MovieChat Forums > Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) Discussion > Worst Car Movie Ever, IMHO

Worst Car Movie Ever, IMHO

posted 18 years ago by jafem
61 replies | jump to latest

Car action is good. Otherwise, this is the worst written, directed,
edited, and acted (except for Warren Oates) car movie I've ever seen.
Seems somewhat like a poor ripoff of "Vanishing Point", which is also
enigmatic, and came out about the same time (1971), BUT IT'S ENTERTAINING.
"Two-Lane Blacktop" is NOT entertaining, and I agree with someone else
that it has no beginning, middle (other than cross-country drag-racing), or end.

Having seen other messages about someone being too young to understand,
you should know that I’m 58; I saw “Vanishing Point” when it first came out;
I just saw “Two-Lane Blacktop”, and it is VERY disappointing; my dad and
uncle had a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Kansas in the 60’s;
my uncle had a Factory Experimental (FX, earliest Funny Cars)
altered-wheelbase 65 Plymouth with a 426 Hemi;
I have always loved fast and beautiful cars and car movies;
I have a 68 Vette with a blower and NOS, red metalflake show car,
Best in Class in World of Wheels, Mar. 2006, St. Louis.

I can't understand how the main-page review was written about the same movie;
obviously that writer (gooseboy) has very different tastes than I do. But,
each person is entitled to their opinion. This is mine.

[–] PBsolution 18 years ago

"...that it has no beginning, middle (other than cross-country drag-racing), or end."

I think that's the point though....it IS a car movie, but it's also a drifter movie. The whole point is that they're drifting through this dusty subculture, across the southwest.

I've only seen this film twice, but I really loved it. I respect where you're coming from though. I don't think liking it or disliking it is representative of one's ability to "get it" (as is often the commentary made on the IMDB boards), like you said, everyone's got their opinions.

I saw "Vanishing Point" a long time ago...I can't remember it all though. I'll have to check that one out again.

great car, BTW.

[–] salvationsal 18 years ago

I saw "Vanishing Point" a long time ago...I can't remember it all though. I'll have to check that one out again.

Man, if you love car movies you can never forget Kowalski. Vanishing Point is one of the best car movies that has ever been made.

I agree with the old man thr, i didnt get the movie that well. No beginning, no ending.. The movie started with guys putting together their car, and it ended in a way i didnt get it exactly. Then theres this drifter, after whome the driver goes crazy probably. Its not about relations as what we saw in Easy Rider, going cross country learning from people. Its different in this movie. The GTO probably got some relationships there though. It wasnt that good.
In my opinion, the movie would have been much better if it was a High Budget and a little better written screenplay with an ENDING. But for the kinda budget it was made, i think its still a nice one. You feel like you are on road. But there is no feeling of being on a mission or something. Its like going on road without anything in mind, and then there is this GTO who wants to race you. Even there wasnt this feel of that the guys are looking for a change. Or they just made a couple of bucks and now wanna go for a long ride.
The Race is average, it never goes high like Duel, it wasnt that bad trust me.

In my opinion this movie is not the worst. With the kind of budget you have, its even difficult to put things together as it was done in this one. Its a must see for anyone who loves road movies, and i must say, movies like this should be made, as they only lead to big productions.

"From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity." — Alvar Hanso

[–] tdf5g 18 years ago

A lot of car movies are bad, but TLBT being the worst? I don't know. How about Hot Rods to Hell, Autorama, RPM, Eat My Dust, Bad Georgia Road, Dixie Dynamite, A Man and A Woman, Smokey and the Bandit part 3, The Cars That Ate Paris, Double Nickels, The Wild Ride, Thunder and Lightning, Stingray, Grand Theft Auto, etc.
IMO TLBT is better than these.

[–] mattchanning 18 years ago

Saying Two-Lane Blacktop is a "car movie" is a bit like saying Citizen Kane is about a little boy who loses his sled....

Matt Channing
Oscar quality film music at bargain basement prices.

[–] CharlesFuquaManuel 17 years ago

I think it depends on the person. I feel that Two Lane is popular with 2 types of people. The Car guys are the first ones. Real car guys love that 55, and the GTO and the many other cars in the movie. The other would be a drifter or drama type i guess. im not sure. But what car, or chevy guy doesnt think that the primer 55 is way nasty.

[–] guitarnoise65 17 years ago

I never thought of Two Lane as a car film. But then I'm not a car nut. I do love the sight and sound of a classic muscle car screaming down the road, but I know nothing about them.

What I do love about this film is simply the way it brings back the early 70's to me. I was just a young boy, but everything about Two Lane seems familiar. The cars themselves, the empty rural roads, the local gas stations, the glass Coke bottles, the laid-back hippie types slouching around with their long hair and faded blue jeans. I knew people like these. Heck, I became one of them eventually.

That world is gone, but Two Lane brings it back whenever I want.

~~"Lucas, you and I were just friends."~~

[–] airons1972 17 years ago

I agree with 'guitarnoise65' about it being cool because of the cars, the empty rural roads, the local gas stations, the glass Coke bottles, etc.

I watched the movie for the first time last night and thought the ending was really bad. It would have been better to have ended with a head-on crash or reaching the final destination rather than just a sudden end of film.

I felt ripped off... it was like they ran out of money and just though 'oh well, thats it then' or something.

Still a cool look at 70s teen culture whatever.

[–] coffin-2 17 years ago

hmm....i think it is a great movie. THe first time i saw it i thought it was dumb but watched it a few more times and it is one of my favorite movies of all time now. It really grew on me.

I felt the same way about the ending when i saw it at first.....but then if you watch it a few more times you come to realize race is just a by product of the plot. I think the movie shows you how a woman can really get in the way of what you love and are passionate about. The end scene was suppose to be crash but they decided not to film that and let the audience make up its own mind about what happens.

[–] funkyfry 16 years ago

Yeah, it's kind of like the end of "Shane" isn't it? People still have endless conversations about "did Shane die?"

p.s. whoever mentioned "Eat My Dust", I think it's a really cool movie, not a bad car film, just very very different from "Two Lane Blacktop." At first I was a bit disappointed in "Blacktop" because it wasn't more like "Dust" and "Grand Theft Auto" actually.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] gut-6 16 years ago

"The end scene was suppose to be crash but they decided not to film that and let the audience make up its own mind about what happens."

Not according to the director in the DVD commentary. The end scene was supposed to be GTO driving off into the sunset with the soldiers, having given his "those satisfactions are permanent" speech. That would indeed have completed the story arc, while making the point that their lives would continue on in their unchanging rut for the forseeable future. However Hellman decided to add an "epilogue" which brought the focus back to the main characters. The brilliant ending came to him in a dream, and makes the existentialist point so much more forcefully.

[–] jchamelin 15 years ago

Totally agree with your post (guitarnoise65). I was born in 1969 in what was then the rural south. TLBT captures the early 70s beautifully.

I also appreciate other aspects of the movie. It takes its time and lets you settle in and go along for the ride, so to speak. I can understand why some folks wouldn't appreciate the movie, but typical hollywood movies that spoon feed the viewer and/or use gimicks, etc. bore me to death. TLBT is a nice dose of realism, beautifully filmed, and reflects the way real life can sometimes seem or feel to be without purpose or destination.

[–] salndean2003 16 years ago

While I agree with 99% of your list, I happen to take umbrage, a great deal of it, with Hot Rods To Hell. Whenever I espy to my great delight that it's on TV I call, frantically, the last few friends I have in this town and ask if they care to come over and watch... a true, cinematic classic. Naturally they decline, and I'm left to marvel at the acting genius and on screen charisma of Dana Andrews on my own.

[–] XLCH1000 16 years ago

Ill go along with that one. I saw TLBT when it first came out and I was a senior in HS. I thought it was okay, but I didnt really "get it". I left the drive in thinking, "What was that all about?"
I liked the cars, but some of the dialog was silly.
When it was raining and the mechanic had to go out to put on the wipers, the girl asked the driver, "Why didnt he have them on?" Reply: "Too much wind resistance" Cmon..it was a 55 Chevy. It had the aerodynamics of a brick! The wipers wouldnt have mattered.
Not the best, but not the worst either.

[–] hottr6 15 years ago

The Cars That Ate Paris

I have to differ there; TCTAP is a superior horror film, but it is not a really a car movie. The cars here are a merely a prop, as they act as a mask to hide identity within teenage angst.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] boca007 17 years ago

I've only seen it once, and still hated it. Really pointless movie actually.

[–] terkel-2 17 years ago

It's not a car movie, as much as a road movie, IMO.
And there IS hot cars...
'55 Chevy with wobbly plastic parts, 10-12" rear tyres, close-ratio gearbox that sings and a mean V8 gives me goosebumps...
Just my opinion.

[–] snikt_snakt 17 years ago

I agree with whoever said the entire point of the movie is that there is no beginning, middle, or end. It's a slice of life movie. Most movies focus on some huge, life-altering moment in the characters' life. That's why they made a movie about those characters. Something big happened to them.

Die Hard, for example. The week before Christmas John McClane was just your average, soon-to-be divorced cop. The week after Christmas, he was a national celebrity and hero. The events that took place that night in Nakatomi Plaza changed his life forever.

But with Two-Lane Blacktop, it's just a day in the life of these characters. You could take the week before the movie or the week after the movie and nothing would be different for these guys. They're just going about their business, drifting across the southwest, racing cars.

"What the f-ck is the internet?" -Jay, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

[–] auboy77 17 years ago

this is a movie not about cars or the road, its about isolation, loneliness, having no where to go, nothing real ( "real" goals ie. job, kids, mortgage, etc) to do. --from what i heard, life was like this for many young people back when this came out (early 70's). esp. for those returning from vietnam. this movie doesnt ask "what do we do now" (after the disillusionment of the idealistic late 60's) but instead it tells a story of characters ( i guess thats why they dont have first names) who just do the only thing they know how--drifting through life.

[–] Xcalat3 17 years ago

its not that bad, but it is very disappointing and boring

I Worship The Goddess Amber Tamblyn

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] dave-greg 17 years ago

I love this film and am glad i bought my ltd edition dvd of it when i did, because it goes on e-bay for around £100 now! Just love the whole hippy vibe of this film, freedom and the open road, and some gorgeous muscle cars too. No self respecting drag race fan (like myself) would be without this movie in their collection, alongside 'Vanishing Point' and 'Heart Like A Wheel'!

'it's just an accident..........just a couple of wild punks, out raising hell.'

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Backstreet-Abortionist 16 years ago

A thread like this makes me realise why Two-Lane Blacktop is still a cult film; this will continue to fly over people's heads if they seek any sense of resolution or audience pandering. I find the closing scene haunting & perfect - The Driver shuts his window and we hear what sounds like prison bars closing. Just another race, which will be followed by another one, and another, etc. etc.

How is that ending surreal? Is it because of the lack of sound and the final celluloid burn? A statement is being made here, and you don't have to be a snobbish lecturer to suss out what it is. It's circular, almost infinite and keeps in line with the themes of isolation, existentialism and loneliness that were prevalent throughout the entire picture. It shouldn't have taken you long to figure out that this wouldn't be Duel. Consider why these characters are nameless, consider why they ended up losing interest in the pink slips - this is not really a "car movie" and to suggest so is short-sighted and does the film a great disservice.

Two-Lane Blacktop is the complete antithesis of the hippy ethos. There are drifters, yes, but peace, love and understanding are nowhere to be found. To view it as a hippy movie is an insult and a gross miscalculation.

[–] BwlBoy 16 years ago

If this film were a car it would be a Lada Riva...sluggish and lacking in class. It may be a cult film but classic it ain't.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] BwlBoy 16 years ago

I was being metaphorical, clown. Don't try to justify this crap by throwing in a few clever words. Ramble by name, ramble by nature.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Verdoux-1 16 years ago

BwlBoy, don't flatter yourself. I hadn't even read your post till just now. I was responding to the original poster, not you.

I hate to be a geek, but if you're gonna reply to the original poster, then push the reply button of his message and not the message that is on the bottom of the page. For some reason this seems to be really difficult for many users of IMDb.

--
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"

[–] funkyfry 16 years ago

Who cares whether he/she responded to the OP or to another poster? The main thing is they actually had something to say, unlike this other person who didn't understand the movie and assumes that everyone else who did is kidding themselves.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] Verdoux-1 16 years ago

Who cares whether he/she responded to the OP or to another poster?

I care. The e-mail notification goes to the wrong person (or doesn't go at all) and the right person doesn't know that somebody has replied to his/her message.

--
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"

[–] funkyfry 16 years ago

hmmm yeah that's a good point about the email notification, I don't happen to use those personally I usually just check back the next day on my previous day's posts, and if nobody responds on one of these slower movie boards I might check back a couple months or even years later. Like I've been posting on Keenan Wynn's board for years, but until recently we only had a response maybe every 6 months or so.

Did I not love him, Cooch? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN'T LOVE BETTER!!! But he had to say 'Nooooooooo'

[–] IForgotMyMantra 16 years ago

Self-conscious, badly acted and written -- the director was out to try and make a movie as tonally dull as possible (with some car chases thrown in). I like the existential, self-involved movies of the 70s a great deal, but this had nothing to involve me with.

[–] Mandrakegray 16 years ago

Thank God Backstreet-Abortionist (excellent write-up BA) and a few others here see this film as it was intended. It's an American masterpiece. Deserving of the status it enjoys.

I do remember the first time I viewed the film ... sitting there afterwards saying "Ooookay...that was different" ... but I also remember how I couldn't get the film out of my head for days afterwards. I've returned to it several times since only to be further rewarded with each viewing.

I love it.

IMO...this was one of two performances the peerless Warren Oates should have won Best Actor or Supporting Actor for. The man was an acting treasure.

A big thanks to Criterion for the love and care they put into their release of the film. Very impressed.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] davejc1886 16 years ago

Well I loved this movie. Thought it was great. But I could see where your Dad's experience running a Plymouth dealership in the sixties could be just as memorable. It would be great material for a movie.

On the other hand, if your Dad and Uncle had a Plymouth dealership in the sixties and now your driving a '68 corvette, then it's pretty obvious why you wouldn't enjoy a movie like this.

[–] Modis1 16 years ago

I don't know if red metalflake would do anything for what this movie is about.

[–] Druff 16 years ago

Best car movie ever, IMO.

Two Lane Black Top is to car movies what 2001 A Space Odyssey is to science fiction movies. Some people find them dull and hard to sit through. Others find them to be among the best movies they've ever seen. Viva la diferance.

[–] rockero2 15 years ago

2 lane blacktop is a good film but sometimes drags on. I have not seen Duel but maybe you should see these films that are interesting and have nice cars muscle cars. American Graffiti, Dazed and Confused, The Hollywood Knights, Death Proof, Gone in 60 Seconds both original and remake. Mad Max Bullit etc.