I can only say that this is not a movie you should overthink.
And while I generally avoid posting my own links in comments, I think this worth reading to understand the practical value of Roadhouse and also because it was woefully underviewed.
It IS a great movie for quotes. I neglected to mention that. The quotes are probably the best part, actually. (I quite enjoyed this piece the first time, even though I'd not seen the movie. Even better once I had the context!)
Overthinking this stuff is pretty much what I do :D
Yeah..not to complicate your life any further, but I see some kind of exploration of the Western/cowboy mythology cloaked in uber-masculine/action type films like Roadhouse...maybe John Wick (??? stretch ?). From the way you've described it, all I can think of is "That bar needs a sheriff..." and it seems like a lot of the Western genre is predicated on THE ONE who, alone, but actually not at all, can keep order. And that figure tends to be like Swayze's character here: somewhat mysterious origins, sort of shows up out of nowhere, stoic/zen-like in his approach to busting heads and keeping the peace....You know? Could be interesting to think about...you know..at 4am when you're staring at the ceiling trying NOT to think about Point Break :)
That is a really interesting point. Robin made a similar comment about Road House being patient zero for this flavor of action film (and also called out John Wick). There's definitely something there worth exploring. And I am a sucker for Westerns!
Yeah, I've never seen it but from your description this sounds exactly like a Western except with bouncers instead of gunfighters. Like, you have a local robber baron ruling a town with an iron fist and a lone legendary gunfighter arrives to take on him and his army of black hats cowboys to save the town and protect the people.
It definitely was a kind of break through....people are still loving and talking about their love for the House of the Road! I'm also knee deep in Yellowstone, so that's influencing things a bit as well. As I said, I think the Western mythology wants a place in these films...the lone rider, the outlaw, the taking the law into your own hands, the overt and very clear delineations of masculinity...RH came out in '89, right on the cusp of a lot of changing ideas about gender roles, which is something else interesting to think about...WHO KNEW THE ROAD TO THE HOUSE HAD SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS! :)
It IS...and I am so conflicted about that! It's like if the Sopranos were ranchers! Also: Beth Dutton is like Cersei Lannister, but, you know, not as nice. I'm in season 4 and already know I'm going to get sucked into the 1883 and 1923 and whatever else they shovel down your gullets! :)
Also worth mentioning is that Muckity-muck from Jasper is the same guy playing the basically the same role as Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski and Sam Elliot as Wise Sage Bouncer Elder is suspiciously similar to his role as Wise Sage Barstool Elder in The Big Lebowski. If Dalton gets tired of the grind and moves to SoCal to become a Beach Bum he's basically The Dude.
* We started watching road house for the first time since the 80s and it took less than a minute for me to say WTF for the first time. I think we got 20 min in and I probably said it more than 20 times total. So WILD!
* DID YOU KNOW THERE IS GOING TO BE A REMAKE??!! With Conor MacGregor and Jake Gyllenhall. WHAT!
I’m coming out of hiding to express my disappointment that a fellow smart ass, gen-x pop culture nerd never saw this movie. Are you going to reveal next that you’ve never seen Clue? Or Top Secret? Tsk tsk. But love your analysis.
And a fun bit of trivia. As someone who grew up in St. Louis and lived 20+ years in Kansas Cjty, you are spot-on with Jasper, Missouri as long as you are pronouncing it Jasper, Missour-uh. KC and StL are the only locations in the state with the proper pronunciation. Fact.
Bruh. (Sorry, I have Point Break brain). I adore Clue and know all about Top Secret. I honestly cannot explain Road House's inexplicable gap in my personal filmography. It defies all logic and reason. I can only guess my father felt threatened by Swayze and instituted a 'No Swayze in this house, unless he's dancing, dead, or the Bad Guy' rule.
I regret to inform you I pronounce it Missour-e. 😅
Road House is a great movie that gets a terrible wrap. Swayze’s action shenanigans paved the way for Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo. His classic eighties action romp shares the same DNA as The John Wick franchise. Never underestimate the power of kick-ass fun.
I love how you repeatedly say 'muckity muck' and 'Jasper, Missouri' 😆 Btw it goes without saying that I've never watched this Swayze classic, but recently my friend visited Tulsa OK, which makes me think I need to watch The Outsiders first which also stars Swayze. Because Ralph Macchio 😍
I told my hubs to add it to our watch list, so he looked up the trailer since he was completely unfamiliar with this Bratpacker-stuffed Francis Ford Coppola flick. He thought the trailer was ultra cheezy and hysterical, so perhaps this means the movie doesn't hold up as intended despite the prestige factor of the director, Tom Cruise, and Patrick Swayze. Oh well, gonna try to watch it on my own anyhow!
I'm still stuck on your ability to have avoided this trainwreck onto 40-hood and then choosing the torture. 😂 And yep, best not overthink or think at all on this one.
The hits just keep coming, Pierce. I remember actually liking Road House when I saw it which was when I was, like, 7. No idea why. I’m relatively certain it wouldn’t hold up.
Funny but as soon as I read “famous bouncer” my thought was exactly yours. What even is a famous bouncer? I’ve known some bouncers in my life but the only ones who cared about their bouncing ability were the people they were bouncing. i.e., “oh, crap. Jay’s here tonight. Better keep it together.”
There would be famous bouncers for the same reasons there are famous clubs besides Studio 54, the arguably most famous of all time. It would require very specific knowledge and skill.
"I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice."
(Peter Griffin's voice): Roadhouse!
I can only say that this is not a movie you should overthink.
And while I generally avoid posting my own links in comments, I think this worth reading to understand the practical value of Roadhouse and also because it was woefully underviewed.
https://medium.com/muddyum/dominate-your-job-interview-with-quotes-from-roadhouse-the-greatest-movie-of-all-time-169855a75cd5
It IS a great movie for quotes. I neglected to mention that. The quotes are probably the best part, actually. (I quite enjoyed this piece the first time, even though I'd not seen the movie. Even better once I had the context!)
Overthinking this stuff is pretty much what I do :D
Overthinking is the mark of a good writer.
Please tell me your last name is swayze.
I wish... :) well, not his current situation but certainly in his prime.
Yeah..not to complicate your life any further, but I see some kind of exploration of the Western/cowboy mythology cloaked in uber-masculine/action type films like Roadhouse...maybe John Wick (??? stretch ?). From the way you've described it, all I can think of is "That bar needs a sheriff..." and it seems like a lot of the Western genre is predicated on THE ONE who, alone, but actually not at all, can keep order. And that figure tends to be like Swayze's character here: somewhat mysterious origins, sort of shows up out of nowhere, stoic/zen-like in his approach to busting heads and keeping the peace....You know? Could be interesting to think about...you know..at 4am when you're staring at the ceiling trying NOT to think about Point Break :)
Gauntlet thrown! Sheesh... LOL
That is a really interesting point. Robin made a similar comment about Road House being patient zero for this flavor of action film (and also called out John Wick). There's definitely something there worth exploring. And I am a sucker for Westerns!
Yeah, I've never seen it but from your description this sounds exactly like a Western except with bouncers instead of gunfighters. Like, you have a local robber baron ruling a town with an iron fist and a lone legendary gunfighter arrives to take on him and his army of black hats cowboys to save the town and protect the people.
It is exactly like that lol
It definitely was a kind of break through....people are still loving and talking about their love for the House of the Road! I'm also knee deep in Yellowstone, so that's influencing things a bit as well. As I said, I think the Western mythology wants a place in these films...the lone rider, the outlaw, the taking the law into your own hands, the overt and very clear delineations of masculinity...RH came out in '89, right on the cusp of a lot of changing ideas about gender roles, which is something else interesting to think about...WHO KNEW THE ROAD TO THE HOUSE HAD SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS! :)
Yellowstone is so good!
It IS...and I am so conflicted about that! It's like if the Sopranos were ranchers! Also: Beth Dutton is like Cersei Lannister, but, you know, not as nice. I'm in season 4 and already know I'm going to get sucked into the 1883 and 1923 and whatever else they shovel down your gullets! :)
This perfectly describes John Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder. And probably too many other JW movies! 😆
I guess you've never been drinking in Glasgow in the 80s or Chelsea in the 90s
Nope never! 😀
Also worth mentioning is that Muckity-muck from Jasper is the same guy playing the basically the same role as Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski and Sam Elliot as Wise Sage Bouncer Elder is suspiciously similar to his role as Wise Sage Barstool Elder in The Big Lebowski. If Dalton gets tired of the grind and moves to SoCal to become a Beach Bum he's basically The Dude.
Cinema Sins did their take on Road House: https://youtu.be/Z-7vG3dKILY?si=88QXaCKOKicV15DO
LOL that's great! Thanks for the share. :D
You're welcome. Cinema Sins is a great place to visit!
Agreed. Honest Trailers is another great one.
Yes!
Eric. ERIC! 2 things.
* We started watching road house for the first time since the 80s and it took less than a minute for me to say WTF for the first time. I think we got 20 min in and I probably said it more than 20 times total. So WILD!
* DID YOU KNOW THERE IS GOING TO BE A REMAKE??!! With Conor MacGregor and Jake Gyllenhall. WHAT!
😂 it's pretty wild, logic-wise.
I'd heard they were possibly remaking it and I just don't understand why. MacGregor is an interesting choice. 🤔
If by “an interesting choice” you mean “the only choice” then yes.
I’m coming out of hiding to express my disappointment that a fellow smart ass, gen-x pop culture nerd never saw this movie. Are you going to reveal next that you’ve never seen Clue? Or Top Secret? Tsk tsk. But love your analysis.
And a fun bit of trivia. As someone who grew up in St. Louis and lived 20+ years in Kansas Cjty, you are spot-on with Jasper, Missouri as long as you are pronouncing it Jasper, Missour-uh. KC and StL are the only locations in the state with the proper pronunciation. Fact.
Bruh. (Sorry, I have Point Break brain). I adore Clue and know all about Top Secret. I honestly cannot explain Road House's inexplicable gap in my personal filmography. It defies all logic and reason. I can only guess my father felt threatened by Swayze and instituted a 'No Swayze in this house, unless he's dancing, dead, or the Bad Guy' rule.
I regret to inform you I pronounce it Missour-e. 😅
Road House is a great movie that gets a terrible wrap. Swayze’s action shenanigans paved the way for Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo. His classic eighties action romp shares the same DNA as The John Wick franchise. Never underestimate the power of kick-ass fun.
LOL! I love this response, genuinely. This stuff is so fun to talk about.
Great call on identifying that modern action DNA goes back to Road House, I can totally see it. It is a fun movie--and so many great lines!
The Family Guy spoof of Road House is priceless. :)
I love how you repeatedly say 'muckity muck' and 'Jasper, Missouri' 😆 Btw it goes without saying that I've never watched this Swayze classic, but recently my friend visited Tulsa OK, which makes me think I need to watch The Outsiders first which also stars Swayze. Because Ralph Macchio 😍
I haven't seen The Outsiders in a long time. I remember it being good but not sure how it holds up. Great cast tho!
I told my hubs to add it to our watch list, so he looked up the trailer since he was completely unfamiliar with this Bratpacker-stuffed Francis Ford Coppola flick. He thought the trailer was ultra cheezy and hysterical, so perhaps this means the movie doesn't hold up as intended despite the prestige factor of the director, Tom Cruise, and Patrick Swayze. Oh well, gonna try to watch it on my own anyhow!
I'm still stuck on your ability to have avoided this trainwreck onto 40-hood and then choosing the torture. 😂 And yep, best not overthink or think at all on this one.
The hits just keep coming, Pierce. I remember actually liking Road House when I saw it which was when I was, like, 7. No idea why. I’m relatively certain it wouldn’t hold up.
Funny but as soon as I read “famous bouncer” my thought was exactly yours. What even is a famous bouncer? I’ve known some bouncers in my life but the only ones who cared about their bouncing ability were the people they were bouncing. i.e., “oh, crap. Jay’s here tonight. Better keep it together.”
Very entertaining!
That's a great point!
There would be famous bouncers for the same reasons there are famous clubs besides Studio 54, the arguably most famous of all time. It would require very specific knowledge and skill.