When I first saw HIghway 61 (at 13) my brain imploded. I had no idea movies could be like this.
First of all, Highway 61 was the first Canadian film that I ever saw that was genuinely good while also being distinctly Canadian.*
This was my first encounter with a English Canadian film that was so truly excellent. It looked good, it sounded good, and it was funny and original.
Highway 61 is a road movie (so many of my favorite films are road movies). When small-town barber, Pokey Jones, finds a dead body in his backyard rock'n'roll roadie Jackie Bangs claims it's her younger brother, whom she needs to transport to New Orleans.
When Pokey agrees to drive Jackie and the body all the way down Highway 61 from Thunder Bay to the Big Easy, what he doesn't know if that Jackie is actually transporting a large amount of drugs in the body.
Oh, and there one other small catch. The Devil is on their tail and wants the body!
Watch for Jello Biafra as the border guard.
Highway 61 is the second of Bruce McDonald's Rock and Roll Road Movies, following Roadkill and preceding Hard Core Logo (all highly recommended and rated 5/5).
5/5
*Don't get me wrong, there are some GREAT Canadian films, but if you know Canadian cinema you know that particularly English Canadian movies typically cast one or two B list Americans cast in the lead roles, not Canadians.