Motorama (1991)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Barry Shils

Writer (WGA):

Joseph Minion (written by)

Release Date:

13 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Most kids can't wait to get their driver's license. Ten-year-old Gus didn't.

Plot:

A ten year old boy gets tired of life with abusive parents and cashes in his piggy bank and steals a Mustang...

Plot Keywords:

Juvenile Delinquent | American Dream | Absurd | Mysterious Truck | Child Driving Car

Cast

Jordan Christopher Michael	...	Gus
Martha Quinn	...	Bank Teller
Michael Naegel	...	Boy at Wagon Wheel
Susan Tyrrell	...	Bartender
Harper Flaherty	...	Old Man at Wagon Wheel
John Laughlin	...	Man at Wagon Wheel
Kurt Bryant	...	Another Man
John Diehl	...	Phil
Robert Picardo	...	Jerry the Policeman
Jack Nance	...	Motel Clerk
Cynthia King	...	Girl in Backseat (as Cynthia R. King)
Garrett Morris	...	Andy
Michael J. Pollard	...	Lou
Flea	...	Busboy
Sandy Baron	...	Kidnapping Husband

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (#31183) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Glen Canyon, Utah, USA

Company:

Planet Productions

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Phil is running down the road chasing after his kite, two crewmembers are visible at the bottom left-hand side of the screen, running ahead of him, flying the kite that is supposed to be blowing away.

Quotes:

Fantasy Girl: Motorama... Motorama, Gus. You won, you did it!

Movie Connections:

Featured in I Don't Know Jack (2002)

Soundtrack:

Blue Water

An entertaining surreal road movie

This is an entertaining surreal road movie. It was written by Joseph Minion, who also wrote After Hours, Martin Scorsese's excellent surreal film. The film follows the adventures of a ten-year-old kid named Gus, who drives a red Ford Mustang across some fictional states with names like Tristana (A tribute to Luis Buñuel's film, perhaps?), Essex & South Lyndon, in search of eight elusive Motorama game cards from various Chimera Company gas stations. The film has a surreal feel to it because a lot of the things are unusual, like the money for instance, which is like blank paper with numbers on.

Most of the characters are nasty to Gus on his trip. They tattoo him, punch him, but this doesn't stop the kid on his relentless quest. Some oddball actors like David Lynch incumbent Jack Nance, Meat Loaf & Flea also make appearances. Jack Nance plays a motel owner, who when he first meets Gus tells him, "If you see any squirrels, give them to me". This is a movie where a man and his wife abandon their young children because the man owes Gus $100; and a mother encourages her son to raise his voice louder while speaking rudely. If you're a fan of Twin Peaks and surreal movies, you'll like this. An odd little gem of a movie.