Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) -- 5/10.
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This "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode. Incorporating viewer comments and tweets, your host and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, and classics from years past. Along with your votes, these films are scored on the "Rate-O-Matic" for a 1-10 ranking. A "Five Word Summary" quickly encapsulates each review while "Factor Facts" highlight the the best and worst features of a movie in each of ten key categories. New episodes every Friday (November through May) on the JPizzle1122 channel.
Born in February 1986, Jonathan Paula is a professional KZreadr and creator of the hit web series, "Is It A Good Idea To Microwave This?". In April 2006 he founded Jogwheel Productions, a new media production company that specializes in web video. He has been reviewing films since 2003, and professionally since 2009. Jon graduated from Emerson College in 2008 with a degree in Television Production / Radio Broadcasting. He currently lives in Rockingham, NH with his wife Rebecca.
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~~ Review Script ~~
This zany situational-style comedy was reportedly the most expensive comedy film ever made at the time. And when you have to paint the town of Mount Dora, FL pink just for a movie - and teach an elephant how to water-ski... you know you're going to be breaking the bank. Although this film totally bombed at the box-office, bringing in only 2-million dollars, it features many famous actors before their hey-day, and remains a bit of a cult-classic today. Told in interwoven narratives that feel like an epic episode of Seinfeld, Honky Tonk Freeway is the story of the small town of Ticlaw, FL - which is about to lose it's tourism business thanks to a new highway that'll completely bypass the town completely. In an effort to make the city relevant again, the town Mayor, played brilliantly by veteran actor William Devane, decides to paint the town pink, import wild African animals for a new "Safari Zoo", and somehow get an elephant to water-ski. Long before they were famous, stars Beverely D'Angelo and Daniel Stern round out the immense supporting cast - all playing eccentric characters on their way to southern florida for one reason or another. You have the elderly vacationing couple, half-wit bank-robbers, traveling nuns, a dysfunctional family in an RV, all who through bizaree circumstances, end up in Ticlaw by the end of the film. It feels like a poor man's "Cannonball Run", or "Rat Race" in many scenes - as you can see the final act coming from the first shot... but the juiciest parts of this movie is finding out about these characters, and how they'll end up going from point A to Point B. Although nearly 30-years old, much of the crude and situational comedy here still works today, and although the movie feels like a 108 minute train wreck, you can't help but chuckle to yourself as you enjoy the ride. Without question, the final climatic highway crash sequence is one of the more memorable and epic scenes in comedy history. A guilty pleasure for sure, but Honky Tony Freeway is most certainly a pleasure to watch.
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