Roadracers

For a quickie TV movie 'Roadracers' is a hell of a lot of fun. Robert Rodriguez made this homage to AIP in between his astonishing low budget debut 'El Mariachi' and its disappointing sequel 'Desperado'. David Arquette's performance really makes this one work. I often find Arquette's stoner characters to be irritating but he's quite different here, and really good. His greaser character Buddy must decide between playing guitar in a rock'n'roll band or playing the hand destiny has dealt him in a small town that despises him. Rodgriguez regular Salma Hayek plays Arquette's girlfriend, and his geeky best friend who is obsessed with 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers' is played by John Hawkes who you will probably remember from the opening sequence of 'From Dusk Til Dawn'. And then there's William Sadler as the sheriff who detests Buddy. Sadler's always good no matter what he's in. I can't argue that this is a great movie but it is a very entertaining one, and worth tracking down.

I first heard about this movie from a friend who knew of my love for the 50's rockabilly era, and I must admit I had my reservations. David Arquette, the kooky 1-800-CALL-ATT guy, as a tough, ultra-cool 50's rebel? I didn't think it could possibly work. Then I watched the movie, and discovered just how well casting an actor against type can work. Arquette truly brought Dude Delaney to life, and he was also fortunate enough to be surrounded by a perfect supporting cast. I especially liked O'Neal Compton as diner proprietor J.T. and the always-dependable William Sadler as Sarge, although John Hawkes, as lovable 'freak' Nixer, stole every scene he appeared in. Salma Hayek did a good job of making me alternately love and hate her Donna. Overall, I thought Roadracers was a lot of fun - quirky, exciting, funny, and with a great rockabilly soundtrack that had me dancing in my living room. Bravo to Robert Rodriguez - go, cat, go!!!!

Maybe not one of the best movies ever made, but certainly a true masterpiece of entertaining. It's a typical Roderiquez movie, but has a lot more fun added to it than his other pictures. It's made with a lot of pleasure and it's seen with a lot of pleasure. Even if you don't like rock & roll there's enough for everybody to go around. Especially the dialogs are great: over the top but on the cutting edge. And for the rock & roll fans: it has an outstanding soundtrack. It's only a shame that it hasn't been brought out on cd. And I was disappointed that Johnny Reno (the Sax player) doesn't make such cool music in real than in the movie. And all this is just my humble opinion.

Wow! It's very rare to get such an excellent, entertaining film made for TV. It's a cool homage to 50's road movies with David Arquette on top, TOP form as possibly the coolest character ever put to screen. Rodriguez' unmistakable editing and filming style combined with a snappy soundtrack and a nice dark tone to the story make this a must-see. It should have been released in cinemas.

Roadracers (1994)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Bad boy Duke Delaney (David Arquette) hopes to escape his small town by becoming a rock star but the local sheriff (William Sadler) and his jerk son (James Wiles) are constantly trying to keep him down. One way of doing so is by insulting his Mexican girlfriend (Selma Hayek) but Duke always finds himself on top of whatever he's doing. ROADRACERS was director Robert Rodriquez' first film after the EL MARIACHI success and it was his entry into the Showtime "Rebel Highway" series. Unlike other entries in the series, this one here really isn't based around any single AIP film but instead it seems to be mixed with many of them in the juvenile sub-genre. Also unlike many of the others films in the series, this one here features all sorts of style, clearly the director pushing his own trademarks onto the genre. I thought this helped make the film a lot better than it would have been otherwise because there are some really stylish and fun moments scattered throughout this thing including a big gun battle towards the end of the picture and there's also another fun sequence inside a roller rink. The director manages to keep the film moving a pretty good pace and I thought he perfectly nailed the atmosphere of this time but of course with added bonus of some sexuality and profanity. Arquette is surprisingly effective in the role of the rebel. I thought the actor did a good job with that laid back style and he managed to have some nice chemistry with Hayek. Speaking of her, she clearly steals the film with her fiery performance. Sadler is also extremely good in his part of the villain and O'Neal Compton is good as a restaurant owner. I think the story is a tad bit all over the place and seems to be trying to do too much and this is especially true in the last twenty-minutes. I also found it strange that the film would pay so much homage to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS even though it wasn't an AIP film, which this series was remaking and paying homage to. However, it does lead to a very fun cameo but I won't ruin who with.