Freeway (DVD, 1997)

One of my favorite movies! Watched when it first came out, bought the VHS and then the DVD when it FINALLY came out.

Reese Witherspoon is a great actress, yeah so she won an Oscar for Walk the Line blah, blah, blah. She also made junk like Just Like Heaven and Sweet Home Alabama. Why do talented young actresses feel the need to make romantic comedies not worth the paper they are written on? In Freeway she really shows she can play kick-ass white trash as well as sweet girl who gets the guy.

Reese plays Vanessa who, after her mom and stepdad get arrested, plans to go see her paternal grandmother who she has never met. In a red mini skirt and with a picnic basket as a suitcase Vanessa heads to the trailer park. On the way her car breaks down and she hitchhikes. She is picked up by Bob Wolverton (Keifer Sutherland as the super creepy wolf) who we soon learn is the I-5 killer that had been on the news. Little does Bob know that Vanessa can fend for herself! When he tries to kill her she fights back and shoots him. Vanessa is arrested for attempted murder even though she tells the police who he really is. She gets sent to juvie and escapes with some new friends. Brooke Shields plays Mrs Wolf and makes a big deal in the press about her poor husband and the murdering Vanessa. So now Vanessa not only has the police after her but the press and even Bob who is hoping to finish what he started.

Excellent acting by all, Sutherland is creepy, Shields is hysterical and Reese kicks butt! Brilliant writing, it is funny and smart a great commentary for our reality-tv addicted times. This is not for everyone, there is a lot of violence, adult language and themes. But it is a great social satire that should be added to any serious collector's library.