Joy Ride Review by Joe (3 Stars)

Joy Ride Review by Joe (3 Stars) | MatchFlick

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Movie Details

All Movie Info

Directed By
John Dahl

Written By:
J.J. Abrams, Clay Tarver

Cast:
Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski, Stuart Stone, Basil Wallace, Brian Leckner, Jay Hernandez, Jessica Bowman

Joy Ride (2001)

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Movie Review by Joe
August 10th, 2006

The concept: well thought-out. The acting: pretty up to par. The action: good, all in all. The ending: HORRIBLE.

Joy Ride, which was directed by John Dahl (Rounders, Unforgettable) and co-written by J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Alias") had a decent plot. Two brothers from the wrong side of the streets: the twice-incarcerated for alcoholic drinking Fuller Thomas (Steve Zahn) and the 'better' of the two brothers, Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) take a road trip to head home, and along the way pick up Venna (Lelee Sobieski), whom Lewis has taken a liking to.

Along the way they use their CB radio to talk to truckers, and decide to screw around with one of the truckers, known as Rusty Nail. Lewis disguises his voice as a woman's, and tempts Rusty Nail to visit her/him at a motel room where a very disgruntled old man is staying, which is next door to their room.

The trucker takes the bait, but is none too pleased with the results. The old man ends up in a coma, his jaw totally removed. Then the trucker starts messing with Lewis and Fuller, and he seems to be stalking them on the highway.

Finally they get to Venna's college and the three start to head home, and just when things seem to be going alright, Rusty Nail comes back and stalks them some more, and now he's kidnapped Venna's college friend Charlotte (Jessica Bowman). If Lewis and Fuller don't do what the man demands, then Charlotte will die.

Rusty Nail decides to turn the tables on the two brothers and embarass them, by having them walk naked into a local diner (and something for the ladies, you get to see Paul Walker's behind...moving on...)

So things go from bad to worse for our two brother heroes as Rusty Nail kidnaps Venna and threatens to kill her unless they meet him at another hotel.

Then the ending. VERY disappointing, to say the least. Seemed like the director decided at the last minute to throw in a surprise ending, which did not make sense at all. However, on the DVD they have four different endings, all of which was better than the original theatrical ending.

The really funny part is how Venna takes charge while the two macho men pretty much cower in the corner like two little boys who just got caught with their hand on the cookie jar. And I couldn't help but laugh every time Fuller made a scared expression. Looked like the average deer-caught-in-headlights expression, and seeing that once was enough, but throughout the whole movie it kinda got old.

So Joy Ride is a good thriller movie, with a disappointing ending.

Lewis: Do you ever miss Mom and Dad?
Fuller: Yeah, I miss Mom's chocolate chip cookies, playing football with Dad on Sundays, going to... oh wait, I must have mixed my child-hood with someone else's I mean... no.

From boxofficemojo.com:

Joy Ride
Fox
Thriller
1 hr 37 min
R
Release Date: October 5, 2001
Domestic: $21,974,919
Worldwide: $36,642,838

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	Zara Mar 20, 2007 2:32 PM also wrote a review of Joy Ride
This creeped me out for a short while and then just got on my nerves from the nude scene on.

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