My Thoughts After Re-Watching Joy Ride (2001)

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My wife and I have seen the Paul Walker-led thriller Joy Ride more times than I've been able to keep track of. It is one of those films that becomes our go-to when we can't find something else to watch. However, it had been quite some time since we did last see it, so we ended up picking it last night while waiting for our daughter to get done with work.

Here are some of my thoughts from that re-watch:



How much did Lewis' (Walker) plane ticket cost? The who premise of the movie only happens because Lewis cashes in his refundable ticket so he can buy a car and pick up his friend/love interest Venna (Leelee Sobieski). I can believe that. However, that car had a price tag of $1100 (I miss used cars being that cheap) and you have to figure there would be taxes, licensing fees, etc. on top of that. I just don't remember plane tickets costing THAT much in the early 2000s.

Also, as my wife pointed out, for a couple college kids going home for the summer, they sure didn't have much luggage. When I moved my daughter out of her college dorm for summer break, there wasn't an inch of free space in my car, and she had to ride with a box on her lap. Lewis and Venna each had one bag.

Mastercard sure got its product placement money's worth. I was starting to wonder what kind of credit limit Lewis (a college student, remember) had on that thing since he was whipping it out for everything from gas purchases to hotel stays and even car repairs. Heck, he used it to bail Fuller (Steve Zahn) out of jail and I'm sure that wasn't cheap.

Speaking of car repairs, Lewis knew about his broken headlight (and even received a ticket for it) prior to his brother, Fuller, getting the CB radio installed. Why not give the guy a few extra bucks to fix the light while he was at it?

Why weren't they arrested in Utah? Were they the ones who brutalized their motel neighbor? No. Were they the sole reason he was attacked by Rusty Nail (Matthew Kimbrough, voiced by Ted Levine)? Absolutely yes. It might not have been their intention, but it sure did feel as though they were guilty of some sort of accessory charge.

I wonder what would have happened had they simply apologized. Rusty Nail gave them the opportunity to do so, only to have Fuller cuss him out instead. Had they owned up to their mistake, would he have moved on or would it not have made a difference?

How were there no witnesses? It's not like a CB radio is as private as a cell phone conversation. There wasn't a single person who overheard the conversation/Rusty Nail's threats and kidnapping confession and called the cops?

The waitress at the diner (Ali Gage) had a great line after Fuller and Lewis were forced to walk in and place an order while naked. However, I would have added "how do you plan on paying?"

My biggest pet peeve from this film is how they always flee in a straight line. It's a tractor trailer, not a vehicle that can make sharp turns easily. A quick U-turn on that dirt road would have given Fuller and Lewis a chance to escape. Running to one side and then backtracking toward their car in the corn field would have accomplished the same. They were making it way too easy for Rusty Nail.

How did Venna get unbound so fast? Rusty Nail had her fully wrapped in tape, yet she was somehow free of all of it in the time it took Rusty Nail to ram the back of the hotel with the truck. Even with help, that just seems impossible.

Did Rusty Nail have a spare truck? The movie established it wasn't him behind the wheel of the truck that slammed into the hotel. However, as far as I can tell, it was still his truck. Yet he was back on the highway chatting on the CB while the friends were still being checked out by paramedics. 

It's possible he stole the destroyed truck, but that still doesn't answer where his truck was the whole time. Not a big deal, but one of those things that leaves you scratching your head a bit if you think too much about it.

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Here are my thoughts from other films:

My Thoughts After Re-Watching Encino Man (1992)

My Thoughts after Re-Watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

My Thoughts After Re-watching Wrong Turn (2003)

My Thoughts After Re-Watching The Blob (1958)

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