One of the better collaborations by director B. Skow and writer David Stanley, "Runaway" is an ambitious road movie that's very heavy on the XXX content while managing to pack in diverting Americana story line and characters in its 3-hour running time.
Obviously unsuccessful in creating a genre classic like Wim Wenders' "Kings of the Road", this does pay homage: the destination of this Skow/Stanley road trip is Paris, Texas (Wim's 1984 film title), where heroine Amy (Capri Anderson) is traveling in search of her birth father Dale Hunter (played in brief cameo at movie's end by Tommy Gunn).
As often is the case, Stanley's screenplay is cluttered with subplots and fetishes, straying from the main characters but still packing a punch. Despite Vivid contract star Capri Anderson's poor acting, her Amy is a sympathetic character, portrayed as way, way oversexed, given to masturbating at any moment, anywhere. Movie opens with her whacking off in the bathroom, observed by pervert stepdad Barry (Barry Scott) outside the window, leading to a confrontation with her mom Brenda (Lisa Ann, trying hard to uplift a cardboard character assignment). Mom sides with Barry and her fight with Amy leads to the kid running away, her goal to find daddy in Paris, Texas, his address given on the envelope of a birthday card she's just received.
In broad strokes, the plot line has been set down for the viewer, but the trail to Texas is littered with endless sex and improbable coincidences - David Stanley's forte. He and Skow go Old School in the sense that the XXX scenes are not the modern half-hour static dead stops in narrative but also include brief explict sex detours throughout. It doesn't add up to a cohesive whole, but at least they tried to make a real movie with hardcore porn included, albeit awkwardly.
Crucial subplot involves Tom Byron, giving the movie's best performance, something the prolific Adult Cinema veteran can be proud of (even though judging by the movies he produces he is clearly an advocate of all-sex gonzo). In contrived fashion his story and fate intersects with Amy's, first as he's driving his truck next to the car she escapes from home in, driving with pals Skin Diamond and Asphyxia Noir, playing Blake and Macy -two young prostitutes who are bad influences on Amy.
The trio of girls hole up at nearby Pink Motel, where Macy & Blake service a customer together played by Mark Wood (he's named Jerry but credited on screen as "John", presumably meaning the generic "john" = client in the jargon of prostitution). Amy in the adjoining diner hears waitress Gloria (earthy Phoenix Marie) chatting with Tom (Tom Byron) about his home back in Texas and his family, and we even see glimpses of his daughter Kirstie (tiny role for Jessi Palmer) and wife Clarissa (India Summer, literally phoning in her role, replete with quality phone sex).
Script soon goes off the rails in Stanley fashion: the young hoes' next customer is Barry, hot on Amy's trail but time out for a threesome. By now, Tom has become a Good Samaritan to Amy, fingering her pussy when she pretends to be a prostitute, and soon fighting with Barry who assaults her at the motel. She stows away in the back seat of his truck cab and he agrees to take her way, way out of his way to Paris, Texas, all the while "valiantly" trying to resist Amy's non-stop teasing/tempting him and habitual masturbating. In a particularly dumb but fetishistic scene, Tom watches Amy have stand-up sex with passerby Jerry in a gas station bathroom, then gets beat up by Jerry ridiculously defending her honor after the fact.
To borrow the Freudian slip title of an early Vivid release directed by Stanley, "Long Story Short", the movie finally arrives at the home of Amy's dad, where she and Tom have their third (or fourth), sex scene together in his truck cab, waiting for dad Dale Hunter (Tommy Gunn) to arrive. Barry arrives first, and stabs poor Byron to death trying to protect Amy, resulting in bathos as he dies in Amy's arms, comparing her to his own daughter. Ludicrously, another running subplot of Barry having psychotic conversations while he drives with his alter ego -imaginary twin Barry, is resolved by Barry #2 trying unsuccessfully to talk him out of killing Amy or Tom. When Dale (Gunn) shows up riding his trusty motorcycle, he's too late, as Barry has committed suicide with his knife, sort of hara-kiri style. One can almost hear David Stanley chuckling at his own rather condescending attempts at black humor.
Brief coda has daddy Dale explaining to Amy what really happened so many years ago in their family -I'll leave that anticlimactic spoiler unrevealed here. I always enjoy, to varying extents, Adult movies that attempt to tell a story, and am willing to give Skow and Stanley credit for at least trying here.
Obviously unsuccessful in creating a genre classic like Wim Wenders' "Kings of the Road", this does pay homage: the destination of this Skow/Stanley road trip is Paris, Texas (Wim's 1984 film title), where heroine Amy (Capri Anderson) is traveling in search of her birth father Dale Hunter (played in brief cameo at movie's end by Tommy Gunn).
As often is the case, Stanley's screenplay is cluttered with subplots and fetishes, straying from the main characters but still packing a punch. Despite Vivid contract star Capri Anderson's poor acting, her Amy is a sympathetic character, portrayed as way, way oversexed, given to masturbating at any moment, anywhere. Movie opens with her whacking off in the bathroom, observed by pervert stepdad Barry (Barry Scott) outside the window, leading to a confrontation with her mom Brenda (Lisa Ann, trying hard to uplift a cardboard character assignment). Mom sides with Barry and her fight with Amy leads to the kid running away, her goal to find daddy in Paris, Texas, his address given on the envelope of a birthday card she's just received.
In broad strokes, the plot line has been set down for the viewer, but the trail to Texas is littered with endless sex and improbable coincidences - David Stanley's forte. He and Skow go Old School in the sense that the XXX scenes are not the modern half-hour static dead stops in narrative but also include brief explict sex detours throughout. It doesn't add up to a cohesive whole, but at least they tried to make a real movie with hardcore porn included, albeit awkwardly.
Crucial subplot involves Tom Byron, giving the movie's best performance, something the prolific Adult Cinema veteran can be proud of (even though judging by the movies he produces he is clearly an advocate of all-sex gonzo). In contrived fashion his story and fate intersects with Amy's, first as he's driving his truck next to the car she escapes from home in, driving with pals Skin Diamond and Asphyxia Noir, playing Blake and Macy -two young prostitutes who are bad influences on Amy.
The trio of girls hole up at nearby Pink Motel, where Macy & Blake service a customer together played by Mark Wood (he's named Jerry but credited on screen as "John", presumably meaning the generic "john" = client in the jargon of prostitution). Amy in the adjoining diner hears waitress Gloria (earthy Phoenix Marie) chatting with Tom (Tom Byron) about his home back in Texas and his family, and we even see glimpses of his daughter Kirstie (tiny role for Jessi Palmer) and wife Clarissa (India Summer, literally phoning in her role, replete with quality phone sex).
Script soon goes off the rails in Stanley fashion: the young hoes' next customer is Barry, hot on Amy's trail but time out for a threesome. By now, Tom has become a Good Samaritan to Amy, fingering her pussy when she pretends to be a prostitute, and soon fighting with Barry who assaults her at the motel. She stows away in the back seat of his truck cab and he agrees to take her way, way out of his way to Paris, Texas, all the while "valiantly" trying to resist Amy's non-stop teasing/tempting him and habitual masturbating. In a particularly dumb but fetishistic scene, Tom watches Amy have stand-up sex with passerby Jerry in a gas station bathroom, then gets beat up by Jerry ridiculously defending her honor after the fact.
To borrow the Freudian slip title of an early Vivid release directed by Stanley, "Long Story Short", the movie finally arrives at the home of Amy's dad, where she and Tom have their third (or fourth), sex scene together in his truck cab, waiting for dad Dale Hunter (Tommy Gunn) to arrive. Barry arrives first, and stabs poor Byron to death trying to protect Amy, resulting in bathos as he dies in Amy's arms, comparing her to his own daughter. Ludicrously, another running subplot of Barry having psychotic conversations while he drives with his alter ego -imaginary twin Barry, is resolved by Barry #2 trying unsuccessfully to talk him out of killing Amy or Tom. When Dale (Gunn) shows up riding his trusty motorcycle, he's too late, as Barry has committed suicide with his knife, sort of hara-kiri style. One can almost hear David Stanley chuckling at his own rather condescending attempts at black humor.
Brief coda has daddy Dale explaining to Amy what really happened so many years ago in their family -I'll leave that anticlimactic spoiler unrevealed here. I always enjoy, to varying extents, Adult movies that attempt to tell a story, and am willing to give Skow and Stanley credit for at least trying here.