Hollywood Hits the Road

By Jason Hazzard

The American Automobile Association is projecting that 35 million Americans plan to travel at least 50 miles or more away from home this Memorial Day weekend, meaning you should expect some gridlock frustrations before chillaxin’ on the beach. Turn those travel frowns upside down with some classic road trip inspired flicks to get you in gear for your vacation!

Additional reporting by Stacie Hougland

The Hangover Part III

It all began as an innocent road trip to Sin City to celebrate the pending nuptials of their best bud. This year, it all ends. Well, at least that’s what all the promotional posters have been telling us for The Hangover Part III. Regardless of how it ‘all ends,’ we know this much: the Wolfpack is back and they’re road trippin’ back to Vegas to conclude the highest-grossing R-rated comedy franchise of all time.

National Lampoon’s Vacation

Bumbling dad Clark (Chevy Chase) wants to take his fam on a road trip cross-country to the famed Wally World amusement park, and just can't seem to help the folly that occurs--one dead granny, one dead dog, near-adultery and a wrecked car. Yup, this is a family film! If you can resist the temptation to murder your loved ones, family vacations can be relatively fun.

Road Trip

The obligatory "road trip" movie for college kids is aptly titled--2000’s Road Trip was one of comedy giant Todd Phillips' first feature films that set him down a path that would eventually lead to The Hangover Part III. Unsurprisingly, this shameless, over-the-top, cross-country flick brings big laughs by showcasing every parent’s worst fears about what may or may not happen when their babies explore the freeways of the great United States.

Little Miss Sunshine

Determined to help their delightful daughter Olive (Abigail Breslin) land in the finals of a beauty pageant, the dysfunctional Hoover clan assembles in their 20-year-old VW bus and takes a running start (literally) to get Olive to California on time. Disastrous run-ins, life-changing realizations, and one dead body later, Little Miss Sunshine proves that family is there for you, thick and thin, on open roads or in gridlocked traffic.

Thelma & Louise

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are BFFs who want to get away from it all one weekend, until a chain of events--attempted rape, murder, one-night stands--lands them within reach of the long arm of the law. Friendship is important, but don’t blindly trust your best friend in matters of travel plans (or much else).

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Awesome classic pic with Steve Martin and John Candy as two guys trying to get home for Thanksgiving--well, one of them is, anyway. Be kind to your fellow travelers--you never know what their story is.

Into the Wild

A spoiled rich kid throws off the trappings of the mainstream and drives, hitches and hikes his way to the Alaskan wilderness to...well, we're not sure. What he does do is end up dead in a schoolbus. If you're making your way to the remotest ends of the earth to commune with yourself in complete secrecy, at least take a few handbooks with you. Or maybe an Eagle Scout.

The Motorcycle Diaries

Best buds Che Guevara and Alberto Granado embark on an eye-opening road tip of a lifetime as they journey across the South American continent. On the road, they discover beauty in the people and places they encounter, but also realize the injustices faced by so many. You never know, one road trip could inspire you to become a Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist!

Paper Moon

If you thought road trips were daunting enough today, try taking a road trip during the Great Depression; or worse, having a chance encounter with father-could-be-daughter con team Moses Pray and Addie Loggins (real life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal). In light of the O’Neals' very public family rift the past two decades, this film is particularly special to behold. Tatum O’Neal is the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award for her performance.

On the Road

Based on the great American novel by beat-generation scribe Jack Kerouac, On the Road is a poignant story told during a time of forced conformity, a rigid social system, and the birth of the Cold War. Sal Paradie, an aspiring writer, befriends the charming Dean Moriarty and his wife, Marylou, and the three set off on an adventure to find and free themselves on the American road. The places and people they encounter will change their lives forever.

Dumb & Dumber

Brainless best friends Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) travel across the country to try and return a suitcase full of money to its rightful owner. The plot really doesn't matter as much as seeing Jim Carrey in one of his earliest roles in all of his wacked-out glory.

The Guilt Trip

On the verge of a cross-country road trip to pitch his new product, inventor Andy Brewster (Seth Rogen) is guilted into taking his widowed mother Joyce (Barbra Streisand) along with him. Like most sons, he finds his mother to be overbearing in that “parents just don’t understand” kind of way, but over the course of their hilarious journey, he comes to discover that the apple does not fall far from the tree.