Watch Joyride For Free

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"Joyride" is an independent 1977 road flick starring the sons of Desi Arnaz (and Lucy) & John Carradine and the daughters of Tippi Hedren & June Lockhart.THE STORY: Three footloose youths, two guys and a girl (a young Melanie Griffith) all around the ages of 18-20, decide to leave their dead-end jobs and travel to Alaska. They have some half-baked plan to become salmon fishermen, but they're more likely just looking for adventure, fun and possibly a sense of purpose. Unfortunately they're forced to pick up other dead-end jobs, including working for the oil pipeline. Desperation leads to crime where they acquire a hostage (Anne Lockhart).I never heard of this film before and took a chance picking it up. I was under the impression that it was a fun 70's car-chase flick like "Eat My Dust" or "Grand Theft Auto." Although it shares aspects of those types of films I was surprised to discover that "Joyride" is essentially a serious road flick, the second half taking on elements of "Bonnie And Clyde." Although this is a fairly low-budget independent film it's quite professionally made. The Washington locations are great and the acting is fine. Anne Lockhart is easy on the eyes and Melanie isn't bad either.I encourage you to read M.G. DaVega's review on Amazon from May 11, 2008, because he accurately points out what may turn some viewers off. The story has a meandering vibe because the kids are living aimless lives. They're not necessarily "bad kids" or unlikable (although they later turn bad via bad choices); in fact, one part of the story shows one of the guys boldly taking a stand for what's right while working security for the pipeline, but it ends up costing them. DaVega rightly argues that the viewer is unsympathetic towards the youths because they increasingly turn to crime as the story progresses. He calls them "half-wits" who do stupid things and engage in unsavory & deplorable acts like shoplifting, public drunkenness, pissing contests (literally), auto theft, breaking & entering, and armed robbery of the pipeline company.DaVega also points out that they (seemingly) learn no moral lesson through their experiences and are not much different at the end than at the beginning.These valid criticisms will certainly turn some viewers off, but I'd like to point out that the events in the story aren't even close to being as morally shocking & appalling as in, say, 1966's "The Wild Angels." Although the characters seemingly learn no moral lesson, the film itself is a moral lesson, not to mention it smacks of reality. I can remember when I was in my mid-to-late teens, living an aimless existence and doing incredibly stupid things, just as dumb and senseless as depicted in this movie. So I can relate to the kids, their situations and foolish choices. Simply put, "Joyride" is a portrait of lost, fallen humanity. The title is sarcastic because the kid's adventure is more laborious and miserable than fun and joyful, not that there aren't any lighthearted moments.The film successfully depicts the meaningless, aimless and darkened nature of life "under the sun," in particularly for those who are unaware of the designs of the Creator, or who simply refuse to seek/acknowledge the Almighty. Read the relatively short ancient book of Ecclesiastes to get my drift.***SPOILER ALERT*** Anyway, the picture ends with the kids getting lost and stranded in the Northwest wilderness, which is reminiscent of that family that got stranded near the Rogue River in Oregon not many years ago.***END SPOILER***BOTTOM LINE: DaVega is wrong to say that anyone who likes this film has "extremely low standards for movies." I can see why the film turned him off, but his objections are based solely on moral grounds. This doesn't mean "Joyride" isn't worthwhile or well-made for an independent 70's flick. On the contrary, the meandering story keeps the viewer's attention (which is pretty much the most important gauge for discerning the worthiness of a picture), and the film itself makes a potent moral point about the fallen nature of humanity. Plus the viewer gets a good glimpse of what it was like to work on the pipeline back then.If nothing else, "Joyride" is worth seeing because it's like traveling back in time to 1977.GRADE: B

No Spoilers. 6 out of 10 stars. I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but it turned out to be better than average and highly watchable. If you are a 70s film buff like I am, then this movie is an even nicer find, cars, hair, dialogue, grainy atmosphere, no CGI, economic malaise...and a very pretty Melanie Griffith (with a few scenes of nudity to go along with it all). Alaska/Pacific Northwest in the 70s is also nice. And no CGI, some car chases, some action, etc. All that being said, it's nothing amazing, I don't want to oversell the movie. Currently showing on Netflix streaming, worth putting in your queue.

The video box for 'Joyride' says "starring second generation superstars", and one can't help but feel sad. Granted, Melanie Griffith has gone on to bigger and better things...but who cares about the rest of the cast? So with that being the pathetic attention grabber on the box I was foolish enough to purchase the film for a dollar thinking I would be in the land of 'so-bad-they're-good 70's films' Eh, not so much. While so many aimless 70's youth films (or plain ol' 70's films for that matter) tried so hard to say something deep and meaningful, 'Joyride' doesn't even try. It's just aimless. It is devoid of any interest whatsoever. Each character is so poorly conceived that it's no wonder these actors look so listless.In a nutshell the movie is about three 20-somethings who go to Alaska to start a business, but instead get robbed and then have to find work. They get beat up, eat dog food, steal cars, rob banks. It's all very typical but on top of that it's executed in the most mundane way possible. There are no surprises and the flow is so bad, and the actions of the characters so ambiguous that you can miss several scenes and not mind at all.But if you're a fan of Melanie Griffith's breasts - then this is a must-see. That's still not enough to get this above the lowest rating I can give.Best Line: "Jesus, everything is biology with you." * out of ****

"Joyride" captures the malaise of the 70's so much better than many films of the era. Think of it as a perfect antidote to "Saturday Night Fever" on many levels. Watch for the Pacific Northwest cinematic quirkiness that comes through later in everything from "Twin Peaks" to "Napoleon Dynamite" and many more. There are many northwest talents that went on to other endeavors in this movie as well - surprising it has not been celebrated a bit more for that. I recommend it highly to college sociology students and Melanie Griffith groupies (get a life!). Truth be told, I've always held a candle for Anne Lockhart. We could have been very happy together, the restraining order was so uncool. Psyche! She's great.