Motion Pictures Not Everybody Liked Two Lane Blacktop…

I remember going to see TLB in a theater when I was young. Agreed, it was a bad film, but none of us Gearheads went because of the acting or actors or the weak plot, we went to see and hear the cars!

I had a lot more fun going to the theater, to watch the original movie " VANISHING POINT " which was kick ass!

At that time it was a double feature, the second movie was "HAROLD AND MAUDE" Which was equally a lot of fun, which had some cool cars as well!

In today's world, Quentin Tarantino's " DEATH PROOF "
Certainly gives the Gearheads their money's worth car wise, and Zoey Bell delivers a kick ass surprise punch as well!

 

I still remember the first time I watched it...I didn’t get it and wondered why they had to check the jets so often. Pretty sure I didn’t make it through the whole thing the first time. I have seen it on the big screen as well and that didn’t make it any better.

 

Haha thought I was the only one…

 

I like TLB because it's a bit like life,
The story begims with some mildly interesting characters, they have some mildly interesting things happen to them, and at the end of the story there is no real conclusion.
Like life, if broken down into segments you might find a Cinderella story, Homer's Odyssey or any classic story line but if all run together it's just one event after another, not exceptionally good or bad it just is.
And there is a car with a tunnel rammed big block Chevy in it.

 

Hey, 'Crazy Larry and Dirty Mary' was pretty good...

 

Cheesy script
Cheesy acting
Cheesy everything
Cool cars, fun to watch

 

I always thought that movie was off on the car stuff that real car guys that worked on their cars cared about. But to the guys that that thought buying a new Camaro, Mustang or Challenger every couple years was hot rodding, it was real. The movie with the 40 Willys (Hot Rod?) was the same way.

 

Artistic license, avant-garde……I remember an old Benny Hill skit. A full of himself TV host praised him for the dramatic effect switching from color to black and white during a turning point in the film. Benny said he just ran out of color film, too expensive. I think TLB must of had the same problem with script writers.
Movies, like anything else is a personal thing. Even a bad one can be enjoyable under the right circumstances.

 

I don't remember ever seeing it. Either it was so bad I forgot it, or never saw it, don't remember.

 

The movie was released in 1971. The year prior Look or Life magazine printed the script but in a story format and abbreviated, kinda like a Clift note version. It was a good read and I was hooked. When I saw the movie I liked it for the cars but it had it's slow and tedious parts. To me, the beginning when they had street raced in LA and had to split and the ending scene when the movie fades out at the airport against the El Camino were the best scenes of the movie.

 

Some of you guys are too harsh. I don’t think anybody expected it to win any awards. I think it’s entertaining. If you were into cars in the 70’s, then the 55 Chevy is the star of the show. You can hang out at the drive-in and the lame plot doesn’t matter. When that rat engine whines, time to pay attention. I would watch it again tonight if I could find my copy.

 

I’m slow and boring so it fit me like a wet-shirt on Linda Vaughn

 

It's a really bad movie. Compare to competitors like American Grafatti, Hot Rod Willys, it reall falls flat. The other two conversely, Grafitti being a pretty well made movie, Hot Rod a pretty amateur effort, are both extremely watchable, definitely get rewatched more than once. The Difference? CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!! And a pretty well developed plot. Those movies offer great characters you care about. This pulls you into the plot and as a result, you get into the story. Blacktop ignores this vital formula resulting in a totally boring forgettable movie.

 

I saw it when it first came out, bought the VHS tape, and later the Disc, and caught it a half dozen times on tv.

I understand how some people don’t like it or just don’t get it. There’s lots of people that don’t get a lot of things, but, fortunately, some do.

The “check the jets” line might be corny, but then again, maybe there’s another level of meaning there.

I read a lot of great literature in days gone by, much of which I didn’t get. That doesn’t make it, or me, for that matter, stupid.

 

A bbc with a tunnel ram, m-22 muncie whining in every gear, taking the slicks out of the trunk with the tool box, blasting down the road with low gears. Evidently I grew up in the wrong part of the country . I remember what it was about. It's not for everyone, but at the time it was for US. I don't care what anyone thinks. It was and is cool. I'm just old I guess. Go watch Opra, quit raining on my parade.

 

If you get it, you do. If you don't, you don't. It's not just a really good car movie it's a great example of many movies of that period. As I said, you either get them or you don't.

 

It's a yawn fest alright. However, the kool stuff;

Nobody had a name.
Had rock stars for stars.
The girl was cute.
Near the end she gets on a perfect early Sportster for her exit.
Warren Oats drove a bitchin colored H.O.
What sucked was the telling of whatever story it was, like who ever wrote the script got lost and didn't know when or where to stop. Like a mid 60s custom, right?

The best? That fuckin 55 bumps my rev limiter whenever I see it. I might have to reallocate and build the son of bitch for myself. I'm already WWaaaay overdue for a haircut so off to a good start. Would I watch it again? If it came on while doing this reply I'd short vid some and add it but this will have to do.

 

Bought the movie a couple months ago to watch with my grandson since he picked up a 55 chevy. Gave him the movie! Oh yeah. IT SUCKED!

 

When the movie came out I was a junior in high school and not much of a movie critic.
The thought of young guys without much money I could relate to.
Paying their way across country racing their 55 Chevy seemed like a great adventure and in our young minds we dreamed it was possible.
If we only get the money together to build that Fast Car we could do this
The Cars were the stars of this movie, thats why we watch it over and over.
I still watch it once in a while, but the older I get the more corny it gets, but that is the same with alot of old movies

 

In my opinion the movie was about young people during the 70's that went looking for themselves, kind of a Kerouac vibe of on the road but a later period in time, the main characters. James Taylor & Dennis Wilson were more or less hippies/hot rodders and Laurie Byrd was just that girl that was looking for the next ride.

Warren Oates came off as a disillusioned older guy that bought a new GTO trying to relive his youth.

What really puzzled me was that both Wilson & Taylor had hit records at the time but they never used any of it.

The story line wasn't great, the acting was mediocre but there is no denying the '55 Chevy was the star of the movie, I was 21 when I saw the movie at the drive in shortly after the release in 1971.

I liked the movie but I like all the old B movies with hot rods & monsters. HRP

 

Girl crawls on the XLCH and rides away.....my favorite part. I like the film, you couldn't duplicate it today.

 

I read the book long before I ever saw the movie on video.

 

“I can take you up down or sideways...Which way you want to go?“ Warren Oates line.
Added bonus of Harry Dean Stanton having a small role in it.

 

Warren Oates

 

Should give credit to Richard Ruth for actually creating the "star" of the movie.

 

The opening scene got me, it was absolute reality of what happened on Exposition Blvd (LA)
Saturday nights in the early-mid 60's. This was before Terminal Is and had to be the epitome of street racing. The scene was surreal with this four lane major street closed into the early morning, open headers, guys with drag bikes and altereds. I remember expecting the cops to raid the area any minute.
Its been 40 years since I saw the movie, but pretty sure I had a hard on during the opening scene

 

Saw TLB when it first came out. At the drive in. With a high school girlfriend. She hated it, said it was boring. She found something more interesting to do, so I only remembered the first 20 minutes until I got the DVD. Watching it was nostalgic in more ways than one. My wife tried to watch it with me but only made the first 15 minutes. She said it was boring. I just said, "yes dear." Sadly, history did not repeat itself.

 

What you didn't want to see her cringe?

 

“... I like the film, you couldn't duplicate it today.[/QUOTE]

Thank god!

 

Free spirit, it definitely represented an era