Roadhouse 66 (1984) User Reviews

Better than I expected .................

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 25 January 2010]

Willem Dafoe plays a drifter who quit the music business after his band partner was killed in a car accident. Judge Reinhold is the stereotypical rich kid from back east, driving his 55 T.Bird. These two meet up in the Arizona desert and spend some time in a small town because of car trouble. There they are harassed by a trio of local goons, and are attracted to a couple of cute blonde sisters. The acting is good, the location photography is stunning, the 57 Chevy, 55 Thunderbird, 55 Chevy, 59 Caddy and 66 Mustang are great, there is even a touch of nudity, along with some terrific rockabilly tunes. "Roadhouse 66" is definitely above average entertainment. If you can sit back and just enjoy the ride, this movie will not disappoint. - MERK

This movie never seems to get going and the script just kind of lays there.

[AlsExGal · 4/10 · 11 September 2018]

Judge Reinhold stars as a rich kid driving his new Thunderbird from school in California down to Florida to commence work in his dad's restaurant business. A car with three roughnecks drives by and shoots a hole in his radiator, and a passing hitchhiker (Willem Dafoe) helps get the car running again. They only make it to the next small town in Arizona, where they have to replace the damaged part. They meet a pair of bored sisters who start up a romance, and the new friends run into the three roughnecks again, who happen to be the town troublemakers. Bar brawls, hot rod races and 50's style rock n roll fill out the running time. Also with Kaaren Lee, Kate Vernon, Stephen Elliott, Alan Autry, Kevyn Major Howard, Peter Van Norden, and the Western Union Man as himself.

Taken as a character study, it still lacks enough interest to make the effort worthwhile. Reinhold is decent doing his usual naive good guy act, while Dafoe unfortunately doesn't add his usual intensity. Filmed in Kingman, Arizona.

Pick up her suitcase, put it in the car, and get outta here.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 14 August 2010]

One can easily see why Judge Reinhold was cast in the role of Det. William 'Billy' Rosewood in Beverly Hills Cop. This movie, which came out the same year, but was probably made earlier has the same character exactly. It is a real treat seeing him in the role of clueless rich kid. Maybe he gave up on the idea of running Pork Boy franchises and went straight to Beverly Hills for a job.

I always enjoy Willem Dafoe, and I really like his character here. You even get to hear him sing. He does his best work with Kaaren Lee, while Judge is taking care of Kate Vernon.

Great soundtrack and a predictable ending. It even has Stomper (Kevyn Major Howard) from Death Wish II, and 'Bubba' Skinner (Alan Autry) from "In the Heat of the Night".

The 66 Classic was not the most exciting race I have ever seen, but certainly the most scenic. Makes me want to head to Oatman, AZ right now.

Historic location

[lellison · 3 November 2004]

Besides being just a fun to watch movie, the on-location filming includes an area of historic significance. Although the location is listed as Kingman, it includes a race sequence to the old gold mining settlement of Oatman, AZ. I recognized many of the landmarks during the race, as well as the community of Oatman. The race turn around point (straw bales) is at the south end of town. The road race is on the original "Route 66", now known on the maps as CR10. It crosses a flat and winds up into the Black Mountains to Sitgreaves Pass, and down into Oatman. The Black Mountains were a significant obstacle to the many who motored west during the great depression, due to steep grades and sharp curves.

Any trip on I40 passing Kingman, AZ should include a side trip through the tourist town of Oatman, which welcomes visitors and is truly a step into the past. Very few sections of Route 66 still exist that are as beautiful as this road. In the bargain, you can see (and stay in) the room in the Oatman Hotel where movie stars Clark Gable and Carol Lombard stayed on their honeymoon in 1939. Several other movies were filmed in Oatman.

Enjoy this fun movie, and enjoy the filming location if you get a chance. You will remember the race sequence from "Roadhouse 66" when you travel this road from Kingman to Oatman.

Dafoe kicks butt in the roadhouse

[PeterMitchell-506-564364 · 5/10 · 16 January 2013]

I'll be fair here, this is just a time passer. I enjoyed it more, when I first saw it back in 85. It's when I first watched Willem Dafoe who's become my favorite actor, but later I realized he was in Streets Of Fire as the lead thug. Now I remember. His performance was done with a intensity of evil when looking back on "Street's" that I really haven't watched since I first saw it in 84. With this one, that wouldn't have a chance at the cinema, he plays a retired rockin' roll singer Johnny Hart who has his reasons, for getting out. Standing in the middle of the road, just like John "Hitcher" Ryder, he's nearly run down by college guy, Reinhold, who's trying to outrun these local thugs, lead by a bad boy Hoot, (Alan Autry) who shoots out his radiator. He's met by drifter Dafoe, who when asked his reasons for standing in the middle of the road, he just answers with a brief smile. For Reinhold this is only the start of conflict, between him and the thugs, who reappear at this Roadhouse that functions at a bar, diner etc. Things escalate into more serious problems for them, when the local car wrecker, who caught Reinhold and Dafoe using one of their cars as a place of sleep, is burnt to death in his shed. All fingers point guiltily to Reinhold, as if he's responsible for the whole catastrophe, where Dafoe and him, plus their girlfriends (who are sisters), were using the shed to rebuild one of the cars for the big town race. Granted, this is the most exciting part of the movie, Hoot resorting to dirty play, before and during the race. Alan Autry gives probably the best performance of the film, and sexy Kate Vernon is good as Reinhold's girl. Dafoe sings a rock song in this too, where he met upon by an old buddy, though I doubt it's really him. In between these two things we have a stick fight between Dafoe and Autry which was pretty cool, where the old lady running the place intervenes with her gun, before they tear up the establishment. So Dafoe redeems himself with this song, that I wish I could get a hold on, plus the one at the start. Roadhouse 66 has a nice ending too, where we don't really know if hoot dies. The movie's no real feat, with no real potency, but still it's a good yarn, but movie wise, fair.

Buddy road picture features nice character work

[dave13-1 · 6/10 · 11 April 2012]

The box copy hints that this is an action-comedy adventure, but don't be fooled. There really isn't much comedy and the action is pretty intermittent for an adventure movie, but the two lead performances make the exercise watchable. Spoiled preppie Judge Reinhold and cool drifter Willem Dafoe make a likable mismatched pair of traveling buddies, and once you get past the odd logic that Dafoe as Johnny would bother taking his social opposite under his wing to show him the rules of survival on the road, the movie passes pleasantly. The wide open, largely empty desert makes a nice setting and is well used as a place of isolation, where a philosophical loner like Johnny can find solitude to think. The viewer gets slowly sucked into Johnny's view of the world and begins to cheer Reinhold in his philosophical make-over, and leaves with a positive glow. The movie is neither particularly striking or memorable visually, but the chemistry between the two actors makes the time pass amiably and it can be revisited to get back the same good feeling. This is one of those movies that is more a mood altering substance than entertainment, but as such it's nice.

Poor Casting

[Lechuguilla · 4/10 · 21 June 2017]

A rich city boy from back East named Beckman (Judge Reinhold) encounters local bullies in the form of rural Arizona rednecks as he drives west through the desert. Together with his hitchhiking companion, Johnny (Willem Dafoe), the two buddies function as updated characters to Buz and Todd, from the old television series "Route 66". I never saw the TV series, but it must surely have been better than "Roadhouse 66".

A lot of the screen time takes place in or near this roadhouse, a local greasy spoon, where guys play pool, a local band livens things up with blue-suede songs, and the manager is a savvy, streetwise gal who reminds me of actress Ida Lupino. The plot has Beckman and Johnny meeting some local babes and fighting the bullies in the cafe.

The best thing the film has going for it is that it was filmed entirely on-location in Arizona; and there's no CGI. The desert scenery is nice. And I like the performance of the café manager who doesn't suffer fools gladly, having been one herself when previously married to the star bully.

But like the town itself, the film is boring. Not a lot happens here. Original songs are blah and forgettable for the most part. And the ending is predictable. But the worst element is the casting of the two leads. I can't take Judge Reinhold seriously as an actor. He always reminds me of those irritatingly lightweight "comedies" of the 1980s. I also dislike his geeky persona and annoying smirk. Willem Dafoe carries around the same irritating regional accent in all movies I have seen him in. At least he had the smarts to avoid a career as a singer. This film shows why.

This is a below average buddy/road film. For some viewers, and depending on their mood, it may help pass the time. Oh, and the prod design for the greasy spoon is not realistic, owing to the absence of a major component ... flies.

Hot Rod Man

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 26 August 2004]

****SPOILERS**** Drive-in type movie with bar fights car chases and crashes explosions country music pretty girls badder then bad bad guys and a good guy who's just too good to be true. Where in the end everyone gets whats coming to them good and bad thats what the movie "Roadhouse 66" is all about.

Beckman, Judge Reinhold, a spoiled rich kid driving home to California is almost killed by a gang of local toughs Hoot Dink & Moss,Alan Autry Kevyn Major & Peter Van Norden when his 1955 Thunderbird has it's engine almost shot out after he had an altercation with them on the open road in Arizona.

Picking up hitch-hiker Johnny Harte, Willem Dafoe, after his car broke down Johnny fixes the Thunderbird so that it can get to the nearest town Bowman Arizona where Beckman can get a new radiator. While at Bowman Beckman and Johnny meet two pretty local girls who happen to be sisters Jesse & Meilssa Duran, Kaaren Lee & Kate Vernon, who really take a shine to them.

The boys get a new radiator at Sam's car junkyard and Sam, Stephen Eillott, lets Beckman keep his car in his junkyard garage. Everything seems fine until the three toughs who tried to run Beckman off the road, Hoot Dink & Moss, show up and things really start to get messy.

Decent little movie with Willem Dafoe being Mr.Super-Cool as well as a pretty good guitar player. Hoot later beats the hell out of a very drunk Beckman who bet him in a game of pool at the Roadhouse Bar. It's then that Johnny comes to his rescue and ends up smashing up the entire bar in a fight with Hoot. Johnny pays for the damage that he did by going on the stage where his former band just happened to be playing and belt out a song "Marie Marie" that had the bar crowd go wild.

Later Beckman decides to enter the "Roadhouse 66" car race, a race restricted to cars that are pre-1966 models, against Hoot and his gang. It's later that his Thunderbird is set on fire in Sam the junkyard man's garage by Hoot and Sam is killed in the fire trying to put it out. With Jesse giving Beckman her car for the race Johnny who left town to get away from all this excitement and danger later shows up to race in the "Roadhouse 66" car race with Moss' car.

Moss just had it with both Hoot & Dink after they almost killed him for warning Beckman not to go to the garage where his Thunderbird was set on fire. This time the car race was a lot different then the one at the start of the film with Hoot trying to shoot out Johnny's car engine after he caused Beckman to crash his car in the race. That was after he, Hoot, secretly dropped a scorpion on the front seat that almost stung and killed Beckman.

Hoot ends up being up-ended for his effort with his car smashed and him left for dead and losing the race with both Johnny and Beckman ending up with the two girls Jesse and Melissa at the end of the film. It was brought out in the movie that the reason that Hoot gets away, until the end of the movie, with all the trouble that he causes in the town of Bowman is because his dad is a top judge in the state of Arizona.

It seemed that his dad didn't teach Hoot a very important lesson about the rule of law that would have saved him a lot of bumps and bruises which is simply: "Crime Doesn't Pay".

50's style drive-in B, 80's style.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 12 February 2024]

Another warning from movie makers for rich city kids to stay out of the middle of nowhere because rural folk have it in for those types. Geeky Judge Reinhold should have just flown to wherever he was going rather than drive because that's just an opening for trouble. On Route 66 in the middle of Arizona, he is harassed by several local bullies (who should have aged out of bullying), picks up down on his luck former rock star Willem DaFoe and finds trouble trying to replace his radiator that the bullies shot out.

It's obvious that the citizens of this town have allowed the bullies to take over but don't like it as evidenced by the way the two sisters (Kaaren Lee and Kate Vernon) deal with them as they go out with Reinhold and DaFoe. Reinhold takes a beating but DaFoe (who's been around) steps in. This culminates with a drag race along Route 66 with predictable results.

Not bad for trashy action, but is there ever a town in the middle of nowhere in movies where there aren't bearded dumb lugs hating on outsiders? That was a trait of 70's TV movies, and it just doesn't seem like motion picture writers have any favorable opinions about middle America. Still Reinhold and DaFoe are a decent enough to watch odd couple, and it's not majorly unpleasant. Not a work of art either.

This s movie is great. Very underrated for who was young by the '80s

[ccrc28 · 7/10 · 10 March 2019]

I think this movie would be considered underrated for everyone who was in college or university by the '80s.

I'm from 76 so was very happy while watching this movie. Despite the simple and predictable history, the movie goes very well without became boring one single moment.

Willen Dafoe, Judge Reinhold and all others in first line are perfect for their roles.

It is very nice the '80s atmosphere of the movie about everyday life issues of people growing ages of that time, in a film almost entirely shoot at outside locations.

If you know what to expect from a '84 road movie about rivals driving supercars around the city and racing on route 66, you must watch this one.

And if you really enjoyed this movie, I strongly suggest you must watch another one very alike: "Roadie" (1980), with Meat Loaf in main role (IMDB tt0081433).

Judge and Defoe?

[mxvigil · 2/10 · 6 February 2014]

This is the sort of movie that makes you wonder how the producers were able to get the money to make it...

As well, how is Defoe portrayed as a tough-guy? Sure there are some guys who are sinewy and able to handle themselves in a bar-fight. Defoe has never been believable in that role.

Horrible movie, like it was made by rank amateurs over a weekend and no script. Most movies have at least a scene or two worth the time of watching them. This travesty does not even meet that weak criteria.

There is a reason Judge Reinhold never became a lead actor, far too weak and ineffectual, you keep waiting for someone to cue the laugh track.

Nostalgic to say the least

[GOWBTW · 9/10 · 28 January 2016]

This movie has a lot to say in it. The open road, the classic cars, the good times, that sort of good things. Well, until a group of hoods run by Hoot (Alan Autry, Bubba on "In The Heat of The Night") shoot a hole in a 1955 Ford Thunderbird driven by a New York college graduate(Judge Reinhold). Judge Reinhold plays Beckman Hallsgood, Jr., the son of a fast food restaurant magnate traveling on Route 66 going from New York to California to attend a meeting. Along the way, he comes across some hoods in a Chevy Bel Aire accosted him, then they shoot a hole in the radiator of his beloved '55 T-Bird. Along the way, Beckham meet a drifter named Johnny Harte (Willem Dafoe), a musician living in obscurity. He knows cars, and he's good with a guitar. Both men head to Kingman, Arizona where Hoot and his crew hang out. There in Kingman, they meet a local mechanic name Jesse (Kaaren Lee) who is a beautiful blonde who is good with a wrench. After finding a radiator, they would be able to move forward. However, with Hoot and his crew around, Beckman decided to enter the car race. After a night of passion for both parties, tragedy strikes. Sam(Stephen Elliott), the junkyard owner who helped Johnny and Beckman dies in a fire that also claims the repaired T-Bird. So Beckman entered the race, driving the Mustang. The race is on, and Johnny enters as well. One member of Hoot's crew turned on him. Just say that it's all good. The most important things I liked about the movie were the cars, and the trains that rolled on by. And the roadhouse they went to: PRICELESS. Get your kicks on Route 66! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

An Entertaining Buddy Picture

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 19 May 2015]

My chief complaint about the otherwise tolerable "Roadhouse 66" is that director John Mark Robinson and rookie scenarists Galen Lee and George Simpson spent almost 90 minutes forging Alan Autry into one of the all-time dastardly villain and then they don't allow us to enjoy his comeuppance. Autry steals the show from leading men Willam Dafoe and Judge Reinhold as the cruel town bully of Kingman, Arizona. It seems that Hoot's father is a judge, and this wicked bastard can get away with virtually anything. By the time that the climactic race gets underway, it appears that events may be catching up to Autry's incredibly sadistic villain. Mind you, Autry gives a superb performance and he is truly despicable to the point that you want to see him go out in a blazing inferno. Meanwhile, there are times when you wonder what the heroes were thinking. They fail to take Autry's villain seriously and poor Stephen Elliot in a small but significant performance pays the price.

Ostensibly, Robinson's buddy picture derives its title from a roadside diner on the old Highway 66. Beckman Hallsgood Jr. (Judge Reinhold of "Beverly Hills Cop") is leisurely tooling through Arizona from New York on his way to Palms Springs where he is to learn about the fast-food business. Beck and his father have bought a fast food restaurant franchise called Pork Boy. About the time that our bespectacled hero reaches Arizona, he runs afoul of Hoot (Alan Autry of "North Dallas Forty") and his sidekicks Moss (Peter Van Norden of "Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment") and Dink (Kevyn Major Howard of "Death Wish 2") on the highway. Beck is driving a 1955 Thunderbird when Hoot cruises up alongside him, brandishes his revolver, and blows a hole in Beck's radiator. Roughly about the same time that this incident occurred, a hitchhiker is crossing the road. Johnny Harte (Willam Dafoe of "Platoon") doesn't get hit by either one of them, but he runs into Beck after Beck has had to park his vehicle. The two guys become friends and they arrive in Kingman looking for a radiator.

Eventually, they wind up in Roadhouse 66 where Johnny struggles to convince the owner of an auto parts store, Jesse Duran (Kaaren Lee of "St. Elmo's Fire"), to open the store so his new friend can get a radiator. Jesse has just made it through a long day at work and doesn't walk to set foot in his store until 9 AM the next morning. Nothing that either Johnny or Beck can do will change her mind. Eventually, Hoot and Beck cross paths again in the Roadhouse 66 diner, and they square off against each other in a competitive game of pool. Hoot seizes the white pool ball before Beck can take his final shot and win the game. Beck slugs him, but it is like Beck striking a stone stature. Hoot and his two cronies pile up on Beck and beat him senseless. Johnny takes on Hoot, and Hoot leaves with a chip on his shoulder. All along Beck has been trying to get out the two-bit town, but he has fallen in love with with Jesse's younger sister, Melissa (Kate Vernon of "Malcolm X"), and he is having trouble leaving Kingman. Beck decide to enter his Thunderbird in a race that Hoot has won the last three years running. Hoot refuses to lose and stacks the deck against Beck. At the same time, Johnny comes to grips with the memory of a former musical group singer who died in a car accident. As I said, Alan Autry makes a top-notch but despicable villain, and you will love how they make him into a progressive meaner enemy. Our heroes triumph in the end and leave Kingman with their women following them. During the grueling car race, Beck swerves their car into Hoot's car and he flips. Unfortunately, we don't see him die a richly deserved death.

At fadeout we can hear the old "Route 66" television theme.

Yes, there are attractive people.

[mikejyg-15930 · 3/10 · 29 August 2021]

They just don't do things make any sense for the most part.

66? It's actually closer to a zero

[Wizard-8 · 20 July 2009]

When "Roadhouse 66" first appeared on cable in Canada almost twenty-five years ago, I sat down to watch it, though about halfway through I quit watching it. I didn't remember why, however, so with it now available on DVD I decided to rent it and give it another try.

I did make it all the way through this time... but barely. It didn't take me long to figure out why I stopped watching it the first time. This is one BORING movie. Although it runs about an hour and a half, there is only about thirty minutes or so of plot. The rest of the time, nothing of consequence happens.

To make matters worse were the characters. Reinhold's character is the worst. His character is incredibly stupid, and you'll eventually relish the scenes where he gets over his head and into serious trouble. The bad guys are really mean-spirited for a movie that tries to be somewhat light-hearted the rest of the time.

Oh, and the climatic race sequence? It was one of the most boring car races I have ever seen. For one thing, the cars for the most part seem to be going half speed instead of full-out.

Maybe I'll give the movie another chance twenty-five years from now...

Denim Dream

[helfeleather · 9/10 · 13 November 2002]

Not much of a plot to interest anyone here, but some very sexy men in blue denim. Willem Dafoe, to my surprise, was once very spunky, and looks great as the tough guy muso hero. Better still, the bad guys, Hoot and Dink are a couple of real nasty pieces. The film had me longing to find that roadhouse and go and start a brawl, just to meet those hot men.

Faulkner Say Hayseed's Good!

[UACW · 15 November 2006]

Lemme see if I done got this right:

Hayseed peoples they be peoples too and most of your cinema pickings they's for city folks with pretensions and academic duh-grees and walking around using fancy French words and stuff like that.

But a good old boy likes a good barroom brawl now and then and some cute dixie chicks - and you should have more skin than Daisy used to show on prime time - and oh but we gotta have a great big old car race with clumsy looking backwoods Chevy 56s and 57s and they gotta rev their engines like they got no mufflers no more.

And we gotta have some good old country picking through this here race and - intermittently as they say - throughout the movie.

But here's the trick: you don't almost have to pay nobody any good money to do no good cos them hayseeds what like movies like this they don't know much about no film making anyways, and as long as ya got the obligatory nudie bonk with female nipple and round female breast in subdued light and stuff and someone playing who's ostensibly studying James Burton on guitar, then that's real fine Slim - they'll never notice the difference! No way!

And the money keeps on coming in... And who said money doesn't make the world go 'round?

PS. For the best laugh of all, waiting until the closing titles - listen to the music! The people who made this movie - who are these people? Oh goodness.

better than the reviews

[pcampionz · 8/10 · 15 June 2021]

Ok so it's an early 80s campy film. One of Willem Defoes early films, he was basically a nobody when he did this one. Several other familiar faces as well. But the big surprise came from the junkyard owner, Sam. He played the commissioner in Beverly Hills Cop. Anywho, this film was better than all of these reviews. This was my era so I don't know why I never watched it on cable or on VHS. If you are a car person, hot rods etc, then you might like this one. Give it a try if you ha e it available, I watched it free in my Roku.