Tammy
We have been treated to a whole host of great road trip movies over the years, and another is set to hit the big screen this week in the form of Tammy: which marks the return of Melissa McCarthy.
To celebrate the release of the film, we take a look at some of the best and most celebrated road trip movies from Little Miss Sunshine to Thelma & Louise.
- Little Miss Sunshine
This comedy-drama road film is about a family who are determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant. They take a cross-country trip in their VW bus and many dramatic events occur along the way.
Little Miss Sunshine brings together a fine cast and while it does touch on darker themes of death and suicide the film is an uplifting and warm movie experience as it shows the importance of family.
The film works well as both a comedy and a drama and neither one suffers for the existence of the other it's hysterical without ever losing its human feel.
Little Miss Sunshine was one of the best movies to hit the big screen back in 2006, and went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
- Road Trip
Road Trip hit the big screen back in 2000, and marked the live action feature film debut of Todd Phillips: he would go on to make smash hit The Hangover nine years later.
Four friends take off on an 1800 mile road trip to retrieve an illicit tape mistakenly mailed to a girl friend.
Road Trip is a movie that is a lot of fun as well as being incredibly funny: however, if you are not really into that kind of humour, then it may not necessarily be to your taste.
However, Road Trip is a movie that you really can just kick back to and not really take very seriously. It also proved to be a great starting point for Phillips, who went on to create one of the most successful comedy franchises of all time.
- Flirting With Disaster
Written and directed by David O.Russell and starring Ben Stiller, this comedy drama film is about a young father’s search for his biological parents. After his new son is born, he cannot come to name his child until he has met his biological parents.
So, he, his wife (Nancy), and his social working in training (Tina) jet off to California to meet his birth mother, who turns out not to be his mother. They all then set off in search of his real parents, with tensions growing because of the sexual chemistry lacking between Mel and Nancy and growing between Mel and Tina.
Flirting with Disaster is a terrific dark comedy that sees a very talented cast, which also includes tea Leoni, Patricia Arquette, and Alan Alda all on top comedic form.
Flirting With Disaster is movie that explores the idea of sex and marriage as well as sociology vs. biology, as well as being laugh out loud funny.
- Dumb and Dumber
Starring comedy genius’ Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, this film is about two dim-witted friends who set out on a cross-country trip to Aspen, Colorado to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, in order to impress the lady who left it at the airport. However, criminals are after the same briefcase.
Dumb and Dumber really is a stupid comedy, which is elevated by the performances of its main actors: particularly Carrey and Daniels.
Yes, this is a gross out comedy film from the Farrelly Brothers, but Dumb and Dumber is packed with memorable scenes as well as some incredibly quotable lines.
Next year, Dumb and Dumber will celebrate its 20th anniversary - yes, it was released back 1995 - and Lloyd and Harry will be back later this year with Dumb and Dumber To.
- Due Date
This is a comedy road film, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. We follow Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) who must find a way to LA in five days to be at the birth of his firstborn. However, he is put on the “no-fly” list when his luggage and wallet are sent to LA without him.
In desperate need of getting home, he agrees to hitch a ride with Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) to drive him cross-country. Peter is about to encounter the most terrifying and agonizing journey of his life…
Due Date is the second Todd Phillips directed film on the list, as saw him reunite with Galifianakis, while working with Downey Jr for the first time.
Downey Jr is on top comedic form in the film, and there are some great laugh out loud moments: Galifianakis going over the speed bumps and drinking the ashes are the couple that really do spring to mind.
- We’re The Millers
This comedy film follows the story of David, small-time pot dealer who is forced by his boss to go to Mexico to pick up a load of marijuana.
In order to make it past the border, David asks broke stripper and neighbour and two local teenagers to join him and pretend they are on a family holiday.
We’re The Millers was one of the most successful comedy movies of 2013, and brought together a great cast that included Jenifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter and Ed Helms.
It is this cast that really makes this film there is a genuine chemistry between Aniston, Sudeikis, Roberts and Poulter as the four strangers thrown together as a pretend family. In this ’family’ they all find something that they didn’t know they were looking for.
Of course, the movie does stray to the ridiculous at times, but that doesn’t mean that We’re The Millers is a lot of fun.
- Thelma & Louise
Geena Davis (Thelma) and Susan Sarandon (Louise) star in this adventure film with Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen and Brat Pitt in supporting roles. Louise shoots a man who tried to rape Thelma, and they make a run for it, but are soon followed closely by a policeman who is sympathetic to their plight.
However, the federal authorities are less sympathetic and thus a cross-country chase ensues for the two fugitives. Along their journey, both women rediscover the strength of their friendship and surprising aspects of their personalities and self-strengths in the trying times.
Thelma & Louise may have been released back in 1991, but it remains one of the greatest road trip movies of all time: largely thanks to a great script and terrific performances from Sarandon and Davis.
Ridley Scott is in the director’s chair, and really mixes the comedy and action elements of this movie so well. Thelma & Louise really is a poignant story that is so much more than a road trip film.
Tammy is released in UK cinemas on the 4th July 2014.
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