Joyride

1977's JOYRIDE always gave off this vibe of a dark, forboding thriller.  Yet another drive-in epic of its era to cap off with a downbeat ending.   It was one of several movies during its original release that intrigued my impressionable brain as I was just getting into film appreciation.  The trailers, commercials, and posters suggested something verboten for young eyes.  I envied the older folks who got to see it, perhaps especially those who hid a few of their friends in the trunk at the Skydrome and Boulevard Drive-Ins in my town.

It took over forty years for me to catch up with it.  The mystique evaporated fairly quickly.  JOYRIDE announced itself as a goofball yahoo action comedy/drama from its opening scenes, where three restless youths - John (Robert Carradine), Suzie (a nymphet-stage Melanie Griffith), and Scott (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) - mill about their crappy jobs.  Listen to their dialogue.  They've decided to blow town and chase a (not very well researched) dream of owning a salmon fishing boat in Alaska.  The tone is off, seemingly more interested in being snarky than thrilling.  On the journey north, two idiots try to run our trio off the road.  Suzie moons them before they end up in a lake.

Predictably, life in the 49th state is rough.  Jobs are hard to come by, the locals are unfriendly, and even shitty beer is expensive.  Our heroes get robbed to boot.  When John and Scott do obtain jobs working for the pipeline, not only are they just as soulless as their menial gigs back in L.A., but the boys discover rampant corruption.  And about that - in one of the film's random character motivations, Scott, a security guard, refuses a semi truck entrance to the plant when he suspects something fishy.  He even pulls a gun on his boss in a fit of integrity! Nothing else in the film really supports such unexpected behavior, though Scott is more reluctant than his pals in their eventual dive into crime, even if it means survival.

We also meet a local named Cindy (Anne Lockhart) who works in payroll at the pipeline.  Apparently, she also spends her nights selling herself, leading to the first of several unfortunate encounters for she and Scott.  She will figure heavily into the late hour plotting.

JOYRIDE follows these attractive but fairly uninteresting and unlikable kids as desperate measures force desperate actions.  But all the while, the film wavers on what it wants to be.  Cautionary tale? Thriller? Romantic drama?  Silly comedy? That tone is surprisingly light, and while Joseph Rubin's direction isn't bad, it feels as if he never has control of this movie.  While not a Roger Corman production, it feels like one in which all the exploitation elements were considered first, as well as a frequent embrace of low grade comedy, as when John engages in a pissing contest outside a bar to win some much needed cash.  This is one of several moments that are just plain dumb, playing to the peanut gallery.

The stunt work is decent.  There are a few good dramatic scenes.  The scenery and photography are an eyeful.  So is Lockhart, but her role is very underwritten and her acting is meh.  That goes for the entire cast, all offspring of Hollywood royalty.  This was used as a marketing strategy for the movie, which should have been a mysterious, discomforting experience but is rather just another low budget tease, quickly forgotten.