Amazon.com: Neil Young's 1982 comic mess of a feature left many faithful fans baffled and was otherwise unappreciated at the time of its release. But with the benefit of hindsight and shifts in pop culture in the last couple of decades, much of Human Highway now feels warm and funny where it once looked disastrously undisciplined. Nostalgia helps: gilded memories of Devo's decadent antics long ago now make their recurring role in this film (as nuclear plant workers bathed in a suspicious red glow) almost sentimentally appealing. Similarly, Dennis Hopper's role as a chattering nutcase and short-order cook named Cracker looks sharper and more laughable now, and Dean Stockwell's perfectly timed performance as a slimeball businessman is even more entertaining knowing the former child actor was on the threshold of a career revival. (Stockwell is also credited as a writer and codirector of Human Highway.) The story, such as it is, concerns the goofy goings-on at a remote diner and gas station just down the road from a disintegrating nuclear plant. Stockwell's character has inherited the failing, ramshackle eatery and is crafting secret plans to torch the place. Meanwhile, Young's character, a dorky mechanic, swoons in the presence of a favorite waitress (Charlotte Stewart), bickers with his boyish partner (Russ Tamblyn), and dreams of playing music to an audience. Much of the film looks spontaneously conceived, but the players are all so good they know exactly where the laughs are. Influences are easier to spot now, too, particularly the freewheeling set-ups of Paul Morrissey and John Waters (though without their perversity). The hyperreal sets and backdrops actually anticipate Tim Burton by a couple of years, and overall the direction is more sure than most of us could see at the time. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A very mixed bag
Just because you like ice cream and tomato sauce doesn't mean you should mix 'em together. I think that's what happened here. I couldn't imagine not liking a movie with Neil Young, Devo, Dennis Hopper, ... Read More
Rating: - One Fine Day In Linear Valley
Apart from "Dr. Strangelove", I think this is the only pre-apocalyptic comedy I've ever seen. Young's film, however, takes a warmer approach; most of the characters are likeable and the ending is softened ... Read More
Rating: - Not exactly bad, but not really that good either
When something goes unreleased for a long time, it can develop a sort of mythology around it (witness The Beach Boys' "Smile" album). My guess is that Neil Young fans had been wondering about this movie for ... Read More
Rating: - whacked out!
I know a lot of people out there still do acid, if you are one of those people...this movie is for you! I like acid, devo, and rock n' roll. I like this move. That is all.
Rating: - For What It's Worth...
The three greatest movies I have seen are as follows... Casabanca, Gates of Heaven by Morris, and Human Highway. Most movies today are completely unwatchable. Name a great movie produced in the last ten years. ... Read More
- A very mixed bag
- One Fine Day In Linear Valley
- Not exactly bad, but not really that good either
- For What It's Worth...