Interstate 60 - Ray's Review

Interstate 60 (2002)
116 min

Written and Directed by:
Bob Gale

Starring:
James Marsden as Neal Oliver
Gary Oldman as O.W. Grant
Christopher Lloyd as Ray
Amy Smart as Lynn Linden
Chris Cooper as Bob Cody


Synopsis:

"James Marsden stars as Neal, a young man freshly graduated from high school and unsure of what to do with his life. Torn between his father's vision of himself and his own budding dreams, Neal gets a push in a strange direction when he suffers a blow to the head and begins hallucinating. Sent on a journey by a mysterious man named Ray, Neal drives down a nonexistent highway to deliver a package, only to have his ideas of reality turned inside out."

Ray's Opinion:

I love Back to the Future - it's probably my favourite film of all time. I have often wondered if another film would come along that would capture the magic that Back to the Future did. Interstate 60 doesn't measure up to Back to the Future - which would be impossible on an obviously small budget - but it is the closest thing in terms of tone, humour and style that I've seen and that's no surprise considering the co-writer (Bob Gale) of Back to the Future is behind it. Of course, comparing this to Back to the Future is unfair because Bob Gale is not trying to repeat his previous success. Interstate 60 is more fantasy than sci/fi adventure.

Michael J. Fox. Christopher Lloyd. Kurt Russell. Yes, you heard me! Three actors - all close to my heart - are in this film. For that alone I am glad to have seen this film. But guest stars are not enough to sustain a film, for that, you need a good story. Thankfully, Interstate 60 is an inventive fantasy story, where reality is challenged and things are not what they seem. At times it feels a little predictable, but overall there are enough interesting ideas - like the city where everyone is a Lawyer or a defendant - that I was consistently "thinking" while I watched... not an entirely common thing these days.

James Marsden (Cyclops from X-Men) is Neal Oliver. A young man who is struggling to find meaning and direction in his life. Neal's father wants him to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer, which is in direct conflict with Neal's desire to make a living as an artist. At his birthday, Neal makes a wish to "find answers" which is overheard by O.W. Grant (played with glee by Gary Oldman). Neal gets his wish in the form of a road trip across the non-existent Interstate 60 and along the way meets all sorts of strange people who challenge his perception of reality - and of himself. There are lots of cool ideas in here and a surprising amount of laughs too.

Interstate 60 is a road-movie-meets-fantasy film, with a bit of the Back to the Future feel, rounded out by charming and intriguing characters and performed by some of the most endearing actors around (Chris Cooper can do no wrong). It's a film that isn't afraid to ask questions and probe the human condition with honesty and curiosity, yet it does this within a fun - and mostly light hearted - adventure film. If you enjoyed fantasy films like Back to the Future (and "what-if" films like Mr Destiny and The Family Man) you should find something that appeals to you here. Just keep in mind this is a low budget, plot driven film, with no action scenes!

7/10