After reading some of the reviews on here, I'm kind of surprised that a lot of reviewers didn't like this movie. I loved it from the first time I saw it, and I still love it today. I've always liked movies that feature characters that are offbeat, unique and well, real. That's exactly what the three main characters are. They just seem like real people. Flawed, lonely people living outside of the norm. My kind of people. Alan Arkin gives a great performance as Gunny Rafferty - a retired Marine who likes to hit the bottle. Sally Kellerman is Mac, a drifter and wannabe singer. Macenzie Phillips is Frisbee, a tough-as- nails teenage runaway that shows her heart in the end. The three hit the road together and have a series of adventures that wind up changing the course of their lives. Maybe I'm weird, but this movie really touches me in a way. I guess because all three of the characters are so far out of mainstream society yet they all are interesting, funny and quirky. The funny scenes are great, not forced and to me much funnier that a lot of 70s comedy that seem to set up pratfalls so when the audience will know when to laugh. The funniest scene in the movie is when Vinnie (Alex Rocco, so great in a small part) sets a restaurant on fire to get out of paying the check. He then takes the title trio to a liquor store to get them something to drink - by stealing it! All of the actors are great in their parts - Alan Arkin shows a loneliness and longing in this movie that is very touching. Sally Kellerman portrayal of Mac, who seems to live in her own little world, is letter-perfect. Mackenzie Phillips steals all of her scenes as Frisbee, the teenage runaway. When she leaves her friends in the desert and tries to hitchhike, she's hilarious when she flips off the old, fat guy that tries to pick her up. I would file this movie in the category of a road movie or a slice-of-life movie, but to me it's a cult classic comedy that I can watch again and again. In a way, this movie reminds me of Leaving Normal, another great quirky road movie that should be more well-known. Watch this and LN together for a great road trip double feature!
Review of Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
