...or as film historian Matthew Sweet has just called it - intoxicatingly drab. It's a steal from The Postman Always Rings Twice. Marilyn is married to an older man who owns a petrol station and a cafe. But she prefers garage hand Maxwell Reed, despite his ridiculous grease paint eyebrows. Her husband comes home unexpectedly from a business trip and threatens her - her boyfriend hits him and wouldn't you know it, he hits his head on the edge of a table like they always do. A passing motorist guesses there's some funny business going on, but he fancies Marilyn and he helps her turn the cafe into an "American bar". Which attracts a groovy young crowd despite being on the side of a lonely road in the middle of nowhere. He continues to pursue Marilyn, offering her everything she's always wanted. Meanwhile in the background is Marilyn's creepily devoted maid, Rose. You can tell it's going to end in tears. The location is brilliant - the tacky bar and the shabby Victorian house as a setting for Marilyn, who is ultra glamorous - as they used to say back then. Unfortunately the direction and acting are pretty dire. Reed was always wooden (though appealing). The playboy/spiv seems to have wandered in from the local amateur troupe. Even Vida Hope as Rose struggles -- not surprising since she's given nothing to do except express sickly adoration. (Hard to do when you're a natural comedienne.) Have a listen to the script, though, it's a lot cleverer than the cast make it sound.
Review of Roadhouse Girl
