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DVD Tuesday: Reese Witherspoon Takes a Spin in Freeway
Freeway courtesy Republic Pictures
DVD Tuesday: Before she was Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon, she was a modern-day Red Riding Hood in Freeway
Once upon a time there was an underaged trailer-trash chippie named Vanessa Lutz (Witherspoon), who hit the road when her mom and stepdad get arrested, hoping to crash with her grandma until social services forgets about trying to get her into the system. But there are big bad wolves prowling the freeway, like serial killer Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland, looking suitably lupine). Little lost girls, beware!
Writer-director Matthew Bright's modern-day fairy tale Freeway is a blast, and Witherspoon is flawless casting as Vanessa: She's so tiny she looks convincingly vulnerable, but that little bulldog jaw tells you that she's tougher than she looks... and is she ever. Bright clearly saw the same steely determination that served Witherspoon so well in the role of Election's (1999) high-school overachiever Tracy Flick, but he saw it sooner. And I have to say, the twists and turns of Bright's plot really are cruelly spectacular.
I like contemporary spins on fairy-tale narratives, which may be why I'm one of the few people who adored the much-reviled Running Scared (2006). But Freeway is the cream of the crop: It puts a genuinely clever spin on one of the most familiar fairy tales of them all and has a great cast, including Brooke Shields as Wolverton's wife and Amanda Plummer and Michael T. Weiss as Vanessa's junkie parents, plus Dan Hedaya, Brittany Murphy, Bokeem Woodbine, Tara Subkoff and Alanna Ubach in various small roles.
It may not be on the short list of favorite films that Witherspoon mentions in interviews (OK, it absolutely isn't), but I highly recommend it!
Things to consider:
What's your favorite "skeleton in the closet" movie — something a now-famous star made when he or she was just starting out? How about:
Tom Hanks in the slasher flick He Knows You're Alone (1980)?
Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) or future Medium Patricia Arquette in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)?
Kevin Bacon getting skewered in the original Friday the 13th (1980)?
Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger in Texas Chaimnsaw Massacre: The New Generation (1994)?
Sound off!
Send your movie questions to FlickChick.
Hear Maitland on the weekly podcast TV Guide Talk.
See Maitland MFriday the 13thcDonagh and Ken Fox review this week's new flicks on the Movie Talk vodcast.
Previously in DVD Tuesday:
A Mighty Wind
It's a Wonderful Life
Waitress
Laura
Cop
All About Eve
Severance
Sweet Smell of Success
Daughters of Darkness
The Crazies
Blade Runner
Zodiac
Manhunter
A Simple Plan
Taxi Driver
Renaissance
Blowup
Hot Fuzz
300
Ace in the Hole
Eyes Without a Face
Apocalypto
Citizen Kane
La Jetée
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
Bob le Flambeur
Near Dark
Perfect Blue
Pan's Labyrinth
Les Girls
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
The Queen
Expresso Bongo
I'm Not Scared
Shocking Grindhouse Double Bill! — Scanners and The Candy Snatchers
Don't Look Now
Re-Animator
Casino Royale
Pi
The Prestige
13 Tzameti
The Departed
Suspiria
Kiss and Make Up
Kiss Me Deadly
The Long Good Friday
What Alice Found
The Devil's Backbone
The Descent
The Devil Wears Prada
Pandora's Box
The Thief and the Cobbler
Nashville
Panic in the Streets/Jack Palance Interview
The Pusher Trilogy
Scarface
Slither
Sunset Blvd.
In Cold Blood
Brick
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Jan 8, 2008 5:51 PM
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Freeway is my favorite Reese Witherspoon movie. She's just so raw in it and, as you mentioned, it's a great retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story. Haha of course I've got to give props to Kiefer's wicked performance.
I'm blanking right now on any other "skeleton" performances that've stood out to me. Well, except for Rocky Horror and Susan Sarandon.
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Jan 9, 2008 2:07 AM
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Freeway is an all-time favorite. I'd recommend it as part of a double feature with Outside Providence.
My favorite skeleton appearance is from TV. That would be Jack Nicholson on the Andy Griffith Show as the frantic parent of a missing child. As for movies I'd have to say it'd be Jack again in either the Raven or Little Shop Of Horrors but it may be because, like sepulchrave, I'm just blanking out right now. Which brings me to a question:
Early in her career, wasn't Minnie Driver in a film (Australian maybe?) about three friends who were crazy about ABBA? Anyone have a clue?
Thanks.
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Jan 9, 2008 2:40 AM
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Hi DaMess,
Jack Nicholson appeared in another Andy Griffith episode playing a defendent on trial. Aunt Bee was the only jury member who believed he was innocent and persuaded the other jury members to acquit him, ala Henry Fonda's character in 12 Angry Men.
After I had seen the 1980's version of Little Shop of Horrors, I watched the original with Jack Nicholson. It was great fun watching him so early in his career.
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Jan 9, 2008 3:50 AM
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Ok, I'm sorry, but I have to protest. Freeway is AWFUL. I mean, really, brutally, painstakingly terrible. I like some good exploitation flicks as much as anyone, but a creepy-ass Kiefer Sutherland asking Reese Witherspoon whether her stepfather ever used her as a toilet is just way, way not cool. Although, things like that wouldn't really have been a problem if it had been, you know, well written, acted and directed. Too bad it's not any of those things.
For the first time in my entire life (I assure, I'm usually quite depraved) I'm going to stand up for some basic human decency! Down with Freeway!
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Jan 9, 2008 4:13 AM
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I agree with you on "Freeway" - it is a minor masterpiece of its genre, and Reese Witherspoon is terrific.
As to "skeleton in the closet" appearances, my favorite will always be George Clooney in "Return of the Killer Tomatoes", a film that is WAY better than it ought to be.
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Jan 9, 2008 8:39 AM
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Freeway and Election are why I mourn Reese Witherspoon. The girl in those movies was forceful, sharp, original and, as David Thomson put it "helplessly dangerous." But then with the stupid Legally Blondes she found the love of the masses and that girl went into hiding and will probably never re-emerge. Saddest proof of this is Vanity Fair. The Reese of Freeway and Election would have made a terrific Becky Sharp (one of the greatest wicked female characters in literature). Instead we got America's Newest Sweetheart as Becky Semi-Soft.
Skeleton appearances: there was a film made of the wild Broadway farce The Ritz made in the late 70s. Hijinx in a gay bathouse, starring Rita Moreno and a very young (and blonde) Treat Williams. All of the extras are men draped in towels leering at the principals. One of the oglers is clearly Cliff Claven - John Ratzenberger of Cheers.
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Jan 9, 2008 10:08 AM
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Dude, Freeway was absolutely hysterical. I love that movie! A friend of mine asked me to watch it and I lmao. That scene in the courtroom when Bob came in in the wheelchair gets me every time. Reese Witherspoon is one fierce chick.
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Jan 9, 2008 10:49 AM
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I am thrilled to hear from so many Freeway fans, and I really hope that the combination of their enthusiasm and my recommendation will encourage others to check out this early piece of Reese, before the studio system tamed her.
Oskar -- I respect your dissenting opinion; from reading your posts in the past, I know you're a movie lover with eclectic tastes and interests. But for me, the moment you mention seems explicitely designed to expose the beast beneath Wolverton's smooth, good-citizen veneer. Perhaps we'll have to agree to disagree...
Marci -- Amazingly enough, I -- who haven't seen more than a handful of episodes of the Andy Griffin Show in my whole life -- have actually seen the one you mention, and I was amazed. As I recall, Nicholson's character is accused of stealing a radio and popular snetiment is that he's one of those juvenile delinquents, so he must have done it. Jack Nicholson as a juvenile delinquent!
And finally, I'm not sure I'd class this as a skeleton, because I think it's a terrific movie, but it always amazes me to see an incredibly young Dennis Hopper in the recently departed Curtis Harrington's Night Tide.
Night Tide is a melancholy, atmospheric riff on Cat People, and Harrington was a film buff, critic and experimental filmmaker -- his early associates included Kenneth Anger and Maya Deren -- who wound up making a career in horror and fantasy films for TV and theaters. If you've never seen Night Tide, I highly recommend giving it a look.
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Jan 9, 2008 11:20 AM
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Hi Maitland,
Jack Nicholson as a juvenile delinquent! Who'd a thunk it, eh?
Cat People (1942), produced by Val Lewton, is one of my favorite movies. Lewton produced many "horror" movies in the 1940's. In place of the gore we see in today's horror films, he made brilliant use of black and white cinematography to produce dread and suspense and keep the audiences on the edge of their chairs.
There is a documentary about Lewton on Turner Classic Movies this coming Monday at 5:00 PM (Pacific Time). The documentary is followed by The Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie (1943), repeat showing of the documentary, The Leopard Man (1943), The Seventh Victim (1943), The Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Body Snatcher (1945), Isle of the Dead (1945), and Bedlam (1946).
The broadcast times for your time zone can be found on the TCM web site. I have my DVR all set.
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Jan 9, 2008 12:11 PM
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skeleton in the closet:" movie
How about Forest Whitaker in VISION QUEST (1985)or even BLOODSPORT(1988). In both movies he played bit parts but was easily recognizeable!
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Jan 9, 2008 12:39 PM
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I'm looking forward to that Lewton documentary too, Marci. Scorcese is narrating and I'll bet he won't be able to resist my favorite bit of Lewton trivia:
Orson Welle's The Magnificent Ambersons (a great favorite of mine) didn't make much money upon its first release so rather than strike the expensive sets RKO recycled bits and pieces of them in their lower budget productions. Several of the Lewton classics (most notably Cat People and Seventh Victim) feature cameo appearances by the great Amberson staircase.
Not exactly a skeleton appearance, but.....skeletal?
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Jan 9, 2008 12:53 PM
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mirakle58 - Thanks for that interesting bit of trivia. I love the Magnificent Ambersons too.
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Jan 9, 2008 12:57 PM
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Maitland - "Eclectic" movie-tastes, I like that! It's much nicer than to say that I totally pull my opinions out of my derriere, which is the unkind euphemism my friends use 
I seem to be in the minority here, but I guess that's natural; Freeway is the kind of movie you either love or hate with a passion. It's certainly a movie where reasonable people can disagree.
As for "In the the closet"-movies, I can't really think of any that hasn't been mentioned (although I would agree with Oscar Gordon (hey, there's two of us!) about the Killer Tomatoes). I mean, it's not like you could say that The Mask is Cameron Diaz' closet movies, since lets face it: she hasn't really gotten all that much better.
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Jan 9, 2008 1:11 PM
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A few of the skeleton roles I can think of off-hand:
Jennifer Aniston in "Leprecaun."
Naomi Watts in Children of the Corn part III or IV.. not sure which... Does it matter? LOL!
Brad Pitt in "Cutting Class." Another horror stinker...
Demi Moore in "Parasite"... about killer worms... nuff said...
Katherine Heigl in "Bride of Chucky."
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Jan 9, 2008 1:26 PM
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