| One of those movies that helped usher out the era of action films that had plots that made any sense (and also helped reverse the direction of Patrick Swayze's career arc), Road House concerns a handsome, existential bouncer in a rinky-dink honky-tonk who owns both a degree in philosophy and a Mercedes. And that's perhaps the most believable aspect of the whole movie. Swayze stars as Dalton, "the best bouncer in the business," who runs afoul of Wesley (Ben Gazzara), the meanest SOB round these parts, by taking up with his former girlfriend, Doc (Kelly Lynch)--the only woman in town with an IQ approaching double digits, even if she had unfathomably hooked up with such a lowlife. Swayze had complained about being typecast as beefcake when this was made, but that didn't stop him from revealing as much skin as possible--even guys like him, as revealed in a luridly seedy scene in which one of Wesley's goons tells Dalton that he reminds him of the kind of boyfriend he had in prison (albeit in much saltier terms). It's so insulting to its audience that it's nice to be able to turn the tables and laugh at the filmmakers. --David Kronke |
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 Nothing like a quick stop @ the Roadhouse |
| Review Date: August 14, 2005 |
| Reviewer: D. Roberts, Battle Creek, Michigan United States |
To avoid any confusion, by rating this movie 5 stars I am NOT suggesting that it is in the same league as GLADIATOR, THE LORD OF THE RINGS (trilogy), GONE WITH THE WIND or any other top-calibre flick. However, this film doesn't try to compete with the likes of top-rated movies, and that's the beauty of it.
The story is based on a top-notch bar bouncer (Patrick Swayze) who is compelled to call in his old mentor (Sam Elliot) for an especially tough project. Instead of just busting heads and throwing hoodlums out of the bar, these guys end up having to save the whole town!
This is a B-movie all the way. In my opinion, it COULD be the greatest B-movie of all time. In short, despite being stupid it is also immensely entertaining. The plot is contrived. There are aspects of it that are way, way beyond being remotely believable. It seems the whole movie was inspired by pushing the envelope on the concept of the bar brawl.
Despite its limited plot, the DVD is surprisingly watchable. I've seen it at least 4 times and it's always fun to re-watch. Patrick Swazye's considerable acting talents are wasted in this farce, but that's OK. The film contains a nice sampling of gratuitous nudity, and Kelly Lynch is not exactly hard on the eyes.
So, if you want to watch a movie with minimum seriousness and maximum action, hang a left into the Roadhouse tonight. You won't be disappointed. |
Road House + RiffTrax = Comedy Gold
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| Review Date: August 2, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Rawi Hago, Miami, FL |
Road House mania has finally hit in 2006! Not only has this movie, which has been to late night TBS what Whoopi Goldberg is to Hollywood Squares, finally been reissued in a special edition, but now Mike Nelson from MST3K has released a RiffTrax for it! Road House was long acknowledged as a target that Nelson and the 'bots wished they could skewer on MST3K and he finally got his wish.
Listen, Road House is great. Tinker, Sam Elliot (voice of the beef council) and the oh so creepy owner of the Double Deuce are some of the best characters to ever populate small town Missouri. But watching it with Nelson's RiffTrax playing in the background took the unintentional (i think?) comedy of Road House to an entirely new level. Nelson is both knowledgable and funny, the kind of guy you wish your friends were as clever as. If we are ever blessed with a 20th anniversary edition of Road House, I would hope that Nelson's riffing can be included, because I can't imagine watching this movie again without it.
Check it out: http://www.rifftrax.com |
"RED WEST IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE!!!"
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| Review Date: December 14, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Chari Krishnan, Tango2200@Hotmail.Com |
| I couldn't believe my eyes last night when I was watching ALL THE KING'S MEN:THE SECRET LIFE OF ELVIS, about Elvis' so-called Memphis Mafia, when I got so fascinated by these men and their behind-the-scenes stories about the King, and then one of them started to look familiar..."Wait a minute!" I thought, "That red headed man looks like the guy from ROADHOUSE!!!" I remembered hearing about Red West years ago but I didn't know he was an actor and so I just looked him up on the cast list for ROADHOUSE and there he was! This is an entertaining movie, with a good hero, terrific supporting actors, and Ben Gazzara is just right as the small town mean rich guy! The women are attractive, and the bar scenes are a lot of fun, too. I just wish the story had been written to lead to a sequel, and that Sam Elliot hadn't been killed off, as he and Swayze worked well together. The photography is excellent, and there are several unusual character actors. And one other thing... RED WEST IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE!!! |
So BAD it's a MASTERPIECE
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| Review Date: May 22, 2003 |
| Reviewer: Matt Heller, Chicago, IL United States |
| This is an all-time classic B-movie that's so incredibly stupid that it transcends stupidity and attains cinematic greatness. I actually think this movie had to have been written with this goal in mind. I'm not sure (even in Hollywood) that anyone could have written this nonsense and expected an audience to watch it with a straight face. Watch the movie with lots of friends, have several cocktails, and make fun of the endless classic scenes involving monster trucks driving through car showrooms, bar fights where they "sweep up the eyeballs after closing", a bouncer with a master's in philosophy who spouts such pearls of wisdom like "Pain don't hurt" and carries around his own medical files to save time in ER. Brilliant stupidity! |
a thinking man's action film
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| Review Date: June 9, 1999 |
| Reviewer: , |
| This is perhaps the most sophisticated action film ever made. It is a mixture of rugged sensuality and brutal naturalism. Swayze is at the top of his game and Lynch gives a persuasive, dynamic performance. The action, characters, and plot interweave perfectly. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes their action mingled with philosophy. |
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