Sweet Ride, The

I always loved this film. Tony Franciosa always brings a lot to his roles. And in this one he is as glib and as charming as ever. There is great dialog by Tom Mankiewicz which gives fuel to Collie's (Tony Franciosa) irreverent, smart-aleck personality and provides entertaining personalities to the other characters as well. The film itself is a great peek at the California surf/Sunset Strip scene in the 60s. I do recommend it - it will not be time wasted. Compared today's films, there are no gun or bomb blasts, no blatant nudity or sex, the language is pretty clean even for the bikers, just a very well written, directed, acted, and entertaining film.

Very nostalgic movie of the period, the 60s. One of many made during this time, drive in make out movie genre. Story did have dark under current of conflict. Many stars were in this at the beginning of their careers - sarrazin, bisset, etc. Worth a watch.

While this flick was not quite what I expected, the bits of 60's counterculture clashing with character expectations satisfied my craving for some late '60s "free ride" story lines. This was not a meal that filled the belly completely, but more like holiday dinner where certain peeps forgot to bring their dish. The surf house, the beach, a beautiful woman, men who still want to be boys and a shifty plot line make for an entertaining time...just don't set your expectations too high.

This film had such potential, but ultimately goes nowhere! I looked forward to seeing footage of Moby Grape in its original incarnation. Also Bob Denver in a very non-Gilligan type role (as the womanizing Jazz musician!) but ultimately this film which coulda been a comedy, or a beach/biker film, or a drama with social overtones, ends up as a bummer. It is still a great document for the year 1967/68 LA/Sunset Strip culture (which was part of the reason I bought it!). The DVD(R) from Fox Cinema Archives, has no extras (except for a preview) and is pretty much "plug & play" when you watch it. I found this review from Vincent Canby in the New York Times from 1968;"Sweet Ride' Begins RunVINCENT CANBYPublished: June 13, 1968TOWARD the end of 'The Sweet Ride', Jacqueline Bisset is raped by a psychotic cyclist and beaten by a television producer, and goes home to her family in Santa Barbara. Her fellow, Michael Sarrazin, abandons his life as a Malibu surfer to take a job in a hardware store. And Tony Franciosa, in whose beach pad the kids have been shacking up, suddenly sees the emptiness in his life as an aging tennis bum and feels fleeting remorse. Tears appear in his eyes, which, on the New Amsterdam Theater's screen, are about eight feet wide."

I had seen "The Sweet Ride" many years ago, and really loved it at the time. For some time, it wasn't available on DVD, so I was really pleased when it was. It holds up very well after all these years, which of course is not always the case. It has the bittersweet quality that I remember, and and the depiction of the hipster subculture feels authentic.

This isn't going to be a dime-store Ebert review--you can get enough of those all over the web--rather a warning and a condemnation of 20th Century Fox's Cinema Archive collection which once again PERSISTS in releasing their widescreen films in pan-and-scan fullscreen editions. If you're comfortable paying top dollar for a dvd with no extras and in the wrong aspect ratio, then so be it, purchase away. From me, this insult of a disc release gets just 1 star.

Had not seen the film since it's original theatrical release. Tis the one that introduced the beauty of Jacqueline Bisset to the world. Equally beautiful Michele Carey is in there too. If you're waxing nostalgic for the upheaval of the 60s, this would be a fine one.

This film, "The Sweet Ride" from 1967, as written by Tom Mankiewicz based on a novel by William Murray and directed by Harvey Hart (who made the superior "Bus Riley's Back in Town" in 1965) asks you to think of the dirtiest possibilities in presenting its story content. That is not why I chose to watch this film and none of it was titillating to think about and like the film asks you to choose, I do not care about the negligence the film advocates, and therefore I give the film a low score. The cast is very good: Michael Sarrazin, Jacqueline Biset, even Tony Franciosa (well past the age to act this way) Bob Denver, Michael Wilding and Michelle Carey among others. Dusty Springfield sings the title song which I'd never heard before. Produced by Joe Pasternak, responsible for some of Elvis's leering comedies. Filmed in Panavision and Color by Deluxe, but this 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives edition is presented in pan & scan.

Excellent A+++

very boring