Neal Oliver (James Marsden) has been offered the chance of a lifetime; to find his meaning of life, and to get the girl of his dreams. While having problems at home with his father, who wants him to pursue a career in law, Neal has chosen the artistic route; a career path his father does not approve of. By luck, pure coincidence or maybe even destiny, Neal meets up with Ray (Christopher Lloyd) who hires him to deliver a package to the city of Danver. The package itself, its contents unknown. Neal accepts Ray’s gracious offer, and embarks on his journey, onto the uncharted Interstate 60… a highway that doesn t exist on any map.
Guided by billboards, with the girl of his dreams on every one of them, Neal comes upon his first hitch-hiking friend, O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman). After a brief conversation, Neal discovers that his journey may be the cause of Grant; from which he as granted a wish, that he may or may not have asked for.
Cruising down the road as he passes Americana, he meets up with some of the most interesting characters. One of which, is Bob Cody (Chris Cooper). Bob is one of the greatest characters I ve ever seen; tough, honest, hates liars, and has an “explosive” temper if you get on his bad side. Amy Jo Johnson, the girl who is looking for the sexual experience of a lifetime. And then there was the town where all of its citizens are utilized to do work, in return for a highly addictive new drug. All enforced within the law, by the Libertarian Sheriff (Kurt Russell).
Neal eventually gets into a little trouble, as he ends up in a town run by Lawyers. Incarcerated, it looks as if he’s reached the end of his adventures on I-60. Then, he meets her. The Girl (Amy Smart) of his dreams, who is also trapped in litigation hell. Neal gets help from his old pal, Bob Cody to get him and The Girl out, and they re off. Or are they? Neal seems to get himself into another predicament, as he is now being pursued by the police. After escaping from what seemed to be his ill-fated doom, Neal has finally awaken, realizing that he must choose his own path in life, and not to try and please everyone else, like his father.
“I-60” has good intentions, and definitely has a message to it, or at least I saw it that way. But it’s also a lot of fun. Director Bob Gale, for what I see anyways, has not followed the conventional rules of movie-making, and instead given us a really different and yet refreshing story, with enchanting characters. What I really liked most about “I-60”, was that it felt like a movie that hasn t been made in over a decade; a picture with a 1980 s fantasy-feel to it; the way Hollywood used to make movies during that era, but keeping it fresh for todays modern audience.
What I disliked about the film, was not the film itself, but was that I saw it at the San Diego Comic Con, on a small non-theatrical screen, a lousy sound system, and people talking throughout the movie. The film hits theaters in November, as I plan to see it again, in the proper environment.
The best way I can sum up “I-60”, is if the Spielberg-produced television series “Amazing Stories” had branched off into a movie franchise, as the latter Zemeckis produced “Tales From the Crypt” series did, “I-60” would have to be the perfect candidate.
