Review of Interstate 60 (2002) by Dan B — 28 Feb 2011

Well-written faux folklore that captures the feel of authentic mythology, from its road quest narrative structure to its Faustian bargains and gleefully ironic twists. The movie begins with a theory: that American culture is unique for not having a mythological figure who grants wishes... then sets out to create one.

The screenwriter definitely did their homework. I'm sure I caught just a fraction of the references, but I know a "Monkey's Paw" allusion when I see one... or a dozen. My favorite line may be this: "Every event is inevitable. If it wasn't, it wouldn't happen.".

Atheists, mystics, and just plain fans of folklore will find much to love on Interstate 60.

Side Note: I've had my doubts about Netflix's recommendation engine, but this one made a believer outta me. If things were just based on genre settings and cast members, I can't imagine why it predicted a 4-star rating for this film. There must be some real math at work in that black box algorithm. It crunched the numbers and picked up on the subtler threads that link Interstate 60 to the things I love: folk lore, eccentric characters, secular themes, surrealism, etc.

Nice work, Netflix.