Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

This is a little gem of a movie about not letting go of your lifelong dream, no matter how bizarre that dream may be.

Charlie Dunlap (Josh Charles) is in love with two things...Amy (Anne Heche) who lives next door and freeway traffic. Charlie has an absolute love affair with freeways and their patterns of behavior with the traffic that clogs them everyday. Charlie has listened to a popular California traffic reporter, Alan Davenport (John Goodman), for most of his life while Alan traveled from station to station reporting on freeway traffic from San Diego to San Francisco. Charlie keeps track of Alan's whereabouts with a map on his bedroom ceiling.

Charlie was conceived in "gridlock" and becomes a "gridlock guy" at about the age of four. Charlie's parents are played hilariously by Christine Ebersole and Peter Riegert. They have a unique sexual relationship and apparently yelling is foreplay. Amy's family is also quite a bit "off" in the functional category!

Amy's family moves but she returns many years later and, while sitting by the freeway, a wish is made by Charlie that "If a cement truck passes in five seconds, Amy will be in my life forever!" The cement truck does pass within five seconds. Anne Heche plays Amy perfectly. She is a translucent nymph...playful and very compelling.

Charlie finally gets his shot at air traffic reporter fame and moves to Los Angeles. He moves into a boarding house owned by Ruby (Christine Lahti). There is only one problem...he has to share the bathroom with Ruby and she is always in the shower. Charlie ends up brushing his teeth in the men's room at a local coffee shop (where Amy works) and screwing Ruby when she isn't in the shower. Christine Lahti's performance is simply delicious.

There is some very interesting music throughout this movie and a most important point if you REALLY want something in life, "You've got to go the extra mile."

Runtime: 1:30

This film is available on DVD, VHS, cable or satellite.

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