Tail Lights Fade (1999) User Reviews (18)

Tail Lights Fade Simply Just Runs Out Of Gas

[Ed-Shullivan · 4/10 · 21 November 2013]

The film starts out with an interesting musical score complimenting the cinematography of two contrasting vibrant red and green sports cars travelling along the city of Toronto's Queensway Boulevard driven by Jake Busey and Breckin Meyer. The story evolves around the two pals Jake Busey and Breckin Meyer agreeing to travel from Toronto to Vancouver with their respective babes Denise Richards and Tanya Allen in their passenger seats in an effort to clean out a marijuana grow operation that belongs to Tanya Allen's imprisoned brother played by Jaimz Woolvett, before the police discover its whereabouts. Woolvett's girlfriend played by the less than stellar actress Elizabeth Berkley is also trying to find out where her imprisoned boyfriends grow op is located so that she can harvest the crop and sell it for her own financial gain.

So we experience a road trip of sorts with pit stops along the way that includes stops at strip bars, restaurants and the odd road kill. An endless stream of blathering arguments ensue amongst the four weary traveller's but little else of any substance.

I enjoy a good road trip themed film that has a purpose in mind, but Tail Lights Fade although a low budget film, was not very interesting, and I found the ending extremely weak and the way to leave an audience disappointed. One of my favourite road trip movies was the 2010 release of MY OWN LOVE SONG starring Forest Whitaker, Renee Zellweger and Nick Nolte. Hands down, if you wanted to make a choice of which film to see, my advice would be to see the latter and avoid Tail Lights Fade.

Abysmal. I hated the girlfriends especially.

[SimmoMar-2 · 3/10 · 12 November 2001]

I hate movies where they try to splice in semi-whitty dialog to compensate for a bad plot. And what a waste of Jake Busey! By the end of the movie there was no clear protagonist anymore and I guess I wanted Breckin to just kill all three of them or something and then go on with his life. So what happens? They melt the place down and he drives off into the darkness leaving his three formers accomplices by the side of the road... oh how metaphoric. I'm not looking for Oscar caliber in this movie, I'm not even looking for something any better than the degenerate Freeway. But man oh man, I hated the blonde chick's character. Kudos to Tanya for making me hate her character so badly... If it's on HBO and you can't sleep cause you had coffee too late, watch this out of the corner of your eye while eating something and catching up on the news in the world. Otherwise don't bother.

awfully slow but with a few moments of interest

[pete-293 · 21 March 2001]

Tail Lights Fade" presents itself as Canada's answer to the "Cannonball" films. With a little better pacing it could have been one. Unfortunately it is simply too slowly paced. After watching for awhile with nothing happening but talk, one tends to get bored. Many of the actors seemed bored as well. The only person who really shows some life is a very tattoo covered Elizabeth Berkley. She actually seems to be enjoying herself.

The film is not without merit however. There are enough interesting scenes to justify watching. The ending segment is particularly well presented. I'd say watch it but don't expect the moon.

Breckin Meyer sucks

[tiki-bob · 1/10 · 10 February 2004]

This movie was totally unwatchable, and I think I have discovered the pattern. If Meyer is in it, avoid it at all costs. It's hard to believe that people can actually make a living making such crap. Also, maybe his problem is movies about cars, since Rat Race and Road Trip were also garbage

Unlikable cast means forgettable film

[iinsic412 · 1/10 · 9 January 2003]

As a fan of Indie films, I've learned to ignore the failings in lighting, sound, film stock and other technical issues. What makes or breaks such a movie is writing, casting and directing. I have no complaints whatsoever about the cast, but the writing and directing are the downfall of this flick. As the film opens you anticipate being drawn into the story by a very good corps of young actors, each of whom should have a decent future in films. However, early on you find yourself struggling to stay focused (and, if you've seen the film, you realize that's a problem for the cast as well). Tanya Allen is very unconvincing as the "concerned" sister of the really big-time dealer Ben. Her emotional range is somewhere between Ali MacGraw and Richard Gere. Worse still, she makes her character unsympathetic and then slides her downhill to just plain despicable. By the end of the film, you really WISH she was locked away in some God-forsaken tiny college in Calgary, keeping the rest of the world safe from such a self-righteous, lemon-sucking harridan. The viewer musters some concern for the other main characters, but only in comparison to the loathsome Angie. One never succeeds in feeling any real emotion for the lot of them. I never felt this was the fault of the actors (well ... with the possible exception of Allen, whom I'll probably avoid in future cinematic selections). It's that pesky ol' script that smells like carp. Banal and wooden dialog, brimful of cliches. Cole asks, "What about loyalty?" Well, hey, what about loyalty to the audience? Every time it appears one of the characters will disappear from the film after some contrived argument, you think to yourself, "Finally, at least one will bite the dust! Only three or four more to go!" Alas, they keep coming back for more, dragging us with them 'til the bitter end. And, without revealing too much detail, the end IS bitter. To me the highest moment (should have expected it, considering the film's "heritage") was Jason Mewes having his turn at playing Silent Bob. You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll slash your wrists! Spare yourself - it's too late for me! Give this one a pass.

Great film

[lord-lucifer-1 · 7/10 · 7 February 2007]

This movie may have its flaws, but all I gotta say is the Cutlass and the Buick look wicked. Also, anytime I have a girl come over and put this movie on, seems like I get laid halfway though it, so hey man, thumbs up! It never fails!!! I just wanted to give in my two cents. I did enjoy it, even though the overall quality wasn't the best, it had potential. Like I said the cars kick ass. They really do. And the chick at the little coffee shop,Kitty, is really quite attractive, I personally wish there were more girls that look like that around here :) The story was a good idea, however it does just go on and on, but it is still a fun film to watch if you have nothing better to do, and just wanna sit at home, light one up, and then watch it alone and hope that maybe someone stops in ...

One long boring ride .......

[merklekranz · 1/10 · 6 November 2013]

Do not be tempted to watch this because of the presence of Jake Busey, because it is not worth seeing unless your idea of entertainment is listening to the most inane conversations. Imagine two cars, a red one and a green one racing across Canada carrying Tanya Allen , Jake Busey, Breckin Meyer, and Denise Richards, and you are trapped in the back seat listening to meaningless, nonsensical conversations for thousands of miles. If that kind of sounds boring to you, then I suggest you avoid "Tail Lights Fade" like you would a rabid dog. This is beyond bad and pretty much a total waste of time. You have been warned. .............. - MERK

Solid Enjoyable and watchable

[[e-mail] · 7/10 · 10 February 2008]

Having enjoyed, but been totally confused by the production teams first film 'Drawing Flies', I was looking forward to this film, having seen the trailer on countless other DVD's. And I enjoyed my 90 minutes in the company of these characters, and their journey (literally). Regardless of anyones personal opinion of any of the actors, the performances are uniformly good, although special mention to Denise Richards in a role far away from anything she's been seen in since becoming a Bond girl. Meanwhile, Whatever happened to Lisa Marie? Her role is little more than a cameo, and yet is memorable. A pleasant surprise was the uncredited cameo of Jason Mewes at the end (For once. taking the 'silent' role). Perhaps the Kevin Smith connection (as executive producer)will attract more people to see this underrated (in Smith terms) flick.

Go on the cheap

[midnight-28 · 2/10 · 17 February 2000]

As much as I adore Tanya Allen who is the pillar of this film, she cannot save this film which suffers from low budget, bad camera work, low quality film stock. I have no idea how Brecken Meyer in comparison to his work in Go! could even be persuaded to join this ensemble. And Tail Lights Fade shows Denise Richards for the unBond girl she is.

Not Too Faded

[Marcos Devilboy · 9/10 · 16 July 2000]

This is not a great film but it clips along and is pretty entertaining. It was made here in Vancouver, probably cheaply, and it has some nice scenery and good acting. Jake Bussey is lively and Denise Richards is great to look at and the supporting actors, including Jaimz Woolvet from 'Unforgiven' are good and often quite funny. It has a plot and some hip references and I would certainly recommend this film, in particular to anyone who likes road movies.

Boring and cheap

[rob-236 · 2/10 · 10 September 2000]

This film is pointless. A character driven road movie with the four leads traveling in classic cars across the country to locate, and hide one of the characters brothers Marijuana grow house, before the cops do. You wait for an eternity for it to get going but it just bumbles along until you are just waiting for it to finish so you can go and wash your hair or something. On top of the four poor leads, including Denise Richards (The World is not enough) and her `Starship Troopers' co star Jake Busey (Son of Gary), the production oozes cheap, right down to the quality of the picture on your screen. All in all a complete nothing of a film.

Indie goodness

[shiplore · 8/10 · 18 April 2001]

I didn't expect much going in but was pleasantly surprised... A dialogue driven film with some pretty good performances.. one of the few roles I've liked both jake busey and denise richards in.. in the vein of the View Askew/Kevin Smith films.. great soundtrack that features.. Modest Mouse and Silver Jews among other indie greats.

great low budget movie

[McLobster · 10/10 · 15 February 2001]

This Movie has a really great story and shows that a movie doesn't have to cost 600 million dollars to make. Just because a movie is low budget doesn't mean that it wont draw you in and make you care about what happens to the characters.

Worth Checking Out.

[banfield · 8/10 · 30 May 2000]

This was a really good movie. Considering it is a Canadian indie film, and not a big studio commercial production, it is well done. The story is interesting, characters are funny, and they drive cool cars. The photography looked really good, and there were some shots (like the fireworks on the sunset, and the opening credits) that are very well done. The only problem I have with the actors is Ms. Berkley, who doesn't do a very good job convincing me she's a drug queen...all I can think of is Saved by the Bell. Denise Richards looks great as always, and her acting is much more convincing than some of her other flix. The soundtrack is alright, and the subtle humor made me smile. If you like smaller budget films, this is a great one to check out. One of the best movies I've seen this year.

NOT the best film ever.. but.

[mcgillj77 · 11 October 2001]

I had been curious to see the "OTHER" films released under the View Askew banner.. this film while not under that banner was still directed by a friend of the View Askew crew, and.. included one little cameo (uncredited).

I will DISAGREE with the other poster.. I thought EVERYONE was exceptionally strong in their roles, aside from "Angie" and "Eve", c'mon face it .. "Showgirls" was a T&A movie, Berkley while cute can't act. The movie deals with Angie (sadly) who's brother gets busted for possession. So his sister decides to burn his stash, her boyfriend (Meyer) invites himself who in turn invites the other 2 yokels (Busey, Richards) and they turn it into a road rally as they are all racing nuts. There is some good dialogue, and Meyer gives his all in a rather thankless part.. as much as Richard (she's funny as hell as the white trash girlfriend) and Busey.. well he can't be his son, clone maybe.. All in all, its a funny movie.. and it has a rather downer kind of ending.. But, it is still very much worth the rental. Better than some other films out there, alot better than many. It won't knock your socks off, and.. you probably won't really remember much of it next week.. But it is a decent 90 minutes of viewing.. ONE note, the DVD BLOWS! There are, sadly, ZERO extra features and not even a trailer for the film.. But still, a decent enough movie at least worthy of one watch.

For fans of Jake Busey!

[mel_farr · 8/10 · 4 December 2002]

I rented this movie for three reasons:

1) It has Jake Busey in it; he has a massive jaw. 2) It has Denise Richards in it; she has massive...forget it. 3) It looked stupid.

On all three accounts I was left satisfied. This movie involves marijuana and relay racing and Denise Richards and Jake Busey, and Breckin Myer who I am a fan of. All three of them are stars. Some would claim Jake Busey is not a star, but he is at least the son of one...three Hurrahs for hereditary oligarchy!

Anyhow if you are looking for an intelligent movie, steer clear of this...but aren't intelligent movies overrated?

Good independent film

[JonMoody82 · 13 April 2004]

It would normally be scary to approach the director to sign your movie and them say, "You actually own it?" But suffice to say, yes I do... and more so I am proud to own it. I hate Breckin Meyer with a passion. He's not that great of an actor when he's a lead (look at Road Trip and Rat Race for examples) so when I saw

he was the lead in this movie I was scared. But I bought it anyway. And to tell you the truth its hilarious! It's written/directed by "Drawing Flies"' Malcolm Ingram. Matt Gissing co-wrote it. I liked "Drawing Flies" alot but not as much as I enjoy Tail Lights Fade. Tail Lights Fade had the dialogue of a Kevin Smith

movie (go figure, Malcolm is good friends with Kevin himself) but had its own original twist on it. The story at teams seemed kind of weak but that didn't stop it by being so damn entertaining. I reccomend this movie to anyone who enjoys

fun road trip type movies. Breckin is the lead but he ain't so bad in this one. That really suprised me. I will own the next Malcolm Ingram movie, you can bet on

that!

Why does everyone complain

[NathanA · 10/10 · 25 October 2001]

Almost all of the reviews I have read for this movie have been bad. Why? I dont know. This is truly one of the best films I have ever seen. So what if it was low budget, the acting was good, story was great and it was original. I think this movie deserves more credit than what it gets. People should try to get past all of that hollywood hype and try to see the movies for what they are. If they can do that then they could start to appreciate good movies like Tail Lights Fade. I think it was and awsome movie, Malcolm Ingram did a good job directing it and Matt Gissing and Malcolm Ingram did a good job with the story. I mean they were even able to get a good cast that should at least tell you they thought the flick was good. Why? Because it is. So I think everyone should go out and rent this movie watch and see it for what it truly is. A great, great movie.