After decades of missing (okay, avoiding) this rockem-sockem cult classic about a Zen-loaded bar bouncer in a new town, I broke down last night only to find it featured in today’s NYTimes as the #1 ‘good’ bad film of all time. (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/movies/road-house-patrick-swayze-good-bad-movie.html) No question about the bad part, it’s the good that’s debatable. (Surely, the Patrick Swayze ‘good’ bad film is POINT BREAK/’91, no?.* Perhaps even a great ‘bad’ film.) On the other hand, RH does meet the good/bad criteria that holds ’were it any better, it wouldn’t work at all.’ Everything is OTT even before Swayze is called to clean up a lawless town; he’s like the new sheriff in this quasi-Western where evil, land-grabbing Ben Gazzara has the power to bend everything his way. Lots of pointless nudity (so many tushies!) & violence (so much blood!), with most of the action a bit sloppy under director Rowdy Herrington (a well-deserved Razzie nom). On the other hand, the many car stunts and explosions darn good! The rest, amateur in execution and lacking chemistry between anyone. Not necessarily a bad thing here, as it gives the mayhem the weightless quality of a Tex Avery cartoon.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: *Tellingly, both these films were loosely remade to little effect. Stick with the originals. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2016/12/point-break-1991.html
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: If you get this in physical format, you’ll likely find a little extra where cast & crew look back on the film with a mixture of pride at its ever expanding popularity and embarrassment at its crudity. That’s about right.
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