly human in its approach to its characters, a dysfunctional family doing its best to find some kind of solace after their individual failures threaten to tear them apart. It’s a testament to the film’s heart that a movie featuring a coke-snorting grandpa, a suicidal uncle, and Friedrich Nietzsche can make you go “Aw.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cref3A2_Ry4
Y tu mamá también (And Your Mother Too) (1998) by Alfonso Cuarón
Prior to winning the Oscar for Best Director with Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón had built a name for himself in Hollywood with stunning works like Great Expectations and Little Princess. One of his crown jewels, Y tu mamá también is arguably one of his greatest films to date and of the best examples out there of what it means to go on a life changing road trip. The story follows two teenagers, Julio and Tenoch, who take an older woman, Luisa, on a road trip to find a secret beach in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. What starts out as a quest for sexual gratification turns into a voyage that explores their friendship, social differences ingrained in Mexican society, and the pervasiveness of the country’s “macho” culture. The film offers a fresh take on the teen drama genre and a compassionate view towards the problems inherent in the US’s southern neighbor.
Into the Wild (2007) by Sean Penn
This film forms part of a small list of movies that make you want to make changes to your life right after you’re done watching it. Cristopher McCandless, played brilliantly by Emile Hirsch, leaves behind his privileged life in a consumerist society to find spiritual growth in nature, just like his heroes, Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoi, did before him. We accompany Chris in his journey across the US, where he meets loving characters that help him along the way. If you get carried away while watching it and want to run into the mountains to live a simpler life, by all means go ahead, but make sure to practice your survival skills and keep a life line in case of emergencies.
The Straight Story (1999) by David Lynch
The Straight Story follows Alvin Straight as he travels through Iowa and Wisconsin on his lawnmower to make amends with his brother before he dies. Unlike most road movies, where the lesson is learnt on the road, not the destination, this time around it’s Alvin that imparts his wisdom on everyone he meets while on the way to his brother’s house. His compassion and life experience serve as a secret medicine to strangers going through rough times. It’s a heartwarming film by one of cinema’s most experimental and respected directors.
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