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Freeway

Play trailer 1:23 Poster for Freeway R 1996 1h 42m Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
76% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona (Amanda Plummer), young Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon) decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland). During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
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Freeway

Freeway

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Critics Consensus

A modern update on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Freeway is an audacious black comedy with a star-making performance from the young Reese Witherspoon.

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Critics Reviews

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Kim Newman Empire Magazine 09/10/2020
4/5
Not for the faint hearted but should have been much bigger than it was. Go to Full Review Joe Leydon Variety 03/26/2009
"Freeway" is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, the product of a filmmaker with a ludicrously misplaced confidence in his own cleverness. Go to Full Review Time Out 01/26/2006
There's not much edification in store, and [director] Bright cruises over some bumpy plot holes, but the teen's perspective does put a black comic spotlight on wider social hypocrisies. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast 03/07/2021
3.5/5
A black comedy exploitation film with far more social commentary than expected. Sutherland and Witherspoon are magnetic and you wish they would interact more. Go to Full Review Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast 03/01/2021
5/5
Matthew Bright's Freeway is an intentionally offensive and hilarious update of Little Red Riding Hood with a tour de force performance from a pre-fame Reese Witherspoon. Go to Full Review Ren Jender Bitch Flicks 03/13/2019
Freeway is far from a perfect film but well worth seeing, even for those who don't count themselves as fans of Witherspoon. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mark g @Mark_Alan_G. Dec 5 A dark masterpiece. Little Red Riding Hood with a PCP addiction. Witherspoon revealed that she would not only be a star, she was one. Sutherland is dark and manipulative. This is a hard R and never really stood a chance at mainstream popularity due to the subject matter. However, if you're down with a little darkness, you will revel in the greatness, especially the many comedic moments. See more Robert T Nov 29 Darkly humorous, witty and nasty, Freeway is an original take on the Red Riding Hood fairytale, featuring a wonderful performance by the teenage Reese Witherspoon, before she became a star See more thiago s @Thiagostone Nov 28 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Jul 10 i ddnt buy reese witherspoons performance in this. and wat was with that ending See more Stoner J @Stoner Jun 16 Pretty sweet low budget dark comedy thriller. Sutherland and Witherspoon do great work in this See more Jack R May 3 I noticed her mom calls her “Pooh-bear!” I have a theory this is the same universe as Legally Blonde. Vanessa gets adopted by a rich Beverly Hills family and changes her name to protect herself! Then goes to law school because people like her real mom are locked in jail. See more Read all reviews
Freeway

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Cast & Crew

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Matthew Bright

Director

Kiefer Sutherland

Bob Wolverton

Reese Witherspoon

Vanessa Lutz

Brooke Shields

Mimi Wolverton

Wolfgang Bodison

Detective Mike Breer

Dan Hedaya

Detective Garnet Wallace

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Freeway

Freeway: Trailer 1 Freeway: Trailer 1 1:23 View more videos
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Freeway

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Movie Info

Synopsis Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona (Amanda Plummer), young Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon) decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland). During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Director
Matthew Bright
Producer
Chris Hanley, Brad Wyman
Screenwriter
Matthew Bright
Distributor
Roxie Releasing, Republic Pictures
Production Co
Illusion Entertainment, Muse Productions, Kushner-Locke Company, August Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 23, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$283.8K
Runtime
1h 42m
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