Zyzzyx Road (2006)

Zyzzyx Road is one of the movies that are truly worth watching, even though it stinks – it will give you a good laugh, and the mediocre movie you saw the day before will suddenly seem like a good one. This flub is directed by John Penney, and was released in 2006.

Lou Grillo experiments with his new friend 'the Shotgun'.

 

The plot is thin and quite predictable, and believe me when I say we’ve seen better before. The grown man Grant (Lou Grillo) is in Los Angeles to meet up with his much, much younger lover Marissa(Katherine Heigl), and when they get to her motel, her boyfriends accidentally appears and wants explanations. 1) What the hell did his girlfriend do with another man, and 2) why the hell did the lucky man look like her father. 30 minutes later Grant and Marissa are driving towards Zyzzyx Road (the road that leads to nowhere) with a body in the trunk. 

Even though the plot did not deliver, the movie still had a chance. If only the actors convinced us with brilliant acting – but unfortunately they didn’t. I was really disappointed, because the acting at times reminded me of the acting in my short movie at a school project a year ago. For the most the acting was okay (not good or anything, just okay), but every once in a while something happened, and the acting during these scenes gave me flashbacks to the school project again.

But on the other hand, the actors can’t be blamed entirely, because the manuscript isn't worth much, so playing scenes such as these would make even Brad Pitt seem like a B- or C-actor. There’s no charm, no enthusiasm. And the psychological aspect is also sad as the plot is so predictable. 

Age difference doesn't matter - the love is what counts.

The movie suffers from a big problem-cocktail, and the finished result is not anything for the history books. Some ridiculous scenes and shameful acting ruins what could’ve been a mediocre movie. This is not recommended – if you want a movie, you should look for something else! But if you’re looking for something that didn’t compete for the “Movie of the Year 2006” or want to see something rather bad, this is a good choice. John Penney – I’m sorry, but this close to crap!

- LB