Ah, the American road trip! There is nothing like cramming the entire family into a vehicle and hearing, “are we there yet?” and the familiar lyrics of “99 bottles of pop on the wall” for thousands of miles. There also isn’t anything like the countless humorous road trip movies that have graced the silver screen over the years. With that said, here are my picks for 10 of the best ones:
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World”
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was released in 1963. It starred some of the best funnymen in the business including Jerry Lewis, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters and Carl Reiner. The storyline focuses on a group of motorists that learn of a fortune in cash that is buried under a big W located within a state park. They all make a mad dash for the money and that’s when the hilarity ensues. From my perspective, there are far too many funny scenes in this film to pick just one. I’d definitely recommend the film to others.
“Smokey and the Bandit” Franchise
The first film in the, “Smokey and the Bandit”, franchise was released in 1977. There were subsequent “Bandit” films released in the 1980s. The original movie starred Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. The storyline focuses on a truck driver named Bandit and his beer run from Texas to Georgia. Other affable characters in the film include Fred, Frog, Snowman, Junior and Buford T. Justice. On top of all the laughs, there’s a sweet Trans Am that serves as eye candy for all the Pontiac fans.
“Gumball Rally”
“Gumball Rally” was released in 1976. It was directed by Chuck Bail and starred Gary Busey. The storyline focuses on a car race that starts in New York and ends in California. I liked the film because of all the cars and stunts. A few of my favorite cars were Gary Busey’s character’s Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, the AC Cobra, the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ferrari Daytona.
“The Blues Brothers”
“The Blues Brothers” was released in 1980. It starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. During the film, Belushi and Aykroyd are on a mission to save an orphanage and re-start their band. In order to accomplish their goals a riotously funny road trip is in order. I also enjoyed the movie’s toe-tapping soundtrack and watching the Bluesmobile roll on.
“Cannonball Run”
“Cannonball Run” was released in 1981. It was directed by Hal Needham and featured an all-star cast. The first time that I ever saw the movie was at a drive-in with my parents. We all laughed so hard. No one wanted to head to the snack bar until intermission for fear of missing out on a single moment of the movie. The storyline focuses on a group of people racing across America. Three of my favorite characters in the film were Seymour Goldfarb, the Flying Father and the Sheikh.
“National Lampoon’s Vacation”
In my opinion, you can’t talk about funny road trip movies without giving a nod to the Griswold Family and their quest to reach Walley World. Of course I am talking about, “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” It was released in 1983 and starred Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Beverly D’Angelo and others. The Aunt Edna and Christy Brinkley scenes were classic.
“Larger than Life”
“Larger than Life” is what you get when you combine an extraordinary comedian with a road trip and an elephant. The film was released in 1996 and starred Bill Murray. It was also directed by Howard Franklin. The storyline focuses on a man who just inherited an elephant and wants to unload it as quickly as possible. Matthew McConaughey’s character was also laugh out loud funny. One of my favorite scenes involved Bill Murray and his attempt to drive a semi-truck.
“Johnson Family Vacation”
“Johnson Family Vacation” was released in 2004. It starred Cedric the Entertainer and Vanessa Williams. The storyline focuses on a family road trip that starts in California and ends in Missouri. Some of the best scenes involve Shannon Elizabeth as a hitchhiker. The cement truck scene is also pretty funny.
“Wild Hogs” was released in 2007. It starred Tim Allen, John Travolta and Martin Lawrence. Personally, I loved this movie. The storyline focuses on four men and their motorcycle road trip that starts in Ohio and ends in California. I thought that they men’s run ins with the Del Fuegos were incredibly funny. I also liked the scene where they were swimming sans clothes and run into a family.
“College Road Trip”
“College Road Trip” was released in 2008. It was directed by Roger Kumble and starred Martin Lawrence. The storyline focuses on a father who decides to drive his daughter from Illinois to Georgetown University. I found the movie funny and endearing all at the same time. There are a lot of humorous scenes and as a parent I could relate to the subject matter.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys summer sports and recreation with her family. She has also traveled extensively.
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