Rebel Highway (TV Series) Runaway Daughters (1994) User Reviews

a complete departure from the original

[godgirl · 7/10 · 4 January 2005]

I accidentally started watching this film on television, but didn't catch all of it at first, and when renting it on video, found myself watching the original 1956 feature version, from which this radically departs. Where the original was gritty, stilted and somewhat tragic, the remake is funny, heartwarming, amusing and a definite twist on the fifties teen caper.

This film is the way one expects a fifties teen caper to be, from the viewpoint of a modern audience brought up on Grease and American Graffiti.. fun and endearing.

The original seems far too serious, adult and tense to be watchable by a younger audience today, and in some ways much less believable, despite the distinctly far-fetched ending of the modern production.

Don't watch it expecting a faithful remake, but watch it because it's a lovely little tale of supposedly more innocent times past.

Cast Alone was Worth Watching!

[Sylviastel · 5/10 · 11 April 2013]

This television movie has it's moments about life in the 1950s in Alta Vista, California where three teenage girls run away but fake their kidnapping in order to do so. Their parents are clearly worried initially until they bring in a private investigator to handle the case. The cast included Dee Wallace and her husband Christopher Stone as parents of one teen. Roger and Julie Corman plays parents of the other. The girls include a young Julie Bowen who would go on to Modern Family; Paul Rudd in an early role; Jenny Lewis; and Holly Fields as the other teenage girls. They run in to trouble and familiar faces like Cathy Moriarty, John Astin, Courtney Gains, Leo Rossi, and others on their way to San Diego to meet up with Mary's boyfriend who has joined the service rather than deal with her pregnancy. In the end, it's a happy ending for a lot of them. Still, they should suffer the consequences for their actions of running away, staging a kidnapping, and stealing cars.

very bland American graffiti

[strat-8 · 5/10 · 21 May 2008]

I saw this DVD in an electronics store priced (new) at $20. I'd never heard of it and I'm fairly knowledgeable about movies. I like Paul Rudd especially after seeing him in Knocked Up which I LOVED. I also like Julie Bowen. I like finding quirky movies that are hidden gems so I decided to take a chance.

Ho - hum. After 40 minutes I say to myself, "ya know, any movie that takes 40 minutes to set up the back story, the exposition, really has taken too long.

Here's the whole plot: nothing happens.

This is one of those movies that seems to be nothing but an excuse to showcase a collection of odd-ball characters (i.e. Roger Corman) in cameo roles. That formula can work, as in It's a mad mad mad mad world. But in an 84 minute, made for TV movie, it doesn't cut it. BTW Bowen & Rudd are in one brief scene together making the DVD cover-art highly misleading. You can skip this one. Certainly don't pay $20 for it.

Fun Homage

[Michael_Elliott · 26 August 2012]

Runaway Daughters (1994)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Good girl Mary (Holly Fields) finally gives in to her boyfriend's need for sex and sure enough she gets pregnant. After telling him the boyfriend runs off to join the Navy for three years so Mary and her two girlfriends go after him. In the 90s all sort of AIP films from the 1950s were being remade but most of them were in-named only remakes, which is where this one falls. Joe Dante obviously likes to pay homage as films like THE HOWLING and GREMLINS proved this and he does the same sort of thing with the juvenile delinquent genre. I found this film to be a bit uneven because they have it taking place in the 50s but it never feels like the real decade because there's so many spoofs going on. It seems as if Dante constantly has a wink for the viewer and while some of the comedy works, the majority of it doesn't. Still, I think fans of those AIP films should at least get a few kicks out of this and especially by the fact that Dante fills this thing up with some fun cameos. The "new" actors are all pretty good in their roles and this includes Fields as the virgin turned pregnant girl and we also have Paul Rudd in an early role. The cameos include Dick Miller playing a detective, Dee Wallace and Christopher Stone playing bad parents, Roger and Julie Corman pop up and we also have Fabian, Cathy Moriarty and even Sam Arkoff. The soundtrack includes some great classic tunes and I will admit that the set design was quite good for a low-budget film. RUNAWAY DAUGHTERS isn't a masterpiece but then again neither was the original.

Full Little Dante Flick

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 13 August 2013]

Angie, Mary, and Laura are teenage girls who are fed up with their bland and unexciting small town lives. Mary discovers that she's pregnant after having sex with her boyfriend. Since said boyfriend has enlisted in the navy, the trio decide to drive cross country to San Diego to confront him. The gals encounter a colorful array of folks on their journey.

Joe Dante does it again, making a fun little picture that captures the spirit of the b-picture. He dopes this like no one else. Not every film he has made is incredible, but this really deserves more attention than it has received (likely because it was buried as a television episode).

We have some great Dante regulars and new faces: Dick Miller, Robert Picardo, Dee Wallace, Belinda Balaski, Paul Rudd, Roger Corman, Sam Arkoff and Courtney Gains. This works as a companion piece to Dante's "Matinee" taking on the 1960s.

Very enjoyable

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 June 2013]

Angie, Mary, and Laura are teenage girls who are fed up with their bland and unexciting small town lives. Mary discovers that she's pregnant after having sex with her boyfriend. Since said boyfriend has enlisted in the navy, the trio decide to drive cross country to San Diego in order to confront him. The gals encounter a colorful array of folks during their journey. Director Joe Dante relates the entertaining story at a snappy pace, offers a flavorsome and affectionate evocation of the 50's period, and maintains an engaging tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. The witty and perceptive script by Charlie Haas astutely nails the repressive mores of the period as well as tweaks the conventions of the juvenile delinquent exploitation genre in a clever and amusing way. Julie Bowen, Jenny Lewis, and Holly Fields are pretty and appealing as our adolescent protagonists. Veteran character actor Dick Miller has a great role as shrewd private detective Roy Farrell. Robert Picardo, Belinda Balaski, Wendy Schaal, Joe Flaherty, and real life couple Dee Wallace and Christopher Stone play concerned parents. Moreover, a slew of familiar faces pop up in nifty bits: Roger Corman and his wife Julie, John Astin (hilarious as a paranoid loony), Cathy Moriarty, Leo Rossi, Dabbs Greer, and even Sam Arkoff. Richard Bowen's crisp cinematography gives the picture a handsome bright look. Terrific golden oldies soundtrack, too. An immensely fun romp.

Highly Entertaining!

[jane_sytsai · 8/10 · 19 January 2007]

Just finished watching Runaway Daughters. I was surprised to see an average rating from voters. The story is simple and plot easy to follow, definitely not a movie for those seeking intellectual challenges. However,I highly recommend it to those who just want to relax and enjoy a good drama/comedy. Unlike a lot of movies out there that are packed with predictable and static characters, the characters in this movie are all unique and unconventional in their own ways. All actors delivered a highly believable performance. In fact, it reminds me of such movies as "Breakfast Club" which has produced some of the most memorable characters. A feast for those jaded movie-goers!

Painfully funny

[princess_stomper · 10/10 · 7 November 2003]

If you like cheese, you'll like this. If you like John Waters movies, you'll LOVE this! Sly, witty and with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek, the likeable Paul Rudd is the standout performance in a warm and excruciatingly funny film.