User reviews

This laid back, low key and off-beat homage to Easy Rider set against the scorched Nevada desert was a treat to watch. John Doe plays Joe, a Harley-loving loner who leaves his factory job and sets out to find "Eldorado", Nevada where he plans to spread the ashes of Dave, an amiable biker he met in a bar and who had the misfortune to be electrocuted while playing a video game.

There's a lovely sense of the absurd to the proceedings as Joe pours Dave's ashes into a sky-blue motorcylce gas tank which he straps to the back of his 50's vintage hog and heads out down the highway. He's pursued by a Sam, a kid with an obsession with Motel 9's and a puppy dog determination to ride with Joe and become his friend. If there's a weak link it's Adam Horovitz as Sam. The character is underwritten and Horovitz just doesn't make it work.

But what's really nice about the film is the whimsical, darkly comic look back in fondness to the spirit of the sixties as embodied in guest appearances by Arlo Guthrie and Timothy Leary. Arlo runs a restaurant (not Alices'!) and Tim drives a tow truck. Great turns by both as they wax philosophical on the mysteries and meaning of life. David Carradine does a cool and hilarious cameo as Othello, a hooka smoking desert guru.

The tone of the film is playful with a nice tongue in cheek sense of humor that is very hip. While the main storyline falters occasionally there's a nicely crafted and very funny subplot carried on by telephone between Joe and a woman who works in personnel at Joe's plant.

The star turn of this flawed gem goes to John Cusack who does an astounding and hilarious performance and a poverty activist whose does his bit for the movement by ordering massive amounts of food at restaurants, stuffing his face then doing a classic "dine and dash" routine. He shows up twice and is a treat to watch.

The ending falls a little flat but the climax of the film works just fine as Joe finally finds "Eldorado", a tiny Nevada oasis of neon and casinos where they bet everything on Dave's dream. An easy film to watch and enjoy for those who were there.

Road movies aren't easy to pull off. 'Roadside Prophets' tries and isn't entirely successful, but still has enough cool scenes and good intentions to make it worth watching. Musicians turned actors, Doe (X) and Horovitz (Beastie Boys) play bikers who form an uneasy partnership. One of the problems with the movie is right there - Doe is a natural actor, Horovitz isn't, and doesn't convince.

Anyway, the two set out travelling across America, in a deliberate homage to 'Easy Rider', and the movie in a subtle way is a eulogy for the 60s and a comment on the changes America has seen since then. Many interesting faces pop up in cameos - John Cusack, Timothy Leary, David Carradine, Don Cheadle and Alex Cox regular Biff Yeager to name several - which is half the fun. Especially Cusack's character. It was a pity there wasn't more of him here.

'Roadside Prophets' is uneven, but still enjoyable. If you like this I suggest you have a look at the road movies of Canadian director Bruce McDonald, especially his superb 'Highway 61', a more original and successful movie than this.

I'm a biker and was looking for something bike related to watch and came across this rather pleasant quirky little movie. It won't win any awards for the acting but the actors did a very passable job and the desert scenery was wonderful bringing memories of my trip there many years ago on some of those very roads. Considered a cult film written and directed by Abbe Wool, featuring musicians John Doe of the L.A. punk band X, and Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, with cameo appearances by, amongst others, Timothy Leary, Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, an uncharacteristic performance by John Cusack as Caspar, a self-styled "Symbionese" rebel, and a very early film performance by Don Cheadle. Give it a go if you're a biker and maybe if you're not :)

Not a bad film; it had a good story line and plot. The two leads do a good (not great) job acting. The writing is a bit weak, OK, it' downright bad. The cinematography is OK to good. The soundtrack is average.

I wanted to like this film and the storyline kept me interested, "but" the secondary actors are terrible, there isn't a good one in the bunch. It's almost as if there were cue cards off camera. The direction is quite poor. Even Cusack's small roll seemed forced and ridiculous. They made the film difficult to watch.

It was all I could do to give this movie a six star rating.

Like another reviewer, I'm glad I saw this on IFC instead of paying for a ticket in a theater. Is the lead's name really John Doe? After seeing this mess I thought it was a fake name he used to hide behind. He's not a bad actor, it's the script that reeks -- if they had one. I suspect most of the movie was improvised. The cameos by Arlo Guthrie and Tim Leary are interesting, especially Arlo's rambling tale. He's a master of that genre.

I sometimes enjoy a real "golden turkey," but Roadside Prophets wasn't quite bad enough for the achievement of "so bad it's good." It comes fairly close, but the cinematography and editing are competent enough to keep it out of the "Plan Nine from Outer Space" clan.

The title is excellent -- if only the roadside characters they meet had lived up to it. A more honest title might have been "Roadside Pseudo-philosophical Ramblings." It could have been billed as America's brain-damaged response to the film "Mindwalk".

I'm giving it four stars instead of the three I originally rated it because I was impressed with the huckster-style of the trailer. Together, the movie and the trailer prove anything can be made to sound good with the right sales pitch.

If you want to see a really good, bad movie shot in Nevada, check out "Never Leave Nevada". I saw it many years ago at Sundance and it's a gem from Bizzaro Nevada school of minimal budget strangeness.

This is one of those films which you can watch a dozen times and get something different out of it each time. Lots of guest appearances in this movie. I remember the first time I watched it and thought he looks familiar then realized it was Timothy Leary (Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out Dude from the 60's) not long before he died. I had seen him on a lecture tour around the same time as the movie came out. Also people like Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, Don Cheadle, John Cusack, etc. My favorite part is the entire section with David Carradine.

This is a road trip movie and if I didn't already know who had directed it, I would have thought it was a Robert Altman film. Lots of good weirdness and things for you wrap your head around. Quite a few "in" jokes that you might not catch the first time you see it. If you watched one time and thought it was okay, then watch it again.

Although I first went to see this movie because it had Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys in it. I soon realized it was actually a credible movie. John Doe does great job convincing the audience that he is sigle minded with an altruistic purpose. And I loved the Symbanise Liberation Army scenes with the special guest appearence. I put this flick in the indie-noir catagory just for s***s and giggles. We get a clear glimpse of lower/middle class America and see where we need to assert pressure for change. Lots of changes if I directed

Don't even think of wasting your time on this tripe. I did and I never give an opinion of a movie on here. But this movie my 4 year old using my cell phone camera and would earn a Golden Globe at least. Don't believe anyone who gives this "cough" film more than one star. Wow what else could I say about this so-called movie that would actually make it worth ten full lines. When a something is so bad a person should not be forced to write more than is necessary. Fortunately if anyone really cares, I was able to watch this movie on cable and the actual cost, money wise, was quite low. The aggravation of time lost comes close to the 2nd bailout er stimulus plan signed today by Orator Obama.

A blue-collar joe seeking to fulfil a dead man's last wish finds himself sucked into a spiritual journey and questioning his own life.

This is a film that lends itself to being misunderstood. Previous comments have listed it as "rambling", and I can see where it might appear that way. Just remember the name of the film. It's not about the quest to bury ashes. It's about personal enlightenment and breaking away from a static, nowhere life.

Rich characters and counter-cultural icons litter this film. Definitely a find if you're a fan of movies like "Alice's Restaurant" and "Fritz the Cat".

For those late nights when all you have to entertain yourself with is a TV and a good buzz, "Roadside Prophets" saves. This movie has been hailed as the, "best ever" and that is quite a stretch but, I love it to death nonetheless. I got sucked into it when I noticed Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz was in it. He may not be the best actor but he is interesting enough to pull it off. There are many cameos by some of my favorite personalities. What makes this movie great are the lazy scenes out on the road and somewhat non existent plot. It's one of those flicks that let you leave the couch when you really can't. Roadside Prophets gives you the feel of total freedom and crazy misadventures out on the open roads of America's west. For the first time in 38 years I am tempted to buy a bike (but I wont).

I enjoyed the movie immensely. Sometimes it reminded me of the 1992 "Highway To Hell" movie, which also seems a bit of a "trip". Being a biker helps when seeing this movie. One 'understands' it, like teens are supposed to 'understand' "Wayne's World".

At times one doesn't quite understand some of the 'visions' the characters have, and one has to guess. Basically, it's a biker fantasy (the boss' daughter on the phone covering for the biker cos she's got a crush on him) with some dark comedy thrown in.

I'd say it's almost a "serious" Cheech & Chong type of movie.

The main character of this film is on a journey to find a place his dead friend (who he knew for all of 3 hours) talked about and scatter his ashes there. Along the way he bumps into a young man with an obsession with a chain of motels and fireworks who eventually ends up following him everywhere. They become friends (sort-of) and have a very strange adventure indeed. I bought this film to see Adam Horowitz and he gave a great performance. John Doe was average at best but the star had to be John Cusack in a small cameo. Worth watching if you like very odd films. I do so I give it **** out of *****!

This is definitely one of those kick back in your sofa, light up and flow movies. The subdued plotline is warm and insightful and the many cameos in this movie are always a surprise waiting around the next corner.

If you are walking the path or surfin the wave like some of the rest of us, check this movie out.

Doe meets a man at work who comes off as very annoying and empty headed. The type of person most people would want to run from. Yet Doe befriends him immediately. Then, when this new friend dies suddenly, he decides to honor him by burying his ashes in a mythical city called El Dorado, Nevada.

Thus begins a very feeble attempt at a road movie. It was made by those who never did it themselves, but still think it would be a cool idea. It's the same people who like the idea of 'rebelling' yet have no idea what to rebel against. It has all the bad road movie cliches with none of the substance. It's too contained with none of the ruggedness. The quirky story threads and 'hype' philosophy are simply attempts to cover up it's own hollowness.

There is some introspection involving looking at the 60's through 80's eyes. It shows how Generation X loves the allure of the 60's and wants to emulate it, yet has no real understanding of what it was about. It also shows how the aging boomer still longs for the open road even though he has now become apart of that dreaded responsible class that still needs to hold down a job. Yet all this is only done in minute spurts with the rest of it drowned out by a trendy existentialism that just doesn't work.

John Doe, the lead actor, aptly fits his name. He is very boring and transparent. The 'celebrity' appearances are nothing more than tired walk ons by fading 60's icons. Horowitz is the only one that manages to give a interesting performance. His youthful energy seems sincere and lively.

It's all very flatly shot and cheap looking. It looks like it should have gone straight to video. It also has some real stilted moments and bad acting too. This thing has the audacity to bill itself as THE EASY RIDER of the 90's even though it doesn't come close. It is pure imitation. Watching the real thing would be better or even watching some of the lesser known road pictures of that era.

I rented this movie years ago and have been hoping for a DVD release for years so I can show everyone I know how funny it is. There are so many wonderful cameos in this, too many to list, but mostly you are left with the performances of john doe and adam horovitz. They lead you on a journey we all go on inside ourselves especially while we grow up. Who the hell are we and what do we want from life? How much do the people in our lives mean to us and what would we do for them push come to shove? I know many would think that is too deep for this romp but then I suppose many people consider deuce bigelow real cinema. Anyway, I would recommend this to anyone who for one thing is a nut about music and wants to see some of their favs in a new light and for anyone else with a mind that wanders, take a wander with these roadside prophets.

Before the Hollywood media fawned over itself by hyping (and sometimes over-hyping) female directors, Abbe Wool directed this gem of a movie. For those that love road trip movies this has a little bit of everything. Charming story line , humanity. quirky characters, and a great soundtrack. The cameos alone : Flea, Dick Rude, Don Cheadle, Arlo Gutherie. Timothy Leary, David Carradine and in quite possibly the greatest cameo ever John Cusack. I hope Abbe Wool gets an opportunity to direct again (it has been like 30 years) because this movie was a blast to watch. When I am with fellow movie geeks, this is one I always recommend.

This movie definitely falls in between of what people like to see and what they like to hope for..

While most of the blockbusters, that come out nearly every week, filled up with the special effects, but the "Prophets" show the simplicity of the idea, and the execution is on the top level! Two guys, bikers, hook up out of the blue, and end up becoming more than just simple pals, because, Joe takes on a challenge to see to his new passed friend last will...

i would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see beyond the shine of Hollywood and glamour of most of the sunset strip.

View it, you may like it!! Cheers.

I really enjoyed this film, it's worth the price of admission just for the scenes with John Cusack. Overall this is a great flick. I just wonder how it is rated as 5.4/10 when the mean is 7.4 and the median vote is 8.0. I am beginning to think that IMDb rates the movies the way it wants to and then claims weighted ratings. So the films they like get rated higher than ones they don't care for. It's really to bad this is not yet out on DVD it is well worth owning. OK now to mind flow just to make up three more lines of text, anything in particular that needs to be addressed? I didn't think so. Well I think IMDb ratings system is screwy, and this makes the tenth line so I am finished.

...and this certainly helped put him six feet under.

I finished ROADSIDE PROPHETS, but it took some work. The movie is watchable, but that's about the only thing "good" I can say about it. A couple of "alternative icon" cameos (and John Cusack obviously in need of any kind of a paycheck back in '92) do not make it worth your time.

Doe is OK, but Horovitz is better sampled in small 4 minute doses. Check out his funny turn in the "Sabotage" video, but walk on by this one the next time you're going to take a chance at the video store.

In response to the guy who does not know who John Doe is, just know that Roadside Prophets was a little labor of love for everybody involved, and wasn't ever intended to be a blockbuster, which is why it's a great little movie. John Doe is the bass player of the legendary LA band X, and has acted in many great little indie films WITH HIS FRIENDS, FOR FUN. In case you don't know, Adam Horowitz is AD-Rock of the Beastie Boys. Seeing these guys and Arlo Guthrie (Do you know HIM?), David Carradine and others in this midnight movie is purely a blast. Carradine's character especially is a treat, one of the many great cameos he's done in his long but now over career. Amen, Bro.