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25 Essential Road Trip Movies of the Last 25 Years

We’re looking down the horizon and beyond for some of the best road trip movies that defined the genre over the last 25 years! To rev up this list, we selected American movies movies, journeys that begin in the States (where they actually finish is part of the fun). The movies celebrate the sights and sounds of the country, or at least will inspire you to pull out that camping gear, putting the convertible top down, and hitting the open road. These rides can be cross-county ( Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle ), on the freeway ( Dog , Sideways ), trekking across a few state lines ( Little Miss Sunshine , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ), hitting a new time zone ( Road Trip ), or even runnin’ coast-to-coast ( Rat Race , Transamerica ). Even the Academy has felt the need for reasonable speed, awarding Best Picture to both Green Book and Nomadland . Carpool lane? Of course: we’ve got an Oscar strapped in the passenger seat!

So whether you’re looking for a map to a long summer drive or fixing a flat in your life, turn to these essential 25 road trip movies of the last 25 years (in chronological order)!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) 50%

The Straight Story (1999) 94%

Tumbleweeds (1999) 82%

Almost Famous (2000) 91%

Road Trip (2000) 57%

Rat Race (2001) 45%

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) 75%

Sideways (2004) 97%

Transamerica (2005) 77%

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) 91%

Cars (2006) 75%

Zombieland (2009) 89%

Away We Go (2009) 67%

Paul (2011) 70%

We're the Millers (2013) 48%

Chef (2014) 87%

Grandma (2015) 91%

Mississippi Grind (2015) 91%

Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016) 83%

Green Book (2018) 77%

Nomadland (2020) 93%

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) 97%

Bad Trip (2021) 79%

Dog (2022) 77%

Joy Ride (2023) 90%

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Screen Rant

10 best road trip movies from the 2020s on prime video (ranked by imdb).

From the Academy Award-winning movie Nomadland to lesser-known movies such as She's in Portland, these movies are available to watch on Prime now.

Don’t Make Me Go was recently released on Prime Video and is about a father-daughter road trip after Max, the father, learns he has a terminal illness. Max decides not to tell his daughter, Wally, the real reason why they're making this trip, and it's from this withholding of information that the true melodrama starts.

Don't Make Me Go is a classic road trip-style movie where the journey is far more important than the destination, and the growth the characters find within themselves is the true point of the movie. Even with the 2020s in their early years, there has already been a fair number of "road trip movies" that examine these exact topics.

She's In Portland (2020) 5.7

She's in Portland is a movie about two old friends who, envying each other's lives, take a road trip to find "the one that got away." Through the course of their road trip, the two men bond and rekindle their friendship that doesn't rely on machismo for the two men to be taken seriously.

Related: The 10 Best Movies Of All Time According To Metacritic

She's in Portland is a movie about two men's friendship that is not typically seen on screen. Many movies with two male leads rely on stunts and heavy action, whereas She's in Portland relies on the two men's budding friendship and the lessons they learn along the way. Taking place along the Pacific Coast Highway, viewers will be stunned by the gorgeous views the pair stop at along the way.

Stop And Go (2021) 5.9

In this hilarious comedy, two sisters take a cross-country trip to rescue their grandma from a Covid outbreak at her nursing home. This movie was created during the Coronavirus pandemic and very much showcases the fear that many people had in interacting with others during this time.

Despite their circumstances, the sisters find humor in their situation that doesn't quite land with all viewers. It's true that while the entire human race went through the pandemic, it doesn't necessarily mean it can be joked about with much success. Despite this, the film certainly has its moments of whimsy and is a great movie to while the time away with.

Unpregnant (2020) 6.4

Apropos of the time, Unpregnant is about two teenage girls, Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) and Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) who embark on a harrowing and emotional, yet hilarious journey to another state to be able to obtain an abortion without requiring parental permission. Along the way, they are accosted by pro-lifers and policemen and get a ride from an anti-government survivalist.

While this movie deals with heavy topics, it's done so with comedic timing and heart and doesn't skirt around the reality of Veronica's situation. The film is a great true road trip style movie with many obstacles thrown their way, as is typical of the genre. It very much gives Booksmart and even Superbad vibes in a way that makes a difficult situation funny.

The Man In The Hat (2020) 6.4

The Man in the Hat is a beautifully cinematic film that has almost no dialogue, as the speaking is done through music. It's a classic road trip movie that, in the words of Ciarán Hinds , who plays the main character, "won't take too much of your time... you can just be a human being and watch this little journey and feel things."

The Man in the Hat is beautifully orchestrated with music instead of prose, simple yet emotional scenes like a man eating olives out of a jar that'll have viewers reaching for the Kleenex and the small moments that make humans, human. It's the type of movie that is simply experienced rather than relying on stunts or heavy action to make it memorable. It just is.

Dog (2022) 6.5

Starring Channing Tatum as Briggs, Dog is about an Army Ranger who suffers from PTSD and isn't eligible for service. To get on his commanding officer's good side, he agrees to take an aggressive dog, Lulu, to his late partner's funeral. Through their hilarious and sometimes scary interactions, Briggs and Lulu learn more than they ever thought they could have from each other.

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The film is inspired by true events that Tatum experienced with his own dog. Viewers have become weary of movies with dogs as it seems that they are destined for a bitter end, however, the marketing for Dog assured viewers that the dog does not indeed die, which made viewers keener to watch.

The Trip To Greece (2020) 6.6

The Trip to Greece is a comedy film following fictionalized versions of two actors, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, as they traverse the steps of Odysseus from Troy to Ithaca. It's the fourth installment in the franchise, following The Trip to Italy, The Trip to Spain, and the original iteration centered in England.

Along with the hilarious banter between Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, viewers are dazzled with gorgeous shots of the delectable food the pair dine on throughout their journey. The movie released at the start of the 2020 pandemic and was an outlet for people to "travel" without actually leaving their homes.

Supernova (2020) 6.8

Starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, Supernova is about Sam ( Firth, in arguably one of his best movies of all time ) and Tusker (Tucci) embarking on a road trip through the English countryside after Tusker has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Similar to Still Alice , this movie explores the grief, heartache, and denial of losing a loved one before they're even gone.

Though the film was ultimately snubbed by the awards circuit, it shows an achingly accurate portrayal of dementia and the trials and tribulations the couple face through their hardships. The two leads give a performance of a lifetime that will leave viewers remembering their characters more than the specifics of the film.

Hit The Road (2021) 7.3

Hit the Road is an Iranian comedy/drama about a family driving to the Turkish border to smuggle their eldest son out of the country. Despite the often comedic moments of the movie, there is a constant note of fear running through everyone in the film but the young boy, who hasn't been told the truth about why his older brother is leaving Iran.

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Hit the Road was met with critical acclaim and was director Panah Panahi's debut film. The film is shot almost exclusively from the inside of the car and uses humor as a way to keep the family from falling too far into anguish and heartbreak, though it is there just below the surface.

Nomadland (2020) 7.3

After being a smash success on the film festival circuit, Nomadland went on to win Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress (Frances McDormand) at the Academy Awards. Based on a non-fiction book, Fern (McDormand), recently widowed and unemployed, sets off in a newly acquired van around the U.S. to live as a nomad.

Throughout her travels, she meets fellow nomads who teach her valuable lessons about living on the road as well as invaluable lessons about life, death, love, and family. Nomadland is meant to show what real American life can look like without glamorizing it the way Hollywood has been known to do.

C'mon C'mon (2021) 7.4

In this heartwarming and earnest film, Joaquin Phoenix impresses as an uncle who forges a bond with his young nephew, Jesse, who he hasn't seen in over a year. When Jesse's mom asks Johnny (Phoenix) to come and stay with Jesse, and when she needs to extend her trip, Johnny and Jesse start a cross-country road trip together.

Shot completely in black and white, this movie is not about the end goal, but about the journey, and the lessons Johnny and Jesse learn along the way. Viewed through the eyes of a child, and through the eyes of an adult, it asks viewers to reflect on the circumstances in their own life and if it's possible to move on.

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A smoothie shop employee with butterflies in his stomach and a bleeding right hand sits next to an older gentleman on a bench. “Can I ask you something?” he prefaces. The worker then proceeds to babble about his crush, Maria. Should he follow her to New York City, and leave Florida behind? The older man offers advice—speaking from the heart—and it fills the younger man’s soul, so much that he leaps from the bench and bursts into song. It’s this young guy’s big romantic moment, and he dances away before almost getting hit by a car, and then sings at people inside a mall, in which one patron tries to side-kick him.

This hilarious sequence, which overlaps cliché storytelling with the unassuming public, is just one of many endearing moments in “Bad Trip,” a hidden camera comedy gem starring Eric André , Lil Rel Howery , and Tiffany Haddish that’s finally coming out on Netflix. Directed by Kitao Sakurai , the previous director behind numerous episodes of “The Eric André Show,” it shows an evolution in the hidden camera subgenre, given its warming spirit about people. Unlike the films that previously defined the subgenre, it’s not so much about creating a freak show from unsuspecting extras, but in noting what one would do when confronted with someone as delusional as André’s character Chris. Natural human behavior can be extremely funny, and Sakurai and André know it’s possible to bring it out of people without being mean-spirited. Footage in the end credits of the real people excited to learn that they’re in a movie—a comfort for us as well—confirms the chaos is controlled physically and emotionally, and that allows it to be a party.

“Bad Trip” is an excellent showcase for Eric André—it’s more mainstream than his talk-show-in-hell “The Eric André Show” and less watered down than his recent resume-boosting, commercial work like “The Lion King” and elsewhere. This role lets him scream, sprint, crash into things, and show off that he’s a sweetheart who wants to include you his absurdity. It’s no stretch to say that André is going to be a huge comedic force—I knew this when I caught his Legalize Everything stand-up tour in Chicago in 2019, when he had a sold-out Chicago Theater completely wrapped up in his FaceTime-ing with the parents of random audience members. He’s an affable anarchist with Robin Williams-like verve, and this project lets his burgeoning persona run wild alongside what the film advertises as “Real People. Real Pranks.”

André's hilarious earnest Chris is joined in the movie by Lil Rel Howery, who would have been known enough at the time of filming from his scene-stealing turn in “ Get Out ,” but is disguised as Chris’ reserved friend Bud. They have adorable chemistry as two friends in Florida who decide to drive to New York to reunite Chris with his high school crush Maria ( Michaela Conlin ) after two disastrous brief run-ins at Eric’s jobs. They support each other, like when Chris gets extremely drunk at a cowboy bar, or Bud finds himself inside a Porta Potty. Chris is the wide-eyed dreamer, and Bud is the demure rationalist. Their chemistry is as pure as the Golden Girls, so “Thank You For Being a Friend” is featured prominently in the soundtrack, in between scenes of slapstick pranks that further their road trip.

When Bud and Chris need a car to get to New York City, they “borrow” the bright pink Crown Vic that belongs to Bud’s sister, Trina (Tiffany Haddish), who Bud fears but is relieved when she's put in jail for breaking house arrest. And yet soon enough, Haddish crawls out from under a prison bus, having broken out and starts looking for her car. When it’s not where she stored it, she hunts Bud and Chris up the Eastern seaboard, making for some incredibly funny, abrasive scenes of her confronting people about whether they’ve seen them or her car that has “Bad Bitch” written on the window. Haddish bulldozes into every set-piece, exemplifying the film’s over-the-top spirit. When talking to progressively uncomfortable strangers, she doesn’t miss a beat and she relishes the opportunity to appear dangerous; when she steals a cop car and burns out of a donut shop parking lot, it’s one of her many triumphant moments.

“Bad Trip” is a collision of great improvisational actors and authentically bewildered reactions from people unaware that they’re now in Chris’ story—which makes Michaela Conlin’s performance as Maria all the more an essential middle to its Venn diagram. She enters the movie also as an innocent bystander, but that’s a deceptive comic energy that plays out in very funny ways as she pushes back against Chris’ delusions. In Chris’ prank-based daydreams, Conlin matches André’s intensity; that she has to play it straight in later scenes adds to the tension she creates, like when Chris tries to profess his love to her.

Just how funny is “Bad Trip”? After two viewings, it’s one of those comedies with a stable laughing average and high replay value, even if it doesn’t always hit you as hard. It knowingly plays a hit-and-miss game, and some scenes don’t entirely work (like a grocery store drug trip that plays out like a soft tribute to “The Eric Andre Show”), while other pranks go for discomfort more than big laughs (like when Chris gets gas springing all over a gas station). But the movie has speediness on its side, with pacing that takes the plotting from one prank to the next, often including crowds of people in the latest big dramatic confrontation that comes from Bud and Chris’ expected emotional arc. (A sudden car crash sequence is particularly well planned out, with cameras and extras ready nearby.) It’s a steady build to its ultimate destination of NYC, and every major set piece is constructed to bubble with discomfort before then skyrocketing over the top. An early scene at Chris’ smoothie shop job only begins with him making the drinks without spoons—it escalates to awkward tension with disgusted, annoyed customers, and then boom, a laugh-out-loud, gory finale that hits with impeccable, unexpected timing.

If certain parts of “Bad Trip” aren’t as out-and-out cry-laughing as the work put into them desires, the story is still involving as it adds the dimensionality of unscripted human behavior. And it doesn’t continue the hidden camera movie’s waning intention of dunking on dummies, a factor that also makes this story more fluid than the start-and-stop traps, primed for reaction shots, in something like “Jackass”-spinoff like “Bad Grandpa.” That’s the true sweet spot, in how its pranks are engineered to get the unexpected to interact with Bud, Chris, and or Trina, and see if strangers try to help. (“You turned on us!” says Chris, after a golfer starts swinging a club at Chris and Bud while their penises are enjoined by a Chinese fingertrap.) An amazing scene comes at a tense mid-point, when Trina appears at a restaurant, spreading around fliers with Bud and Chris’ dopey faces on them, advertising her desire to kill the two. She leaves. Bud and Chris then show up at the same place minutes later, and everyone’s response, with some people trying to warn them, and others not wanting to get caught in the middle, is incredible. “Bad Trip” knows how to stir things up, and its funniest scenes often involve real people getting in the mix, tested by the brilliant skills of André, Howery, and Haddish. The ways that some people react to their pranks might shock you in some ways, and absolutely will not in others.

Now available on Netflix.

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film Credits

Bad Trip (2021)

Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity and drug use.

Eric André as Chris

Lil Rel Howery as Bud

Tiffany Haddish as Trina Malone

Michaela Conlin as Maria Li

Kitao Sakurai

Writer (story)

Andrew Barchilon

Cinematographer

Andrew Laboy
Sascha Stanton Craven
Matthew Kosinski
Caleb Swyers
Ludwig Göransson
Joseph Shirley

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<i>Zola</i> Is a Wild Road Trip Movie That Works Against All Odds

Zola Is a Wild Road Trip Movie That Works Against All Odds

B ecause humankind will never stop inventing new forms for old stories, it was only a matter of time before we got a movie adapted from a Twitter thread . In Zola, directed and co-written by Janicza Bravo , a young waitstaffer at a Hooters-style restaurant makes a new friend who cajoles her into taking a weekend road trip to Florida. The goal is to make some quick money dancing at strip clubs, which seems forthright enough. But the ensuing adventure involves guns, sex work, a menacing pimp and a lovelorn boyfriend’s suicide attempt. And all of it really happened—or sort of happened—as recorded by a young woman named A’Ziah “Zola” King in a series of 148 tweets posted in October 2015. Each installment was a nail-biter rendered in 140 characters or less. Unsurprisingly, this prose poem of stripper life went viral.

With Zola, Bravo captures the brashness of King’s voice and turns it into a movie that works against all odds, a black comedy and crime drama that begins as a strippers’ lark and evolves into a NSFW saga of violence and sex trafficking. But Zola is also a story about platonic attraction between women. Sometimes we befriend women who are all wrong for us. We’re as susceptible to feminine magnetism as men are, even if the game doesn’t end in bed.

You can almost hear the click when Zola (Taylour Paige, recently seen in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom ) and Stefani ( Riley Keough ) meet in that restaurant: Stefani appraises Zola—and her winsome cleavage—with her hard little kitty-cat eyes. She’s both predatory and alluring, and Zola senses that she might be trouble. But who isn’t occasionally seduced by the thrill of the new? When Stefani, her hapless boyfriend Derrek ( Nicholas Braun ) and her so-called roommate (Colman Domingo) swing by Zola’s apartment to pick her up, she steps out to meet them, her stripper garb packed into neat, sensible little tote bags. She wears a satin baseball jacket over a tiny shorts outfit—she could almost be ready for church, if she just put on a longer skirt. Stefani, meanwhile, is all saucer-size hoop earrings and glitter eye shadow, a trailer-park siren who swears that everything she does is for her baby, an infant who may or may not exist.

Zola quickly susses out that Stefani’s “roommate” is really her pimp, and he plans to put the two women on the market together. Zola nixes that idea quickly, but she also gives Stefani some tips on how she can make more money from turning tricks. More enduring friendships have been built on less.

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Movie Review: Bad Trip (2021)

Maxance Vincent
Movie Reviews
--> March 28, 2021

2021 has been an incredible year for absurdist comedies that push the boundaries of socially acceptable humor to the extremes. Josh Greenbaum’s “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” is still the funniest (and best) film of the year (so far), but there’s a new competitor in town that dares to go back to the hidden camera pranks of MTV’s “Jackass” era: Bad Trip . Co-produced by “Jackass” filmmaker Jeff Tremaine and directed by “The Eric Andre Show” helmer Kitao Sakurai, Bad Trip contains some of the funniest hidden camera pranks since 2002’s “Jackass: The Movie,” with an extra level of authenticity that’s never been truly reached before.

The film’s framing device is rather simple: Chris (Eric André, “ Rough Night ”) rekindles with the high-school love of his life, Maria Li (Michaela Conlin, “ Enchanted ”) while working at a smoothie shop, which prompts him to go on a road trip to New York City with his best friend, Bud (Lil Rel Howery, “ Get Out ”), to go after Maria. They embark in Bud’s sister Trina’s (Tiffany Haddish, “ Nobody’s Fool ”) stolen car without knowing that she recently broke out of prison and is currently on the lookout for them.

The “road trip” device serves as a quasi-excuse for André, Howery, and Haddish to prank real people without ever being afraid of pushing it to the extremes. And this is what makes Bad Trip particularly funny: Seeing Eric André and others perform exuberant acts of total “shock-slapstick” comedy for a completely impervious public and always going the extra mile to make every situation as uncomfortable as possible. For example, Chris works at a smoothie shop, with a total disregard of basic hygiene protocols (this is particularly timely in the COVID era we currently live in) and, after seeing “the love of his life” for the first time in a year, accidentally puts his hand in a blender which begins to splatter out *lots* of blood. The timing is impeccable, especially when the hidden cameras brilliantly capture the customers’ natural reactions of pure disgust and, finally, shock. And this bit only gives a taste of what’s to come, with the pranks becoming more elaborate (and sometimes reaching downright terrifying levels of comedy) as the film moves along.

Eric André is, in my opinion, one of the funniest comedians living today — and continues to prove his dynamite timing with this film. This feels like a movie especially crafted for him (and his friends) to showcase just how talented he is at not only physical comedy, but also improvisation. Many of the sequences with real people aren’t scripted, and André’s quick-thinking makes him shine in almost every single one of these scenes. This is most evident because the film’s scripted scenes that supposedly “move the plot forward” are incredibly dull and uninspired to watch. Of course, you’re not going to watch Bad Trip for the plot — chances are you’re watching the movie for André and Sakurai’s skills at revitalizing a (seemingly) long-dead sub-genre of comedy, which is fine, but the plot should’ve still been more polished and feel less rushed.

Also, running at almost 79-minutes without credits, the movie doesn’t have enough time to properly develop character depth or the relationships between Chris, Bud, and Trina effectively, forgoing that to go to the “good stuff” quickly. It’s safe to say, if you want your audience to truly immerse themselves to not only the insane hidden-camera sequences Sakurai and André put on display, it helps to have compelling characters. Without them, the hidden-camera sequences feel completely detached from the alleged story piecing it all together.

Still, Bad Trip begs to be experienced. It brilliantly recaptures the unflinching insanity of Jeff Tremaine’s “Jackass” triptych whilst reaching new levels of stranger participation and authenticity Tremaine’s films were never able to achieve. Put the poorly-developed story aside and have fun with Kitao Sakurai’s boundary-pushing comedy that’s sure to elicit an insane amount of laughter . . . though be warned of its audacity to shock with many gross-out sequences. If you loved “Jackass,” you will absolutely adore Bad Trip . Take the plunge on Netflix — you will most certainly not regret it.

Tagged: friends , New York City , pranksters , road trip , sister

Freelance film critic based in Montreal, Québec, with an interest in everything genre cinema has to offer. Follow me on twitter @MaxFromQuebec.

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‘Bad Trip’ Review: On the Road, Leaking Fluid

Two pranksters, and a brace of hidden cameras, travel across country in this jauntily gross comedy.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

Strictly for devotees of degrading pranks and public humiliation, Kitao Sakurai’s “Bad Trip” — a “Jackass”-style road movie belching clouds of poor taste — follows two hapless dreamers from Florida to New York City.

Strapping squalid stunts on the back of a dopey narrative, this hidden-camera Netflix comedy sends Chris (Eric Andre, of the supremely weird “The Eric Andre Show” ) and his friend Bud (Lil Rel Howery) on a cross-country quest for romance. Chris has learned that his onetime high-school crush (Michaela Conlin) is working in a Manhattan art gallery, and he plans to declare his still-fervent devotion.

Contrasting the starry-eyed innocence of this goal with the pair’s repellent misadventures en route, the screenplay (by Andre, Sakurai and Dan Curry) concentrates on bathing its leads in as many noxious emissions as possible. Fake vomit, urine and gorilla ejaculate squirt across the screen as our heroes horrify the unsuspecting patrons of a cowboy bar and a zoo, exemplifying pranks queasily fixated on orificial and genital abuse. Bud’s wrathful sister (Tiffany Haddish), whose beloved car the two have pinched, might be murderously in pursuit, but she can take her time: Her prey won’t get very far with their penises stuck in a Chinese finger trap.

However effortful, the movie’s tricks are more likely to activate your gorge than your funny bone. An end-credits reveal of the hidden cameras to the film’s good-natured dupes has a humorous purity that’s unexpected and appealing — if far too late to mitigate the dreck that has gone before.

Bad Trip Rated R. Did I mention the gorilla ejaculate? Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

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13 Best Road Trip Movies on Netflix (March 2024)

Road trip movies often send out a deeper message than just going from point A to B. They depict transformations of those who embark on them and also stress immensely the value of the journey a lot more than the final destination. We understand the value of road trips for you. We also understand that, at times, a little push is needed to get the courage to leave behind everything for a while and go on one. However, there are also road trip movies that incorporate a different genre, like thriller or action or action thriller. In such movies, the plot is underscored by the trip, but that doesn’t dampen the theme and the emotions of the story, which is what the following movies capture.

13. Bad Trip (2021)

‘Bad Trip’ is a hilarious comedy road movie that will surely have you falling out of your chair in laughter. Chris Carey (Eric André) and Bud Malone (Lil Rel Howery) are two friends who are completely dissatisfied with the direction their lives have taken. Stuck at dead-end jobs with no progress or promotion, the two yearn for even the slightest bit of excitement. However, when Chris unexpectedly comes across his high-school crush, Maria Li, the friends decide to set out on a road trip from Florida to New York City so that Chris can win her over. Thus, the friends then steal a car and set out on a trip that ensues one hilarious incident after the other, while unbeknownst to them, Bud’s sister, the actual owner of the car, appears hot on their trail. You can check out the film here .

12. End of the Road (2022)

Directed by Millicent Shelton, ‘ End of the Road ’ is a sinister take on a road trip movie. Starring Queen Latifah and Ludacris, it tells the story of Brenda, her two kids, and her brother Reggie, whose cross-country road trip across the New Mexico desert to a new place for a new job (after losing her old one) and a new life, goes haywire. A halt on the way makes them witnesses to a murder, following which the killer puts them in his crosshair. Moreover, Reggie takes something from the crime scene that belongs to the killer, something that is a huge mistake, and Brenda knows it. How she and her family get rid of this maniac is what follows in this high-octane road trip thriller. You can stream the movie here .

11. Dirty Grandpa (2016)

‘Dirty Grandpa’ reveals the fun/casual side of Robert De Niro, who stars as Dick, the grandfather to Zac Efron’s Jason Kelly, who is a lawyer and is about to be married. Dick has just lost his wife and wants to have all the fun he couldn’t in the last 15 years or so. So when Jason takes him on a Spring Break road trip to Florida, he unlocks the raunchy side of himself that Jason had no idea existed. Directed by Dan Mazer, the ‘Dirty Grandpa’ cast also includes Zoey Deutch as Jason’s classmate Shadia, Aubrey Plaza as Shadia’s friend Lenore, and Julianne Hough as Jason’s fiancée Meredith. The exploits of the grandpa-grandson duo are what ‘Dirty Grandpa’ is made up of, and it’s a fun riot. You can be a part of it right here .

10. Kodachrome (2017)

Matt, played by Jason Sudeikis, is often overshadowed by his father’s reputation as a famous photojournalist. Upon finding that he has cancer, Matt’s father’s last wish is to go on a road trip with his son from New York to Kansas to get his last few Kodachromes developed before it’s too late and the memories get lost in unprocessed films. The movie will bring back some pleasant memories to those who once used Kodachromes for taking pictures with Kodak cameras before the company went bankrupt and shut down completely. The film is very predictable overall, but that’s how most road-trip feel-good kind of movies are, right? We do not watch them for a predictable storyline. We watch them for the whole positive vibe that the movie gives out to touch us and, at times, even inspire us deeply. You may watch the film here .

9. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

Put the Antman star, Paul Rudd , in any film, and he’ll surely give you a great performance and some hilarious jokes to remember. ‘The Fundamentals of Caring’ is one such film where Paul Rudd plays the role of a writer who has recently experienced the loss of a loved one. To recover from that, he decides to become a caregiver. This is when he meets an angry and frustrated teenager who has never left his home because of his disability. During the journey, the two get close and get a deeper understanding of friendship and aspiration. This movie is a pure entertainer when you’re in a feel-good kind of mood and will make you laugh and cry at the same time. You can watch it here .

Read More: Most Disturbing Movies on Netflix

8. Seventeen (2019)

‘Seventeen,’ also known as ‘Diecisiete’ in Spanish , follows Hector, a spirited and lively 17-year-old who has been confined to a juvenile detention center for two years. While most believe that Hector is a spoilt teen with no regard for rules, he does have a kind heart and even befriends a dog named Oveja while on a visit to an animal rescue center. Hector appears intent on working towards his freedom and becoming a better person. However, things go haywire once Oveja goes missing, and Hector, fraught with concern, breaks out of prison to search for the missing dog. Surprisingly, the 17-year-old’s loved ones support such a venture, and Hector, along with his brother, Isamel, and their grandmother, soon embarks on a road trip through the Spanish region of Cantabria. You can stream ‘Seventeen’ here .

7. The Trader (2018)

As the title suggests, ‘The Trader’ (Georgian: ‘Sovdagari’) is a documentary that follows a poor traveling trader living in poverty and selling his wares in the rural Republic of Georgia. His travels take him to remote corners of the country and provide an authentic sneak peek into the daily lives of the people from that part of the region. The documentary even portrays previously unheard practices like using potatoes as the only unit of currency. For fans who are curious to know more about different cultures and people from around the globe, ‘The Trader’ will surely be an eye-opening experience. You can stream the film here .

6. Expedition Happiness (2017)

Travel documentaries are a joy to sit through, and ‘Expedition Happiness’ satisfies every craving in that regard as it follows filmmaker Felix Starck and his then-girlfriend Selima Taibi on a road trip across North America. Felix and Selima originally hail from Berlin, Germany , but soon grew tired of the big city with its highrises, noisy traffic, and congestion. Thus, longing for fresh air, a change in scenery, and new experiences, the pair obtain and refurbish a school bus before setting out on an epic road trip across North America along with their dog. Filmed by the pair themselves, ‘Expedition Happiness’ provides a fresh take on North America and can easily be considered a must-watch. You may watch it here .

5. Dhak Dhak (2023)

A Bollywood drama directed by Tarun Dudeja, ‘Dhak Dhak’ brings together four women from different social lifestyles and age groups. Together, they set off on a bike trip to Ladakh, India, a place that is considered the highest mountain pass in the world and can be reached by vehicle. The journey also becomes a spiritual one as each experience brings about new realizations, thereby adding to the meaning of life and what it means to be free. The film stars Dia Mirza, Ratna Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi. You can watch it here .

4. 4L (2019)

‘4L,’ known popularly as ‘4 latas’ in Spanish, revolves around Tocho, an alcoholic with bad manners, and Jean Pierre, a past womanizer who still reminisces about his glory days. The film opens with Tocho reading a letter that informs him about his old friend, Joseba, who is seemingly on his deathbed in Timbuktu. The letter makes Tocho realize what he has lost, and soon, he makes up his mind to meet his friend before his death. On top of it, the two also plan on taking Joseba’s estranged daughter, Ely, to her father. Interestingly, apart from agreeing to the trip at a moment’s notice, Ely even provides the men with an old 1982 Renault, the same car the three friends had once used to cross the desert. Thus, they embark on a massive road trip from Paris to Timbuktu while being surrounded by fond memories. Moreover, even though the experiences they have on the road change their outlook on life, the film ultimately teaches us the value of friendship, family, and love. You can watch ‘4L’ here .

3. Qarib Qarib Single (2017)

A Hindi-language Bollywood feel-good rom-com directed by Tanuja Chandra, ‘Qarib Qarib Single’ stars Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu. When two strangers meet via an online dating platform, it’s usually a date that decides whether they will agree to go on further dates with each other. For Jaya (a 35-year-old widow) and Yogi (a not-that-famous poet), it is an adventure that decides it. After some humorous experiences, the two decide to go and visit Yogi’s three ex-girlfriends. Thus begins a memorable trip for our duo as well as for us. From Dehradun to Jaipur to Gangtok, the journey is full of humor, confusion, and humor-filled confusion and ends in a perfect manner. Stop guessing, as you can stream the film right here .

2. Paddleton (2019)

A road trip meets the trip of life in this comedy-drama directed by Alexandre Lehmann. It tells the story of two misfits/neighbors/best friends, Michael and Andy, between whom Michael is diagnosed with terminal cancer . With six months to live, Michael, accompanied by a reluctant Andy, set off on a 6-hour drive to the nearest pharmacy that has the required meds. Their experiences during the journey, which throw light on their friendship and the reality of life in general, make ‘Paddleton’ an enriching road trip movie. The cast includes Mark Duplass as Michael, Ray Romano as Andy, Kadeem Hardison, Christine Woods, Stephen Oyoung, Marguerite Moreau, and Alana Carithers. Feel free to check out the movie here .

1. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, ‘ Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ’ is an Indian Hindi-language movie that tells the story of three friends who come together after a long time when one of them gets engaged. The bachelor trip that follows folds out into a buffet of experiences, both physically and emotionally, as the lives of all three begin to reveal themselves. Pain, regret, fear, mistakes, love, happiness, and insecurities take center stage and address the title of the movie, which translates to ‘Life never happens twice.’ The cast includes Farhan Akhtar , Hrithik Roshan , and Abhay Deol as the three friends, along with Katrina Kaif , Kalki Koechlin , Naseeruddin Shah , and Deepti Naval. You may watch the film here .

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Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip (2021)

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‘wildhood’: film review | tiff 2021.

A two-spirit Indigenous teenager tries to find his mother, and himself, in this delicate coming-of-age story.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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In North Mountain , Bretten Hannam’s debut feature, the director shakily refashioned the thriller genre by casting two-spirit Indigenous people in roles traditionally reserved for white men. The exciting, and at times clumsy, attempt at subversion put Hannam on the radar. Now, with Wildhood , which is adapted from Hannam’s 2019 short Wildfire and premiered at TIFF, the director (who uses gender-neutral pronouns) proves themselves a promising voice.

Wildhood combines the foundation of heartrending coming-of-age narratives with the feel-good elements of road trip flicks to create a delicate, not to mention visually appealing, sophomore film. Link (Phillip Lewitski), a two-spirit Mi’kmaw teenager, lives with his abusive father and his wry younger half-brother, Travis (Avery Winters-Anthony). When we meet the siblings, Travis is helping Link dye his brown locks blond. The tender moment has melancholic undertones: Link’s dye job is an attempt to hide his Indigenous roots, I think — to be more like Travis, who is not Mi’kmaw. As Link, running his fingers through his newly bleached hair, smiles and checks himself out in the dirty mirror, his hopefulness is unmistakable.

Full credits

Venue: Toronto Film Festival (Discovery, Next Wave) Production companies: Rebel Road Films, Flimshow, Younger Daughter Films, Mazewalker Film Cast: Phillip Lewitski, Joshua Odjick, Avery Winters-Anthony, Michael Greyeyes Director-screenwriter: Bretten Hannam Producers: Gharrett Patrick Paon, Julie Baldassi, Bretten Hannam Executive producer: Damon D’Oliveira Cinematographer: Guy Godfree Production designer: Michael Pierson Costume designer: Emlyn Murray Editor: Shaun Rykiss Composer: Neil Haverty Casting director: Stephanie Gorin Sales: Films Boutique

In English, Mi'kmaq

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The 10 Best Road Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked

"No one gets left behind!"

Road movies have existed since the dawn of cinema. It refers to a sub-genre in which the characters go on an extended road trip, undergoing significant changes and altering their worldviews. Timeless and acclaimed classics like It Happened One Night , Easy Rider , and Thelma & Louise are three of the most famous examples of this celebrated sub-genre.

The 21st century has produced several well-known road movies, many of which have become instant classics. From revered indies to beloved comedies and even a few animated efforts, these films are among the finest examples of the road movie, worthy of standing alongside the classics.

10 'Zombieland' (2009)

Academy Award nominees Jesse Eisenberg , Woody Harrelson , and Abigail Breslin join Academy Award winner Emma Stone in Ruben Fleischer 's zombie comedy Zombieland . The plot follows four survivors of a zombie apocalypse who join forces while trying to stay alive.

RELATED: Modern Horror-Comedies Destined To Become Classics

Zombieland is wild, fun, gory, and hilarious, an instant classic in the horror-comedy genre. The film features the four characters on a lengthy road trip across the ravaged United States while searching for a haven against the zombies. Part road movie, part overblown horror-comedy, Zombieland is an incredibly quotable thrill ride with a scene-stealing cameo by Bill Murray .

9 'The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

The ever-underrated Gael García Bernal plays Latin-American icon and Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Walter Salles ' 2004 biopic The Motorcycle Diaries . Based on Guevara's memoir, the film chronicles his expedition throughout South America when he was 23.

Some movies inspire audiences to travel and see the world around them; The Motorcycle Diaries is one such film. Salles captures the beauty of South America, exalting the lush vistas and showcasing the cultural wealth of the southern part of the continent. The Motorcycle Diaries is a classic coming-of-age story, a compelling retelling of the experience that would shape one of modern history's most influential figures.

8 'Into the Wild' (2007)

Sean Penn 's 2007 biopic Into the Wild retells the last journey of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate who embarks on an adventure in the wilderness and attempts to live off the land. Emile Hirsch stars as McCandless, leading a large ensemble including Hal Holbrook , Catherine Keener , Kristen Stewart , and Vince Vaughn .

Into the Wild is a beautiful but heart-wrenching and eye-opening exploration of the true meaning of freedom. Hirsch is stellar as the thrill-seeking McCandless, delivering a harrowing and earnest performance that ranks among his best. Into the Wild refuses to romanticize McCandless' adventure, instead emphasizing the innate contradictions of nature and the dangers of refusing to see things for what they are.

7 'Nebraska' (2013)

Alexander Payne 's 2013 black-and-white comedy Nebraska stars Bruce Dern in an Oscar-nominated performance. The film centers on Woody, a cantankerous Montana man who sets out on a lengthy road trip to Nebraska to claim a $1 million sweepstakes prize.

One of the great black-and-white movies of the 21st century , Nebraska is a loving, biting, and funny ode to family and legacy. Anchored by Dern's career-best work and aided by an excellent cast, including the scene-stealing, Oscar-nominated June Squibb , Nebraska is an emotional road movie that proves the journey truly is the destination.

6 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' (2021)

Netflix's 2021 animated film The Mitchells vs. the Machines is among the streamer's great triumphs. The plot centers on the Mitchells, a dysfunctional family on a road trip who must step up and save the Earth from a machine uprising. The film features a brilliant voice cast, including Danny McBride , Maya Rudolph , and Oscar winner Olivia Colman .

RELATED: The Best Netflix Original Movies of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb

Exciting and beautifully animated, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a sweet and uplifting story for all audiences. Like the best road movies, it uses its setting to offer a deeper look into a specific issue; in this case, it's family dynamics and the challenges of growing up in an increasingly advanced world.

5 'Almost Famous' (2000)

Almost Famous is Cameron Crowe 's masterpiece , a road trip movie starring an ensemble led by Patrick Fugit , Billy Crudup , and Kate Hudson . A semi-autobiographical take on Crowe's early life, the film follows William Miller, a teenager touring with an up-and-coming band while writing an article about them for Rolling Stone .

An intoxicating trip into the wild and colorful 70s, Almost Famous is a certified modern classic. The film is a warm and energetic yet sobering coming-of-age story about fame, ambition, and youth, powered by one of the best soundtracks in the 21st century. With an irresistible vibe and enchanting performances, especially from the Oscar-nominated Hudson, Almost Famous is a fascinating journey to a time when everything seemed possible.

4 'Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The 2006 tragicomedy Little Miss Sunshine stars one of the best ensembles of the 2000s. Greg Kinnear , Toni Colette , Steve Carell , Alan Arkin , Paul Dano , and Abigail Breslin star as the Hoovers, a dysfunctional family on a road trip to take their youngest, Olive, to compete in a child beauty pageant.

Little Miss Sunshine is among modern cinema's most famous independent movies. Funny, sharp, biting, and emotional, the film is a sardonic but loving portrayal of family , strengthened by a spectacular screenplay and Arkin and Breslin's unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performances.

3 'Sideways' (2004)

Paul Giamatti , Thomas Haden Church , Sandra Oh , and Virginia Madsen star in Alexander Payne's 2004 road comedy Sideways . The plot centers on two friends, depressed failed novelist Miles and past-his-prime actor Jack, who embark on a road trip to Santa Barbara wine county to celebrate Jack's upcoming wedding.

RELATED: The Best Dramedies Of The 21st Century, Ranked

Benefitting from Payne's trademark humor and wit, Sideways is a clever look at middle age and the usual crises that come with it. An outstanding cast further contributes to the film's success, especially the Oscar-nominated Church and Madsen. Sideways is among Payne's most moving efforts, a compelling and comprehensive look at human nature and relationships.

2 'Drive My Car (2021)

Ryusuke Hamaguchi 's 2021 road drama Drive My Car is a modern masterpiece. The plot revolves around the relationship between Yūsuke Kafuku, an aging actor and director, and Misaki Watari, a 20-year-old woman he hires as a chauffeur.

Based on Haruki Murakami's eponymous short story , Drive My Car is a stunning and thoughtful exploration of identity, grief, and acceptance. Its intimidating length might be too much for some, but the film is a rich, profoundly affecting, rewarding experience full of symbolism and meaning.

1 'Y Tu Mamá También' (2001)

Alfonso Cuarón 's 2001 coming-of-age road drama Y Tu Mamá También marks a before and after in Mexican cinema. Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna , and Maribel Verdú star in the story of two adolescent boys and a twenty-something woman who embark on a road trip to a fictitious beach, Boca del Cielo.

Presenting a remarkably honest depiction of Mexican politics at a time of deep societal uncertainty, Y Tu Mamá También is a poignant and striking exploration of youth, maturity, and social dynamics. Erotic, intelligent, and emotionally powerful, Y Tu Mamá También is the rare road movie that packs meaning in every shot, never allowing a single line of dialog to go to waste.

NEXT: The Best Romantic Dramas Of The 21st Century, Ranked

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With Plan B, the Teen Pro-Choice Road Trip Movie Rolls On

By Cassie da Costa

Image may contain Clothing Apparel Human Person Hat Sunglasses Accessories Accessory Shelf and Victoria Moroles

In the U.S., young women who want to terminate their pregnancies—or even use emergency contraception–often must first go through some measure of logistical and emotional difficulty. You wouldn’t know that from Juno: In Jason Reitman ’s Oscar-nominated 2007 film, the title character waltzes into her local Planned Parenthood after passing one teenage protester, a nerdy anti-abortion fanatic. Her words, though, have an effect on Juno ( Elliot Page ); it turns out that she can’t stand to be inside the clinic and bolts, deciding to have her child and give it up for adoption. The rest of the movie doesn’t exactly make light of teen pregnancy’s circumstances, nor of the difficulty of giving up a baby you have carried to term. But mostly Juno is focused on the interpersonal dynamics between the girl and the future parents of the baby she gives birth to.

We’re in a different time now, where more films are getting made about teenagers and adult women who decide not to carry unplanned pregnancies to term. These films, generally speaking, reckon with the structural as well as the personal—how certain states in the U.S. make it almost impossible to receive reproductive health care, particularly for teenagers whose rights are generally ceded to their parents. The films usually involve road trips, obstacle-ridden sojourns over state lines and/or to the closest Planned Parenthood—one of the only places to reliably and affordably receive reproductive health care, from accurate examinations to contraception and abortions, without hassle.

The latest of them, Plan B —a teen comedy directed by Natalie Morales and available on Hulu May 28—takes place in South Dakota. In this state and several others, a “conscience clause” gives a pharmacist the right to refuse abortifacient drugs (South Dakota legislators include the morning-after pill and birth control pill in this designation, though the medical community does not; these specific pills are contraception) to minors on the basis of that provider’s personal beliefs. When Sunny ( Kuhoo Verma ), a goody two-shoes with great grades, hosts her first house party and has sex for the first time, the guy puts the condom on inside out. She finds it in the toilet the next day. She and her more experienced rebel best friend, Lupe ( Victoria Moroles ), end up on a wild goose chase to get emergency contraception from a more politically aligned provider, a several-hours-drive away. The film’s cinematography is a sepia haze; despite its emphasis on South Dakota geography (at one point, the girls pull out a physical map), there’s nothing particularly specific about it. We see various home interiors, the pharmacy, the highway, a bowling alley in mostly medium shots—we could be anywhere. There’s a missed opportunity here to tell us where and who these young women really are, beyond their racial identity or how they adhere to high school tropes.

Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg ’s Unpregnant (2020), another teen comedy, follows a different pair as they embark on their own slapdash road trip from Missouri to New Mexico to secure the blonde, perky, and popular Veronica ( Haley Lu Richardson ) a hasty abortion (as Juno once put it) without parental consent. Veronica’s estranged friend, Bailey ( Barbie Ferreira ), has the car and the gumption, so off they go. The movie’s tagline is “She’s a type A without a Plan B,” making plain how thematically and structurally similar Unpregnant is to Plan B.

In both films, charismatic lead actors carry otherwise lackluster scripts, which are more interested in mimicking or updating teen-movie tropes than devising an original aesthetic. Both movies make clear enough, though, the absurd cruelty of the U.S.’s various stringent policies on reproductive healthcare, and the psychic and material difficulties imposed by living under the absolute authority of religious conservative parents, no matter how much those parents may love you. They also insist upon the importance of friendship and solidarity in the face of injustice.

Eliza Hittman ’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), the best film of this bunch—and the first to be released—deals again with very similar themes. It’s a drama, yet genre is not what makes the film rise above. Hittman is interested in how reproductive rights are entangled with young women’s rights and freedom more generally, and in how the relationships young women form with one another depend on some unspoken knowledge of how that freedom is withheld or denied. Bodily autonomy, including freedom from abuse and judgment, becomes central in the film, which follows a young girl, Autumn ( Sidney Flanigan ), and her cousin Skylar ( Talia Ryder ) as they travel from rural Pennsylvania to New York City by bus so Autumn can get an abortion at a Planned Parenthood where Autumn won’t need parental consent to undergo the procedure.

Hittman’s camera stays close to the two girls, transfixed in their orbit; they build a kind of protective energy around themselves, however provisional. There’s a kind of magic about their experience, even though no miracles happen. Never Rarely is the only film of these three that deals head-on with money, and the economics of owning your own body (though Plan B briefly flirts with the idea of selling one’s body in order to secure resources). Hittman makes no attempts to dally in popularized visions of teen existence, forgoing imagined Gen Z cultural touchpoints for a more naturalistic experience of how two young girls from rural America would express (or not express) themselves.

It’s admittedly harder to do this sort of thing in a straight comedy, to write jokes that don’t depend on current trends or whatever older people think is weird about younger people. Yet all these abortion road trip films work best where they consider how uniquely belabored teenagers are by the assault on reproductive rights, how they’re dependent on the whim or morality of adults to determine what little of their own lives they have to themselves. Whatever genres filmmakers choose, there’s plenty of potential here—especially given the incredible fight ahead .

This piece has been clarified to reflect that while certain state legislators identify the morning after pill as abortifacient, it is not.

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