Highway
Highway
R | 26 March 2002 (USA)
Highway Trailers

Jack is caught with the wife of his employer, a Vegas thug. The thug sends goons after Jack, who convinces his best friend, Pilot, to flee with him. Pilot insists that they head for Seattle, but doesn't tell Jack why. The goons learn from Pilot's drug source where the youths are headed, and they follow, hell bent on breaking Jack's feet. On the road, Jack and Pilot give a ride to Cassie, a distressed young woman. She and Jack hit it off. They pick up an aging stoner headed to Seattle for Kurt Cobain's memorial, and they help a circus sideshow family. Why is Pilot so set on Seattle, will the goons catch Jack, and is there any way the friends' competing needs can be resolved?

Reviews
Shane Brown

So here we are, 1994. A particularly grim time in the eyes of most Americans. This film and its emphasis on the 'Grunge Scene' seem at first, heavily asserted; at its core however, Highway is a much more personal buddy film which formidably tackles much more 'people' issues rather than issues concerning society. One cannot ignore the talent displayed in acting so dramatically suited to this film and its setting. Blair does her role justice, her 'shrouded past' is aptly suited to her almost faceless, masked characteristics. McGinley likewise takes on his wacky, very eccentric role well. It is the chemistry between Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal however that gives this film a serious purpose. You know when you were 16 and your best friend hooked up with that girl you'd been talking to for months on end after he'd talked to her very briefly? That friend is Jared Leto, who's 'God of ****' is exactly what it says on the tin (the lucky bastard). Gyllenhaal then is Letos Watson to his Holmes or perhaps his Robin to his Batman. Gay undertones aside, Gyllenhalls spacey 'Pilot' bounces off of Letos Jack wonderfully, creating genuinely likable and different characters.As for the film as a work, directing is up to scratch, Cox has done a fine job in capturing the 90s grunge movement (if such bland circumstances are in fact possible to capture)and really shines where humour in the film is presented with a basic 'if it's funny, the camera will be all over the bloody shot' theory. Flashbacks are seamlessly weaved in to the plot in order to create depth to Jack and Pilot whilst the sheer scale of the boys' adventure is never really enforced, possibly appropriately.Highway succeeds in presenting us with a touching if slightly unoriginal best friend/jealousy tale, the acting shines through in this as we are constantly reminded (often through Gyllenhaal's pondering) that these characters have absolutely no idea what they are doing. It fails however in really asserting the whole grunge theme it is supposed to portray, visually it does this, but in content Cobain's death is a minor occurrence as is the rest of the world outside of a friendship. Deliberate or not, this message is presented in an upbeat and beautifully acted out way.7/10

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bond_girl26

This movie blew me away. I wasn't expecting much when I turned on the DVD player. When I turned it off, I called my best friend right away and told her for now on, my name is Pilot. This movie just had everything. Funny, romantic, adventurous, violence, wow. I can't give any analysis here because I just want to tell people straight out, this movie is AMAZING. This will forever be my second favorite movie of all time. And such an amazing cast to top it all off. What more can I say besides it's a shame that this marvelous film is so unknown. Spread the Highway Gospel.BEST. MOVIE. EVER. In caps.

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drspookyfox

This is a well-acted and perfectly cast movie about a bunch of people on the outskirts of life whose mistakes carry them in the same direction: Seattle. You may not feel deeply enlightened when it's over, but you will have a bunch of laughs on the way. I don't know what happened to this film... it just slipped through the cracks and so everyone passes it off as uninteresting, but I rather thought it was one of those overlooked jewels you are glad to have discovered. The characters are eminently likable and have those appropriate, somewhat subdued emotional journeys that give the film it's real direction. Without a doubt worth the rent.

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hadman1278

I absolutely love the Jeremy Piven rant in this movie. I think he is one the most likable character actors around i.e. PCU, Heat, Very Bad Things, and of course, the aforementioned Highway. Granted not all of these flicks are cinematic gems, but in my opinion Piven shines in all.

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