Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
89%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
Two-Lane Blacktop is a film that captures the essence of the American road trip, with its sweeping landscapes and existential musings. Director Monte Hellman explores the world of street racing with a deft hand, creating a film that is both arty and earthy. The characters may be inert, but the film is anything but, with a script that matches the memorable performance of Warren Oates. This is a piece of original art-house Americana that remains a vital piece of filmmaking, and a must-see for anyone who loves the open road.
Two-Lane Blacktop is a movie that’s all about the journey, not the destination. It’s a road movie that’s more about the characters’ inner lives than the cars they’re driving. And while it may not be for everyone, it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something a little different. Plus, it’s got some killer sweaters.
Production Company(ies)
Stanley Donen Films,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
North Carolina, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1972
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 42m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1971 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2007
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird, directed by Monte Hellman, written by Will Corry, Rudy Wurlitzer, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Paul D Zimmerman, David Thomson, Nick Schager, J Hoberman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, MPAA rating R, produced by Michael Laughlin, Universal Pictures, road movie, existentialism, counterculture, car culture, drag racing, open road, 1955 Chevy, GTO, cross country race, pink slips, mechanic, driver, girl, jealousy, love triangle, 1971, aspect ratio 2.35:1, beautiful landscapes, unique, minimalist, authentic, musicians turned actors, Easy Rider, Vanishing Point, era, style, framed, edited, technical marvel
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Warren Oates – G.T.O.
Laurie Bird – The Girl
Dennis Wilson – The Mechanic
David Drake – Needles Station Attendant
Richard Ruth – Needles Station Mechanic
Director(s)
Monte Hellman
Writer(s)
Will Corry, Rudy Wurlitzer
Producer(s)
Michael Laughlin
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (3)
Heilman’s heroes remain insulated from us by their own failures to feel. We are part of the world they pass through invisibly — and so they remain as foreign and opaque as ever.
February 12, 2020
Paul D. Zimmerman
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
It came nowhere close to the numbers on Easy Rider, but it is so much more worthwhile as a film. Indeed, I’m going to push my luck and say there has never been a better film about sweaters.
June 20, 2013
David Thomson
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Captures an aura of existential despondence that’s married to a far less evocative (and durable) strain of counterculture romantic doom.
June 19, 2011 | Rating: B-
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Two-Lane Blacktop is a movie of achingly eloquent landscapes and absurdly inert characters.
December 13, 2007
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
TOP CRITIC
The strange and sometimes pathetic world of barnstorming, hustling street-racing is explored with feeling by director-editor Monte Hellman.
December 13, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
This exciting existentialist road movie by Monte Hellman, with a swell script by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry and my favorite Warren Oates performance, looks even better now than it did in 1971.
December 13, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
…less about the wheels on the asphalt and more about the headspace that driving can put you in.
September 4, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
A piece of utterly original art-house Americana utterly unlike anything before or after.
July 11, 2021
Peter Sobczynski
The Spool
…an arty yet earthy road movie that sits neatly in the slipstream of Easy Rider and Vanishing Point…
May 14, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Two-Lane provides a script to match [Oates] and he gives what is simply one of the year’s most memorable performances.
January 10, 2020
John Mahoney
Los Angeles Free Press
[It] remains a vital piece of filmmaking
September 15, 2013
Glenn Dunks
Trespass
The ultimate road movie and one of the great American movies of the 1970s.
February 25, 2013
Richard Luck
Film4…
Plot
The Driver and The Mechanic are 2 car freaks driving a 1955 Chevy through the southwestern U.S., looking for other cars to race. They’re totally dedicated to their car, and speak with each other only when necessary. At a gas station, the pair (along with a girl who’s ingratiated herself into their world) meet G.T.O; a middle-aged man who fabricates stories and. It’s decided to have a race to Washington, D.C., where the winner will get the loser’s car.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Two-Lane Blacktop stars musicians James Taylor and Dennis Wilson in their only major acting roles.
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