Cinema: Semidetached

ROAD MOVIE is a pitifully clumsy yarn about a couple of truckers (Robert Drivas, Barry Bostwick), the hooker they pick up for relaxation (Regina Baff), and the interstate agonies of owning a rig and trying to haul your freight to Chicago on time — before the gas crisis. Director Joseph Strick has made several other films (The Balcony, Ulysses), although it is not apparent here. Road Movie is a shambling hour and a half padded out with highway footage photographed from the truck’s cab. The woman’s character is the most interesting in the film, though there is not much competition. She is a quivering little bundle of sadomasochism, helping the two drivers and destroying them at the same time. Unfortunately, Strick does not get around to concentrating on her or developing the character beyond a flat concept. He is content to let her quiver while he takes pictures of the honky-tonk at the side of the road.