Joy Ride (2001)

Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer.

Director:

John Dahl

Writers:

Clay Tarver, J.J. Abrams

Stars:

Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Zahn	...	Fuller Thomas
Paul Walker	...	Lewis Thomas
Leelee Sobieski	...	Venna
Jessica Bowman	...	Charlotte
Stuart Stone	...	Danny, Lewis' Roommate
Basil Wallace	...	Car Salesman
Brian Leckner	...	Officer Keeney
Mary Wickliffe	...	Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk
McKenzie Satterthwaite	...	Assistant Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk
Dell Yount	...	Gas Station Mechanic
Kenneth White	...	Ronald Ellinghouse
Luis Cortés	...	Night Manager (as Luis Cortes)
Michael McCleery	...	Officer Akins
Jim Beaver	...	Sheriff Ritter
Rachel Singer	...	Gas Station Manager

Storyline

College student Lewis decides to drive across the country to see Venna, a friend who doesn't know that Lewis is interested in her romantically. Unfortunately for his plans, Lewis gets saddled with his raucous-spirited older brother, Fuller, whose on-the-road pranks get the brothers and Venna sucked into a nightmare when a psychotic truckdriver takes offense.

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Plot Keywords:

college | truck driver | truck | prank | jail | 

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Taglines:

It started as a joke. Now the joke is on them.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence/terror and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [uk] Fox / Regency Pictures [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Candy Cane

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,138,429 (UK) (26 April 2002)

Gross:

£2,215,996 (UK) (24 May 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, Epsilon Motion Pictures, New Regency Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leelee Sobieski ended up filming two different romantic interludes, one with Steve Zahn and one with Paul Walker during the shooting and re-shooting of the film. Both scenes ended up getting cut.

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Goofs

When Rusty Nail rams the car against the tree, the driver's side window shatters, leaving only a jagged piece of glass. Later in the scene, the window is restored (yet cracked), then disappears again.

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Quotes

Fuller: Come on, I know what Dad says about me behind my back. That I'm the world's biggest loser. And that's coming from a plumber! That's coming from a man who wears a lime green jumpsuit to work everyday!

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Connections

References Kojak (1973)

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Soundtracks

"Lie"
Written by Michael Hampton
Performed by Paco

User Reviews

Superior horror thriller fare

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) is a young man who must head cross-country to bail his deadbeat brother Fuller (Steve Zahn) from the county jail.On the way to meet his girlfriend Venna (Leelee Sibieski),Fuller leads Lewis up the alley and encourages him to use a CV radio he has aquired in order to play a practical joke on a trucker.It is from here that a nightmare ride of mayhem,destruction and death will ensue.

This is quite a pleasant surprise indeed.In what must be his least nauseating,most watchable performance to date,the hardly-master thespian Walker commandeers the lead role with nerve and a quirky humour.The supporting cast are excellent too,and are well served by a tense,tightly written script that throws in the appropriate lashings of suspense as well as side portions of pathos and black humour that keeps the boat flowing nicely.It's a suspense thriller in the vein of the similarly themed Duel and,like that movie,has moments that are genuinely terrifying and which accomplish the movie's task perfectly.****