Road Kill (1999) is not that great of a film but I do not regret watching it. The reason I watched this was because Jennifer Rubin was in it and I wanted so see one of her later films plus it is billed as a road film so I assumed it was very dynamic and fast paced. My assumption was incorrect but there are a few good things about this movie.

The story revolves around two college students who are roommates and live next door to a woman that recently moved into their apartment building. Alex (Erik Palladino) is a film major who has a good knowledge base of information from which to work but creates student films that are substandard. His professor expects better and gives him an ultimatum to do better if he is to graduate. Lars (Billy Jayne) is the other roommate who is an art major that lives a coddled life where his parents fund his education and pay for a BMW for him to get around in. Though a meeting with Blue (Jennifer Rubin) the two students go on a road trip with her across the country when Alex decided to make a documentary around her occupation; contract killing. To compound things Alex has a small time hoodlum/loan shark he is in debt to breathing down his neck.

The story had the potential for a great film that could have been gripping but it was not because of the extremely slow pace of the story. What I mentioned in the second paragraph of the this writeup takes about 60 minutes of screen time. However, I suppose people will identify with the students because one, Alex, is the dreamer who believes in risks and the unknown while the other one is fearful, nervous, and prefers safety and stability. Blue, is another animal altogether. The film does go into a bit of detail as to why she does what she does for a living and the personal demons she has to deal with before the end credits roll seemed to have been put in as a means to provide a resolution to things that just seemed awkward to me. You will understand what I mean when you see the film. Jennifer Rubin was way underutilized in this production. A film she did with Keanu Reeves in 1988 titled Permanent Record was one in which her performance was much better; and it was over 10 years before this film! Her Calvin Klein modeling days were behind her in 1999 but I thought her acting days were not over by far. Erik Palladino was pretty good in the film and you kind of remember seeing him in many films and TV shows during the past decade so it is a familiar face. Seeing Billy Jayne all grown up as a treat. As a kid I used to see him play Brad on the TV show Silver Spoons back in the 1980s. He is about 30 years old in this film and plays someone around 22 years old!

The one thing I most enjoyed about the film was the dialogue between the characters at various points in the film where they discuss other films famous in history by making direct references to them. I can not stand when films mimic or unless it is satire they blatantly copy another style of filming, editing, music, or script. Here it was more of a discussion someone who is into films is having with someone. Perhaps this is the best connection the viewer makes with film and why it stands out to me. Look for a small scale remake of the “nosy guy” scene from Chinatown (1974).

There is really not much more that can be said about Road Kill. As you will see it is a very low budget film that was cast with actors that do not star in multi million dollar record setting productions. The end of the film feels a bit rushed and is sort of predictable but if you are a person who likes films then it is worth a look. Only die hard film buffs will like this one. If you want to see a good Jennifer Rubin film then skip the one she is perhaps most famous for, The Crush (1993), and go back to early in her career with Permanent Record.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age