ROAD TRIP FILMS | fivethreeninety

If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while, you’ll remember back in February I uploaded a blog post all about bad drivers in film & television, after failing my driving test. If I’d passed that test, I would have instead written about some great road trip movies in celebration. Today, that post is finally coming to you – I passed my driving test!

I’m so so so happy, I worked really hard this time & it totally paid off. I’m so excited to go off & adventure, so while I’m off doing that here’s some brilliant driving themed films for you to watch:

Little Miss Sunshine
2006
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris.
Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano & Alan Arkin

I’ve talked about this film a million times over on this blog but I can’t leave it out of this post. It’s about a little girl named Olive, who gets a last minute place in the final of beauty pageant Little Miss Sunshine. Only problem is, it’s a few states over, so the family decides the only thing they can do is pack up & drive in their old yellow VW camper van. It’s the most amazing film that makes you laugh & makes you cry – last time I watched it I cried less then three minutes in, & that was just from looking at Steve Carell’s face. EVERYONE should watch this.

Thelma & Louise
1991
Ridley Scott
Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis

ICONIC is the only way to describe this film. Everybody knows this film, about a housewife & a waitress on the run in a beautiful car after shooting a rapist. I don’t even need to elaborate on that. Just please please watch it. There’s also a very nice looking Brad Pitt in there somewhere…

Zombieland
2009
Ruben Fleischer
Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin 

I will never get tired of this film. It’s post-apocalyptic America, & a social recluse student is trying to get back to his family in Columbus Ohio. He joins forces with an aggressive, zombie-murdering guy looking for America’s last Twinkie, & two sisters trying to get to an infamous theme park. It’s so clever, with such an original style to it that made it an instant cult classic. The cast is incredible & completely iconic now, & there’s the best celebrity cameo of all time – Bill Murray playing HIMSELF. Actually my favourite thing to happen EVER.

We’re the Millers
2013
Dawson Marshall Thurber
Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter

Okay. So, David is a pot dealer who gets jumped one night & looses all his stash & money. His distributer obviously isn’t happy, but offers him a way to redeem himself – he has to collect weed from Mexico & get it back over the border in less than a week, & he’ll pay him $100,000. David doesn’t really have much of a choice so he agrees, & gets a plan together to smuggle the huge amount of weed into the US. To be as unsuspicious as possible he gets together two of his neighbours & a girl off the streets to pose as his family, then they set out in a huge RV. The cast is amazing & it’s so so funny, please watch it.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
Lorene Scafaria
Steve Carell, Kiera Knightley

With an astroid heading straight towards us, Earth is given three weeks left. Lead character Dodge finds himself alone after his wife leaves him in a panic, & decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. His neighbour Penny ends up tagging along with him & together they find friendship in their last weeks alive. It’s such a lovely film that was really underrated, & definitely deserves a watch because both actors are incredible & it’s just one of those happy-sad films that makes your heart feel really full.

The Blues Brothers
1980
John Landis
John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd

I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen this film yet. I just know that if I don’t include it in this list my mum will be very upset. It’s about Jake Blues who’s just out from prison & just learnt that the Catholic home where he & his brother Elwood were raised is in danger of being sold. To save it, the brothers decide to get their old blues band back together to raise the money to keep it from the education authority. I know it’s a complete cult classic & loved by many so it’s definitely on my list of films to watch in the near future.

I also asked my mum why she loves it & this is what she said:

The Muppets
2011
James Bobin
Amy Adams, Jason Segel

Actually incredible. The Muppets comeback film is about Walter, a Muppet fanatic who finally gets to meet all his heroes when he becomes the one that can save the Muppet Theatre. Along with his best friend Gary & his fiancé Mary, he gets the whole gang of Muppets back together to but on one huge show to stop the bad guys once & for all. There is so much heart to it & it’s so lovable, & I even cried in the first ten minutes just because of how much the Muppets meant to Walter.

Two for the Road
1967
Stanley Donen
Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney

This is a favourite Audrey Hepburn film because it’s such a beautiful & creativity told story. It follows a couple (Joanna & Mark) across the last decade of their life spent together from the road, in a variety of cars through a variety of years. The characters are so brilliant, Joanne as the feisty & strong woman especially – & Audrey is amazing as her.

Mad Max: Fury Road
2015
George Miller
Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy

The best thing about this is the amount of women all involved in an action film. It’s about a woman named Imperator Furiosa, who rebels against the tyrannical ruler of a postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land. She’s helped by of a group of badass female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max. It has some incredible shots, really stunning because as much as possible was done with real effects instead of CGI. Amazing costumes too.
I think we discovered that to made a road trip film successful you need either Steve Carell or Abigail Breslin – have both & it’s incredible. If you haven’t seen any of these films, then sit down & change that soon.

For anyone that’s learning to drive, has their test soon, or just failed a test; just keep trying & you’ll get there.