A 55 Chevy takes on a 70 GTO in a race across the Southwest in Monte Hellmans cult favorite. The Driver (James Taylor) and the Mechanic (Dennis Wilson) phlegmatically slouch from race to race, pitting their gray Chevy against any and all gearheads in order to make money for gas and food. They and the tag-along Girl (Laurie Bird) meet their match in Oh Maybelline fan GTO (Warren Oates), and they all set off on a cross-country race to Washington D.C., with the winner getting the losers car. But it isnt the end that really counts; it is the process of getting there, as the Girls fickleness forces the Driver to decide what matters more: endless races or her. Shot on location from a spare script by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry, Two-Lane Blacktop was trumpeted as the film of the year in Esquire Magazine before its release. It bombed, and disputes over music rights kept it from home video until 1999, but repertory and TV screenings have gained it an avid following for its automotive detail, flashes of authentic idiosyncrasy, and artfully abstract examination of the urge to forge ahead, whether or not there is anywhere to go. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide