Speedway Junky (1999)

A naive drifter runs away from his army father in hopes of making it on the car racing circuit. In Las Vegas, he meets a young scam artist, who develops a crush on him. He is then ... See full summary »

Director:

Nickolas Perry

Writer:

Nickolas Perry

Stars:

Jesse Bradford, Jordan Brower, Jonathan Taylor Thomas

2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

A naive drifter runs away from his army father in hopes of making it on the car racing circuit. In Las Vegas, he meets a young scam artist, who develops a crush on him. He is then introduced to a whole gang led by a young hustler. The racer-to-be then gets a lesson in the wild side, getting involved in one situation after another. Patsy Kensit makes a cameo as another hustler and Daryl Hannah appears as the scam artist's surrogate mom.

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Plot Keywords:

scam | hustler | crush | car racing | parking lot | 

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Taglines:

Every dream has a price

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adicto a la velocidad

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magic Entertainment Inc., Miracle Entertainment, Powers That Be Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

When Johnny is caught with Wilma he is shown in close up with his shirt back on and then in the next two shots he is seen putting the t-shirt over his head.

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Quotes

Eric: You know what sucks the most? Is that, I love someone who will never ever feel the same way about me, you know? Not even a chance. It's the worst thing.

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Soundtracks

"Sunday"
Performed by Awol One
Written by Anthony Martin & Michael Nardone

User Reviews

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.