Three for the Road

Last updated
Three for the Road
Directed by Bill L. Norton
Written by Richard Martini (screenplay/story)
Tim Metcalfe
Miguel Tejada-Flores
Produced byMort Engelberg
Herb Jaffe
Starring Charlie Sheen
Alan Ruck
Kerri Green
Sally Kellerman
Blair Tefkin
CinematographyStephen L. Posey
Edited by Christopher Greenbury
Music by Barry Goldberg
Distributed byNew Century-Vista
Release date
  • April 10, 1987 (1987-04-10)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,539,000 [1]

Three for the Road is a 1987 road comedy film directed by Bill L. Norton and starring Charlie Sheen, Alan Ruck, Kerri Green, Sally Kellerman and Blair Tefkin.

Contents

Plot

The film centers around Paul Tracy (Charlie Sheen), a college student and intern to the influential United States Senator Kitteridge (Raymond J. Barry). Paul has political aspirations of his own, and hopes to win the Senator's favor to advance his ambitions of gaining a Congressional seat.

Paul is asked to transport Robin (Kerri Green), the Senator's delinquent daughter, to an institution for girls. He asks his aspiring writer roommate T.S. (Alan Ruck) to come along for the trip. Robin is initially drugged by her father and put nearly unconscious into the back of their car, but as soon as she wakes up she tries everything to escape.

Eventually a romance develops between Robin and Paul, and he begins to take her claims of her father's abuse more seriously. Along the way they pick up Missy Butler (Tefkin), a southern belle interested in T.S.

After Robin escapes again, they manage to find her. Rather than take her unwillingly, they offer to make a detour to locate her estranged mother Blanche (Sally Kellerman), hoping Robin can live with her. Robin agrees to go, but Blanche refuses, clearly out of fear of the repercussions of her powerful ex.

With no other options left, a devastated Robin is taken to the institution, but when Paul sees firsthand the institution's workers' rough treatment of her, he is more determined than ever to break her free, and develops a ruse. Blanche also arrives, demanding to see her daughter, but is turned away at the gate.

However, Paul uses his initial visit to regain entry, which is granted by security. Paul tells Robin he's come to rescue her, but a now despondent Robin has accepted her fate and doesn't want to make things worse. Paul takes her to a window, where she sees Blanche looking gloomily through the fence and in her direction.

Realizing her mother does want her, Robin agrees to allow Paul to help her escape. This is quelched by the unexpected arrival of the Senator, as he questioned Paul's loyalty. Paul rejects the Senator, effectively losing his job.

Blanche drives up to the gate, this time with the intent of taking her daughter with her at all costs. When the Senator threatens to have her arrested, she in turn threatens to expose his dastardly deeds (likely with information provided by Paul and Robin), including the rape of a babysitter. The Senator tries to reason with Blanche, but is interrupted by her sucker punch to his jaw.

As the group drives out of the institution, all of the girls there stage a mass escape from the facility and the staff make a largely futile attempt to stop them. The movie ends with Robin, Paul, Blanche, T.S. and Missy driving out into the open road to start a new and happy life.

Reception

The film was a critical and commercial dud, grossing approximately $1,500,000 in the United States. The film effectively ended the mainstream acting careers of Kerri Green and Alan Ruck, who had been rising Hollywood stars whose past projects were huge successes (Ruck in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Green in Lucas and The Goonies ). Ruck would continue acting in smaller roles until cast in the TV show Spin City (opposite Sheen in later seasons); Green, who had played the romantic lead to Sheen in Lucas, has not appeared in a mainstream film since. (Also, director Bill L. Norton, who helmed the cult classic Cisco Pike , did not direct another feature film.)

Writer Richard Martini has asserted that the screenplay was dramatically altered from his original. Instead of being a rebellious troublemaker, the character of Robin was shunned by her conservative Republican Senator father because she was an outspoken liberal activist who stages protests. When she finally finds her birth mother she discovers that she was a drug addict who never wanted a child. Martini paid a visit to the set and met Sheen who said "Forget it – the reason I did this movie was I loved your script, but they've re-written it and it sucks now." Martini was then not invited to a screening and instead saw the film in a 3,000-seat theater with only 8 people in attendance. Martini discusses these experiences on both his own website [2] and in an entry at the IMDb. [3]

The theme song "We Got Our Love" is performed by actress/singer Holly Robinson. A soundtrack was issued (on vinyl only), but due to the failure of the film it too bombed.

Home video

After the film's theatrical run, it was released on video cassette by Vista Home Video and later in 1991 by Avid Home Entertainment in the EP Mode. To this day, the film has never been released on DVD and Lions Gate Home Entertainment has yet to announce plans to release the film onto DVD.

Related Research Articles

Kerri Lee Green is an American actress, best known for her roles in The Goonies (1985), Summer Rental (1985), and Lucas (1986). She also co-wrote and directed the film Bellyfruit (1999).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loretta Swit</span> American actress

Loretta Jane Swit is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on M*A*S*H, for which she won two Emmy Awards.

<i>Spin City</i> Television series

Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a semi-fictionalized version of the New York City mayor's office, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike Flaherty, the Deputy Mayor of New York. Fox departed in 2000 at the conclusion of Season 4 due to symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and Charlie Sheen became the new lead as Charlie Crawford for the final two seasons. The series was cancelled after six seasons in May 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Ruck</span> American actor (born 1956)

Alan Douglas Ruck is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's best friend, in John Hughes's film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986); Stuart Bondek, a lecherous, power-hungry member of the mayor's staff in the ABC sitcom Spin City; and Connor Roy, the eldest son of a media magnate, in the HBO series Succession. His other notable parts include those in Bad Boys (1983), Three Fugitives (1989), Young Guns II (1990), Speed (1994), and Twister (1996). In 2016, he co-starred with Geena Davis in an updated Fox TV adaptation of William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel The Exorcist.

<i>Lucas</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by David Seltzer

Lucas is a 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by David Seltzer and starring Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Thorne-Smith and Winona Ryder made their theatrical debut in Lucas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Kellerman</span> American actress (1937–2022)

Sally Clare Kellerman was an American actress and singer whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film M*A*S*H (1970) earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. After M*A*S*H, she appeared in a number of the director's projects, namely the films Brewster McCloud (1970), Welcome to L.A. (1976), The Player (1992), and Prêt-à-Porter (1994), and the short-lived anthology TV series Gun (1997). In addition to her work with Altman, Kellerman appeared in films such as Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), Back to School (1986), plus many television series such as The Twilight Zone (1963), The Outer Limits, Star Trek (1966), Bonanza, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (2006), 90210 (2008), Chemistry (2011), and Maron (2013). She also voiced Miss Finch in Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985), which went on to become one of her most significant voice roles.

<i>Mandingo</i> (film) 1975 American historical melodrama film

Mandingo is a 1975 American historical melodrama film which focuses on the Atlantic slave trade in the Antebellum South. The film's title refers to the mandinka people, who are referred to as "Mandingos", and described as being good slaves for fighting matches. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis for Paramount Pictures, the film was directed by Richard Fleischer. The screenplay by Norman Wexler was adapted from the 1957 novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott, and the 1961 play Mandingo by Jack Kirkland.

<i>Brewster McCloud</i> 1970 US experimental comedy film by Robert Altman

Brewster McCloud is a 1970 American black comedy film directed by Robert Altman. The film follows a young recluse who lives in a fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome, where he is building a pair of wings in order to fly. He is helped by his comely and enigmatic "fairy godmother," played by Sally Kellerman, as he becomes a suspect in a series of murders, of which a vain, haughty hot-shot detective lieutenant from San Francisco, played by Michael Murphy, soon becomes hot on his trail.

Blair Tefkin is an American actress, singer and songwriter.

<i>Foxes</i> (film) 1980 drama film by Adrian Lyne

Foxes is a 1980 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Adrian Lyne, in his feature film directorial debut, and written by Gerald Ayres. The film stars Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid, and Cherie Currie, in her acting debut. It revolves around a group of teenage girls coming of age in suburban Los Angeles toward the end of the disco era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Gomez</span> Scottish actress

Michelle Gomez is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series The Book Group (2002–2003), Green Wing (2004–2007), and Bad Education (2012–2013). She went on to appear as Missy in the long-running British science fiction series Doctor Who (2014–2017), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Judi Trott is an English actress and is best known for her portrayal of the Lady Marion of Leaford in the popular 1980s TV series Robin of Sherwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luana Anders</span> American actress (1938–1996)

Luana Anders was an American film and television actress and screenwriter.

Barbara Rose Kellerman is an English actress, known for her film and television roles. She trained at Rose Bruford College.

Slither is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Howard Zieff and starring James Caan. Caan plays an ex-convict, one of several people trying to find a stash of stolen money. Peter Boyle and Sally Kellerman co-star. Slither was the first screenplay by W.D. Richter.

<i>The Strange Door</i> 1951 film by Joseph Pevney

The Strange Door is a 1951 American horror film, released by Universal Pictures, and starring Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest and Richard Stapley. Karloff's role is actually a supporting one but his name carried significant weight in the billing. The picture was directed by Joseph Pevney and was based on the short story "The Sire de Maletroit's Door" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Its alternative title was Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Door.

<i>Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins</i> 1975 film by Dick Richards

Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins is a 1975 American comedy-drama film directed by Dick Richards and written by John Kaye. The film was the second film credit for Jerry Bruckheimer, who was an associate producer. The film features the song "Honky Tonk Angels", performed by lead actress Sally Kellerman.

<i>Last of the Red Hot Lovers</i> (film) 1972 film by Gene Saks

Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers is a 1972 American comedy film based on Neil Simon's 1969 play of the same name. Alan Arkin, Sally Kellerman, Paula Prentiss and Renée Taylor star in it.

<i>You Cant Hurry Love</i> (film) 1988 American film

You Can't Hurry Love is a 1988 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Martini and starring David Leisure, Scott McGinnis, Anthony Geary, and Bridget Fonda. A man moves to Los Angeles and hears that "the only way to be successful in Los Angeles is to pretend to be someone else." He goes on a series of video dates and learns that everyone he meets is pretending to be someone else except for the girl who works at the dating service; he realizes the only way to find love is to be himself.

<i>The Secret of Madame Blanche</i> 1933 film by Charles Brabin

The Secret of Madame Blanche is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Brabin and written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. The film stars Irene Dunne, Lionel Atwill, Phillips Holmes, Una Merkel and Douglas Walton. The film was released on February 3, 1933, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

References

  1. "Three for the Road (1987) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  2. "Rich Martini - The Official Site". Geocities.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  3. "Reviews & Ratings for Three for the Road". IMDb.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.