Freeway

Rating:
Summary: Very Twisted == Interesting
Review: Definately a wild movie... I think the extremes are what make this movie so good.

Rating:
Summary: Freeway is a buried treasure!
Review: There are probably 100's of movies out there that are movie gems but we haven't seen because they're not mainstream. It's unfortunate because I only heard of this great movie because it had Reese Witherspoon in it. After watching her performance in 'Legally Blonde' I decided to watch all of her movies. I found 'Freeway' and although it's not the type of movie I'd usually watch, it is now one of my favourite movies. It's not for everyone that's for sure. It's a very, very dark comedy. I found myself constantly laughing throughout, but that could be my strange sense of humour.

Both Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland gave terrific performances, but it was really Reese's show. She played Vanessa Lutz, a semi-illiterate, white trash, foul mouthed girl. Reese was just amazing as Vanessa, giving her character so much life. Throughout the movie she's doing all sorts of nasty things, but we are still rooting for her. Reese has great comic timing and it's on display in this movie. Reese was first noticed by critics in "The Man in the Moon" and now this is her second critically praised performance. She's never out of character, she's always on. She also spits out her lines with pure comic timing and fierceness. She's a joy to behold.

The DVD itself was pretty bare. This DVD badly needs some extras. The commentary however was one of the best I've heard. Matthew Bright is a rather funny commentator. Overall, the movie was one wild, fun and entertaining ride. Great performances, great movie!

Rating:
Summary: Edgy Black Comedy
Review: The acting in this film is uniformly excellent. Even small parts in Freeway advance the plot, not only by conventions but with the quality of acting. Although Kiefer Sutherland gets top billing and is great as the proto-90's serial killer that is intimate in the creepiest possible way to a teenager. Sutherland's nihilistic performance makes him real and not just a Jerry Springer generation cardboard character. The same is true of Reese Witherspoon who is really the star in this trailer trash meets girl power flick. Her range is exceptional, her facial expressions working vastly better than the script provided this film.

Although as some have mentioned there are several genres including dark comedy, road movie, post Pulp Fiction, etc. my take on it without knowing what the film was supposed to be about was to a degree commentary and parody.

The sad truth is one can imagine some of the seriously messed up people in the various scenes and locations. There are moments of Freeway that are serious as a heart attack that flip over to exploitation and into humor.

Fortunately the film works well enough to combine these disparate elements. The script is entertaining on a creepy level and elevated by it's actors. While the subjects covered range from disgusting (rape, torture, necrophelia) to absurd (the dream of grandma's trailer with giant giraffe dolls and other assorted strange objects) the film sometimes leaves the viewer inbetween emotions.

I liked this unbalanced approach, whether intentional or not. If anything I expected this film to be fluff because of Reese Witherspoon's involvement. Instead I came away admiring her acting talent.

The 'red ridinghood' storyline worked despite the film's opening credits. Many scenes were over the top which was also telegraphed by the first 10 minutes of the film. It was obviously a twisted look at twisted people.

Great acting earns it 3 stars, one more for even getting the film made, let alone distributed.

Rating:
Summary: Break Out for Witherspoon/Sutherland in A+ Script
Review: Currently Reese Witherspoon and Keifer Sutherland are riding high in Hollywood, he with "24" and she with "Legally Blonde," enormous hits. Their careers were in the doldrums prior to those vehicles and I think they may have been spotted in this film as worthy of being given leading status in their own vehicles. They are both superb here in a script that is so well written that it had me gasping. There is not one predictible moment in this script. It is the freshest work I've seen in ages. Witherspoon is about to be sent to foster care again when her prostitute mother is sent to jail. She runs away by taking to the LA Freeway where her car breaks down and she is "rescued" by Sutherland. Witherspoon proceeds to prove herself as the most unconventional heroine in a way that wholly works. Her nemesis is Sutherland. Is she equal to the challenge of besting him? You'll have to see it to find out. (There is even a sly reference to Sutherland's being the Big Bad Wolf and Witherspoon a Red Riding Hood that puts the original to shame.) Buy this one. It is worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: Her Life Is No Fairy Tale
Review: Truculent 16-year-old Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon) handcuffs her social worker's hand to a bed after the police arrest Vanessa's mother and stepfather for drug possesion and solicitation.
Vanessa then makes her way to her grandmother's house in Stockton, California when she meets a seemingly pleasant man Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland) on the highway while having car trouble. Vanessa is unaware of the fact that Bob is in fact a serial rapist/killer preying on young women. Vanessa manages to use his own perverse tactics against him. After beating him to a pulp, she is arrested and sent to a juvenile detention center where there's lots of violence (including a very bloody catfight) and lesbianism.

Overall, a very lurid, vulgar, explicit rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood"...Reese was insane, in a good way! One of the best independent films of the 90s.

Rating:
Summary: Tragically Funny
Review: I can't believe Reese Witherspoon not only didn't win an Oscar for this performance, but that she wasn't even nominated. Now THAT'S tragic. This has to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Every performance, from Witherspoon to Keifer Sutherland to Veronica Cartwright, is a tour-de-force. Witherspoons plays Vanessa, a modern day Red Riding Hood on a journey to meet her long-lost grandmother, running away from the Child Services Department after her alcoholic, drug-addicted mother [Cartwright] is once again arrested for solicitation. On her way, she encounters Sutherland, a child psychologist of dubious nature. There's the ensuing hilarity, poignant moments and satisfying resolution.

Why should you see this movie? Because it's downright hysterical. Reward yourself with a movie that you'll laugh through from start to finish and never skip through.

Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Funny!
Review: This was one of the first movies I watched with Reese Witherspoon, and it was apparent then that she had what it takes to play a great character role. Vanessa Lutz is an illiterate, trailer trash high schooler who is smarter, and more aggressive, than she appears. When her parents (a prostitute and a crackhead stepfather) have been hauled off to jail, she has no choice but to go back to foster care...or escape to freedom! On her way out, she comes across Bob (Kiefer Sutherland, in a brilliantly deadpan role), a supposed social worker who leads her into talking about her checkered past, then reveals his true nature as a serial killer of area women.
She gains her revenge on Bob as the plot unfolds.
The dialog is witty, the characters are unforgettable. Brittany Murphy, psycho extraordinaire (Girl Interrupted, Don't Say a Word) is great as the scarred lesbian prison girl. Brooke Shields cameos as the fluffy, yuppie, clueless wife of Bob.
Reese plays Vanessa with a vengeance; when she utters "Shut Up, Dumbass!", when she laughs at Bob, "Look who got beat with the ugly stick!", it's utterly hysterical.
You find yourself laughing when you think you shouldn't, this film rates up there with Harold and Maude for black comedy.
A fun trip, worth the ride.

Rating:
Summary: Little Red Riding Hoodlum......
Review: Reese Witherspoon is one of the most interesting and talented actresses among the set of young women that she has risen to fame with. The thing that sets her apart from the other actresses her age is her ability to pick good roles that really allow her to showcase her acting chops. This bizarre but hilarious take on "Little Red Riding Hood" is well worth watching. As a white trash heroine straight out of the trailor park, Reese's character starts a trek the leads her straight in the path of a killer played by Keifer Sutherland. Vanessa Lutz is a fun character and you can tell Reese relished playing her. Luckily, this dvd is affordable priced so you can see a movie by the star of "Legally Blonde" and the upcoming "Sweet Home Alabama" for a decent price. There are no extras but the movie is well worth the price. Highly recommended and a must see for Reese Witherspoon fans.

Rating:
Summary: Why I love Reese.
Review: Until I saw this film on HBO I didn't even know who Reese Witherspoon was. She is GREAT in this film about a trailer trash girl who no one will believe because of who she is. This is no sappy after school special, but a black comedy. With Brook Sheilds as the completely in the dark wife to psycho Kiefer Sutherland this movie will soon be an indie classic, if it isn't already. I have loved Reese Witherspoon in everything since this. This movie shows the calibor of actress she is. Don't judge her by Legally Blonde, this is her tour-de-force performance.

Rating:
Summary: freeway is the greatest movie of all time, ever!
Review: Freeway is an absolute delight whoever hasn't seen isn't a true movie fan. This is my favourite movie ever. Reese Witherspoon is abosoutly incredible - this is her best movie ever, and it's a shame she has to do atrocities like "Legally Blonde" instead of masterpieces like this. Please do yourself a favor and rent this movie. you won't regret it. totally [awesome]