Riding the Bullet (film)

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Riding the Bullet

Directed by	Mick Garris
Produced by	Mick Garris
Written by	Stephen King (novel), Mick Garris
Starring	Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Cliff Robertson
Distributed by	Innovation Film
Release date(s)	15 October 2004 (USA)
Running time	98 min
Language	English
Budget	~ US$5,000,000
IMDb profile

Riding the Bullet is a 2004 horror/thriller movie, directed by Mick Garris. It is an adaptation of a Stephen King novel of the same name. The movie, which received a limited theatrical release, wasn't particularly successful in theaters, earning a total domestic gross of $134,711.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Set in 1969, Alan Parker (Jackson) is a young artist, studying at the University of Maine. He becomes obsessed with death, and believing he is losing his girlfriend, Jessica (Christensen), he tries to commit suicide on his birthday. His friends manage to stop him, and he eventually recovers and decides to go with them to a John Lennon concert. Before he leaves, however, he receives news that his mother, Jean (Hershey), has had a stroke and is near death. Alan decides to hitchhike, in an attempt to reach the hospital before his only relative dies.

After getting rides from increasingly unusual people, he is picked up by George Staub (Arquette). Staub turns out to be dead, and is a form of Grim Reaper, who collects souls. Staub is omniscient in his knowledge of Alan's life, and Alan has to make a decision which will determine whether he or his mother dies.

Spoilers end here.

Tagline: The dead travel fast

Recurring Catch Phrase: Fun is fun and done is done.

Oops: Given the movie's 1969 setting, one glaringy problematic reference is made early in the story when two characters are disparagingly dubbed "Cheech and Chong" by Alan. Cheech and Chong's first comedy album was released in 1972, and their first movie was not released until 1978.