Taglines: No rules, no boundaries.
Interstate 60 begins in a bar, where two men are discussing a thesis statement for an upcoming paper. One of them asserts that out of all the different realms of the world, America has no mythological character that grants wishes. Their conversation is interrupted by a man (Wayne Robson) who claims that they are wrong, and that such a character does exist.
The man goes on to explain that this character is a man named O.W. Grant, the son of a Leprechaun and a Cheyenne Indian. The man explains that O.W. is more so apt to play tricks on people, but that every so often, he takes a shine to some of them. When the two men ask this stranger just what O.W. Grant looks like, the fellow replies that he wears a red bow tie, and smokes a pipe carved in the shape of a monkey-head. As the man leaves the two, he mentions that O.W. can be found along Interstate 60. The two men go to a nearby map, and after looking over the roadways, think the guy they were talking to must have been pulling there leg, as there is no Interstate 60.
The scene then cuts to real-as-life O.W. Grant (Gary Oldman), wearing a red bow tie, and smoking a pipe carved in the shape of monkey-head (just as the guy described). Going down a street, a guy in a parked car to his right opens the driver’s side door, not realizing O.W. is about to pass alongside. O.W. falls from his bike, breaking the jaw on his monkey-head pipe.
As the man apologizes and attempts to help him up, a truck comes along, running over Grant’s bike, and destroying the man’s cellular phone. The destruction of the cellphone causes the man to break into a fury, cursing how he wishes the incident had never happened. Grant asks if the man means the wish, and when the angered fellow replies positively, Grant places his pipe in his mouth, and green smoke envelopes the two of them.
The scene begins again, with Grant riding along the same path (though his monkey-head pipe is now broken). Just before Grant reaches the car, he stops. The man on the phone inside, gets out of the car… and steps right into the path of the oncoming truck. As Grant observes the ugly incident, he mutters to himself, “Some people just don’t know what to wish for.”
The scene then cuts to Neal Oliver (James Marsden), a young man from a wealthy family. However, while his father is a lawyer, Neal wishes to be an artist. On the day of his birthday, Neal (being unable to make up his mind), goes to a website to help him make his decisions. His girlfriend Sally (Melissa Ade) comes in, wishing him a Happy Birthday, and makes note of his little habits. These include how Neal peels his grapefruit instead of eating it with a spoon, and the myriad art pieces of a blonde-haired woman that Neal keeps drawing. Neal claims that he has no idea who she is, though.
The scene then cuts to Neal’s birthday dinner, in which Sally, his Mom (Roz Michaels), Dad (John Bourgeois) and sister Stacy are in attendance. When Stacy asks what Neal’s birthday wish was, Neal claims that telling a birthday wish is bad luck. Just then, a waiter (O.W. Grant himself) overhears this, and tells Neal that that superstition is an old wive’s tale, and that it is best to tell such wishes. With this information, Neal tells his family and Sally, that he wished for ‘an answer to his life.’
Grant ponders this as he takes Neal’s cake to be cut in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Neal receives gifts from his family, and two rather big surprises from his Dad. The first is an acceptance letter to a prestigious law school, and the other is a BMW. Though these gifts seem to reflect more so on Neal’s Dad wanting his son to become like him, than to Neal’s own particular tastes and interests. As the family is inspecting the car, a bucket falls from an overhead ledge, and hits Neal on the head, knocking him out.
Interstate 60: Episodes of The Road is a 2002 metaphysical road film written and directed by Bob Gale, in his directorial debut, and starring James Marsden, Gary Oldman, Amy Smart, Christopher Lloyd, Chris Cooper and Kurt Russell, with a cameo by Michael J. Fox.
Interstate 60 (2003)
Directed by: Bob Gale
Starring: James Marsden, Amy Smart, Gary Oldman, Kurt Russell, Wayne Robson, Michael J. Fox, John Bourgeois, Roz Michaels, Jonathan Whittaker, Amy Stewart
Screenplay by: Bob Gale
Production Design by: Rocco Matteo
Cinematography by: Denis Maloney
Film Editing by: Michael Fallavollita
Costume Design by: Anne Dixon
Set Decoration by: Mark McGann
Art Direction by: Mun Ying Kwun
Music by: Christophe Beck
MPAA Rating: R for language and sexual references.
Distributed by: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release Date: October 14, 2003
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