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IMDb > Honky Tonk Freeway (1981)

Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
4.8/10   403 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
John Schlesinger
Writer:
Edward Clinton (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Honky Tonk Freeway on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 February 1982 (Australia) more
Genre:
Action | Comedy more
Tagline:
PROMISES ARE MADE IN HEAVEN - But carried out on Earth more
Plot:
Ticlaw, a small town in Florida, has only one attraction: a safari park. The government constructs a freeway that passes near Ticlaw... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Almost completely forgotten misfiring off-beat comedy more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

David Rasche ... Eddie White
Paul Jabara ... T.J. Tupus

Howard Hesseman ... Snapper

Teri Garr ... Ericka
Jenn Thompson ... Delia

Peter Billingsley ... Little Billy

Beau Bridges ... Duane Hansen

Beverly D'Angelo ... Carmen Odessa Shelby
Daniel Stern ... Hitchhiker
Sandra McCabe ... Prostitute
Celia Weston ... Grace
Deborah Rush ... Sister Mary Magdalene

Geraldine Page ... Sister Mary Clarise
George Dzundza ... Eugene

Joe Grifasi ... Osvaldo
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Additional Details

Runtime:
107 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Filming Locations:
Apopka, Florida, USA more
Company:
EMI Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When released, its $24 million budget made it the most expensive comedy ever produced. It was a major failure at the box office. more
Quotes:
Mary the Teller: Give 'em the money!
Actress in Bank: You would give them all your money and you won't cash a government check?
Mary the Teller: Dear, they have a gun.
more
Movie Connections:
References "The Muppet Show" (1976) more
Soundtrack:
Ticlaw Anthem more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
Almost completely forgotten misfiring off-beat comedy, 7 February 2008
3/10
Author: EckyThump from United Kingdom

Okay, so it was never going to change the world, and it bombed at the box office, but Honky Tonk Freeway is one of those films I fell in love with as a child (the BBC showed it a few times during the 1980s and I happened to have a high quality VHS tape in the machine - lucky, that!) and watched endlessly. I watched the DVD last night and sadly, time has not been kind to this would-be blockbuster. Either that or I've just grown out of this kind of broad, dopey humour. Come on, when Schlesinger is so desperate for laughs he gives us close-ups of novelty underpants with 'amusing' slogans, what can you say about the cast or screenplay?

Certainly, it's ambitious, interesting, unusual and sprawling, but it's never once laugh-out-loud funny. I'd describe it as a children's film with some 'adult' overtones - you can safely let your youngsters watch this, despite the 15 certificate. They won't get the drug references, so don't worry about it. I had a pleasant surprise when I realized I'd forgotten just how catchy both the title song and the song-writing truck driver's 'Everybody's Going Faster, Faster' song were, not to mention the town of Ticlaw's patriotic anthem. The whole cast give commendable performances, the photography is crisp and captures the mood of the various locations perfectly, and there's a real time capsule feeling about the fashions, the cars, the gadgets (especially the dashboard-mounted drum machine), the interiors and the pop-culture references - I was more than a little surprised to hear the nutty bum in the bank loudly telling everyone "I'm OJ Simpson!", particularly now Simpson's legal tangles have overshadowed his sporting achievements. The snag is, there's almost no plot to speak of, it's way too obvious to be witty and not funny enough to elicit many genuine laughs. I wish I'd left this one as a pleasant memory.

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Ticlaw Florida / Fruitville Some movie facts myakkachopper1
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Filming locations info wanted. Rushcliffe1979
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