Main Cast: Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Schiff
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
A man discovers his past hasn't just caught up with him -- it's taking him on a cross-country road trip in this edgy comedy. Level-headed Ben (Patrick Swayze) gives his less-than-stable girlfriend Lulu (Melanie Griffith) her walking papers and heads out to California, in hopes of breaking into the movie business as a screenwriter. Seventeen years later, Lulu checks out of a mental hospital and appears at Ben's doorstep in Los Angeles, claiming that she was pregnant at the time they broke up and that she was forced to put their child up for adoption; after all these years, Lulu has decided it's time they paid their son a visit. Lulu forces Ben to drive her to Wisconsin in search of their son, while Ben's wife Claire (Penelope Ann Miller) hops on a plane to Wisconsin in hopes of capturing Lulu upon arrival. Forever Lulu marked the directorial debut of screenwriter John Kaye, who also penned the original screenplay; the film was backed by Green Moon, the production company founded by leading lady Melanie Griffith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Who would have imagined that a 20-million-dollar movie starring Melanie Griffith, Patrick Swayze, and Penelope Ann Miller wouldn't have found an audience in at least one movie theater? If it had been a real stinker, it would be understandable to send this straight to cable television, which is where this ended up. But Along for the Ride has a lot going for it, not the least of which is the readily identifiable star power and a story that drags you "along for the ride" just as Griffith's schizophrenic character does with Swayze. The lack of fanfare for the colorful, breezy production is curious, although no doubt chalked up to contractual obligations by the producers. In any case, the film has plenty of well-placed laughs, honest melodrama that doesn't stoop to button-pushing manipulation, and superb performances by an inspired cast. Debuting director and veteran writer John Kaye (Where the Buffalo Roam) unravels the story at just the right pace to keep interest high. Fans of any of the principal stars won't be disappointed. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
