With summer finally here, I’ll bet you are planning (or wish you were planning) a road trip. Here are some great “road films” to help you get in the mood. We’ve got a great variety of these road films, from drama to comedy to sci-fi, that you can pick up in our very own Brown Library DVD Collection, so enjoy!
It Happened One Night (1934) – A rich young woman marries an idle playboy against her father’s will. Her father holds her captive on his yacht but she hits the road and makes it to New York, becoming mixed up with an unemployed news reporter. [DVD 812 I88h 1934]
Take a look! There’s a young-ish Clark Gable!!
Easy Rider (1969) – Two motorcyclists travel across the U.S. in search of the “real” America. And, at the end of the road, they find it. [DVD 812 E13 1969]
This movie was quite shocking in its time, part of the anti-establishment, hippy genre. You’ll recognize Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson in it.
Raising Arizona (1987) – When a cop and an ex-con decide to get married, move into a mobile home, and discover that they can’t have babies. Then a set of quintuplets enters the scene, looking very available, and craziness ensues. (Hint: kidnapping is never a good idea.) [DVD 812 R1597]
Directed by the Coen Brothers, with Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter – this movie makes me laugh just thinking about it!
Caballos salvajes (1995) – When Jose, an elderly pensioner, decides to rob a bank to get his nest egg back, Pedro decides to help him out, giving him even more money and volunteering to act as his hostage. They hit the road, and things go from crazy to just plain nuts. [DVD 862 C112 1995]
Also known as Wild Horses, but watch out! There are a lot of movies with this title.
Dust to Dust (2000) – Two cousins are completely unalike, except for their dislike for their parents’ values and their deep attachment to their grandfather. When he unexpectedly dies, they kidnap his ashes and go on a road trip in order to fulfill his last request. [DVD 862 D974 2000]
Original title: Por la libre.
Familia rodante, or, Rolling Family (2004) – An Argentinian grandmother is asked to be the matron of honor at a distant wedding, and takes her whole family on a road trip all the way across Argentina. [DVD 862 F198 2004]
Note: The 1956 Chevy camper is cramped, so there is plenty of comedy AND drama!
The Road (2009) – The Apocalypse has finally happened. The Man and his young son, the Boy, push everything they own in a shopping cart down a devastated, dangerous road, hoping against all hopes to make it to the coast. [DVD 812 R628 2009]
This road trip is one you should hope NOT to make. An excellent sci-fi tale.
Nebraska (2013) – An aging, alcoholic father gets a sweepstakes letter and, with his estranged son, goes on a road trip to claim the money. Will the son be able to reconnect with his dad? [DVD 812 N362 2013]
This drama was nominated for 6 Oscars and stars Bruce Dern.
What’s YOUR favorite road film? Stop by the library and let us know!
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