American Strays

Rating:
Summary: Unpublicised Pulp Fiction
Review: I read the reviews on [this site] and was surprised they were mixed. "American Strays" is only for offbeat viewers who have experienced the wierd side of life along with David Lynch and Robert Rodriguez. Don't take it serious but as an everyday dry humor flick. The bungling frustration of Eric Roberts and pseudo naievity of Jennifer Tilly make this a GREAT film for those who take life very lightly. I liked it enough to make the purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Memorably funny movie
Review: I thought this movie was hilarious. I love the guy w/ the dolls: "Hey girls, brought you a new little sister. She's a little different, let's try to get along." Of course, offbeat dark humor is my thing.

Rating:
Summary: Memorably funny movie
Review: I thought this movie was hilarious. I love the guy w/ the dolls: "Hey girls, brought you a new little sister. She's a little different, let's try to get along." Of course, offbeat dark humor is my thing.

Rating:
Summary: One of best jokes ever...
Review: The vacuum cleaner storyline in this movie is worth the watch (five star)-- the rest is filler (one star) for an over all great late night three star cult movie look-see. In the "weird people in the desert movie" category Jennifer Tilly deserved an Oscar for her performance. And with respect to the vacuum cleaner story don't doze off toward the end-- you'll miss one of the best cinematographic punchlines I've ever seen in a movie. If only Harry Dean Stanton, or Dennis Hopper had had roles then this movie would have been perfect. The violence is not for the weak of heart, or for kids.

Rating:
Summary: One of best jokes ever...
Review: The vacuum cleaner storyline in this movie is worth the watch (five star)-- the rest is filler (one star) for an over all great late night three star cult movie look-see. In the "weird people in the desert movie" category Jennifer Tilly deserved an Oscar for her performance. And with respect to the vacuum cleaner story don't doze off toward the end-- you'll miss one of the best cinematographic punchlines I've ever seen in a movie. If only Harry Dean Stanton, or Dennis Hopper had had roles then this movie would have been perfect. The violence is not for the weak of heart, or for kids.

Rating:
Summary: In the same class as Pulp Fiction...great.
Review: This is a really terrific movie.It's somewhat of a sleeper having never really gained the respect it deserves.It is a multi layered ultimately 'Good News' story with subtle humour and great acting performances.I think for sure someone should have been nominated for academy award for this 'underground cult classic'. It sure beats the likes of Jerry Maguire and American Beauty. I enjoyed this movie more than any other.My tastes run to LA Confidential..Pulp Fiction...Red Rock West..Cat Ballou..Clint Eastwood... Cameron Diaz...so if you enjoy any of those... you'll love American Strays.

Rating:
Summary: One thing good
Review: This movie was absolutely pointless. It follows several different people throughout 1 day, and ends up with them all meeting at a diner, and having a shootout. Horrible performance by Luke Perry and Eric Roberts. I promise, this is very, very dissapointing!

Rating:
Summary: Nothing to see here folks...
Review: Using elements from several other more popular films, American Strays brings together six different stories with the meeting room being a cafe in the desert. In one story we have Luke Perry as a man who cannot cope with his life and hires an "Exterminator" to help him end his existence. The second story is about two hit men who are driving through the desert. One is cut up really bad and is wearing band-aids, the other is an overweight gentlemen with stomach problems. They really don't have much plot other than they provide the ending with some more bodies. The third story is about two people who are driving through the desert. They have a moment in their car where you question their friendship. Nothing becomes of this moment, and eventually they make it to the cafe. The fourth story is about a vacuum salesman. For more than half the film, we follow the path of Dwayne, a salesman who is willing to try any pitch to try to get his vacuum sold. Interestingly played by John Savage, this is the best story of the film. He travels from door to door in the desert demonstrating to potential buyers the effectiveness of his vacuum at a "killer" price. The fifth story is about two lovers on the run from the law. Constantly in some sort of sexual embrace, these two have just robbed something, and are driving around and having sex whenever they want. The sixth and final story has to do with just a random family. Eric Roberts plays a man who is lost in the desert with his family in a minivan. All of these stories interweave together when they should all be going in separate directions.

What happened in 1996? This film made no sense at all. I felt like I began the film in the middle of the actual movie. There is no discussion at all, there is not even a hint, as to how all these characters happened to be in the same desert. All this film is meant to show is violence can happen to anybody.

While other are happy with comedic lines, I actually needed some pre-story to bring this film together. Literally, we jump right into the middle of the robber's story. We have no clue how he got the cash, or how long him and his lady friend have been together. We have no history of Roberts family. No clue what happened to him prior to entering the desert, or where they are headed to. All that we know is that they are as lost as I was in this film. What was the point of the train that Luke Perry kept seeing? Was it to symbolize that his life was about ready to arrive? How did the hit men get the cop in the back of their car, and why were they still carrying it? Who were the gangsta's and what was their part in this film?

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS......I NEED ANSWERS ANSWERS ANSWERS!!!

There were some decent ideas in this film, but without building a story it is hard to develop these ideas. My feeling is that perhaps the director made this film, and found that he only had the budget to release the second half. If that was the case, here is my advise to the director...scrap the project...there is no reason to beat a dead horse. A self-conscious, contrived gallery of oddball characters are simply derived from parts of David Lynch, and the Coen brothers, with some sub-Tarantinoesque dialogue thrown in.

Unless you, as a viewer, enjoy picking out odd character actors, then I suggest slowly backing away from this film because "there is nothing to see here folks...."

Grade: * out of *****