Speedway Junky (1999)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Nickolas Perry

Writer:

Nickolas Perry (written by)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

There's no place for dreams on the streets of Vegas

Plot:

A naive drifter runs away from his army father in hopes of making it on the car racing circuit. In Las Vegas...

Plot Keywords:

Scam | Hustler | Racing | Gay Interest | Money

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jesse Bradford	...	Johnny
Jordan Brower	...	Eric
Jonathan Taylor Thomas	...	Steve
Daryl Hannah	...	Veronica
Tiffani Thiessen	...	Wilma Price (as Tiffani-Amber Thiessen)
Patsy Kensit	...	Donna
Justin Urich	...	Scooby
Adrienne Frantz	...	Kelley
Patrick Renna	...	Bud
Erik Alexander Gavica	...	J.T.
Timothy McNeil	...	Russel
Brian Stark	...	Pez Boy
Warren G.	...	Brentley Shaw
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Balin	...	Ticket Man
Jaime Bergman	...	Bombshell #1
Susan Gayle Clay	...	Melanie
Lucy Dawn	...	Raver Girl #1
Kaleb Dixon	...	Raver Boy
Shevonne Durkin	...	Bridget
Jason Ellsworth	...	Store Clerk
Bill Farmer	...	Sports Announcer #2
Stephanie Granda	...	Raver Girl #2
John Jett	...	Trish
Bill Cho Lee	...	Korean Man
Angela Little	...	Bombshell #2
Faith McDevitt	...	Vera
Sam Menning	...	Homeless Man
Del Monroe	...	Old Timer
Cynthia Palmer	...	Teller
David Parker	...	Overweight Man
Michael Roddy	...	Pete Price
Neil Ross	...	Sports Announcer #1
Nafisah Sayyed	...	Oreo (as Nafisah Tahirah Sayyed)
Steve Schirripa	...	Security Guard
Benjamin Shelfer	...	Mickey
Peter Thomas	...	TV Narrator
Milo Ventimiglia	...	Travis
Nick Whelan	...	Rick

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

Australia:104 min | Germany:102 min | USA:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Magic Entertainment Inc.

Trivia:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas took over the role of Steven, after Balthazar Getty was fired from the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of blood/soup on Johnny's head after he wipes it off while walking through the bus station.

Quotes:

Steve: Evening, losers.

Soundtrack:

Anguish

Good Idea, Troubling Ending

Despite some rough edges and a questionable Hollywood-like ending, this film offers an endearing relationship between two young men, one gay, the other not. Unrequited love raises its ugly head in the underworld of Las Vegas, with hustlers and drug dealers. Our hero wants to become a racer and make enough money to travel to Charlotte, NC. The other young man only wants someone to take care of and be there when times are rough. Their lives mix with a motley bunch of characters, most of whom only want a sexual favor or a drug turn-on. The acting of the two male leads is superb, with Eric as a truly tragic figure. But why did the screenwriter need to contrive the brutal ending? I suppose a film with a rough edge needs a rough edge ending, but once in a while can't the characters win? This film needs to be seen a couple times before final judgment is rendered. I gave it an 8/10, which is much higher than other reviewers, because it delivers a very important human theme that all of us can identify with.