Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes something like the Friday night premiere of “Road House” at SXSW. The event had unexpected surprises from start to finish, including but not limited to the movie itself.
The project has been dogged by controversy: Director Doug Liman previously publicly stated that he would not attend the premiere of his remake of the beloved 1989 film starring Patrick Swayze because he was disappointed that Amazon had decided the film would go straight to Prime Video streaming. service without theatrical release.
More recently, the original film's screenwriter, R. Lance Hill, sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its parent company, Amazon Studios, over copyright issues, including allegations that artificial intelligence was used to complete the film. .
But all that was put aside for a fun event to celebrate a film with anarchic energy. Introducing the film, star Jake Gyllenhaal announced that Liman was indeed in the audience and called him “our incredible director.”
As Gyllenhaal proceeded to call out various cast members in the audience, they were apparently scattered all over the theater floor, screaming as their names were called. Jessica Williams let out a big “Oh hell yes, Jake!” from somewhere towards the back of the room.
Once the lights went down, an on-screen card dedicated the screening to the memory of Swayze, who died in 2009.
The film is a fun reimagining of the original, starring Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton, a former MMA fighter haunted by memories of an incident during a fight. Now a homeless man lurking on an underground fighting circuit, Frankie (Williams) offers Dalton a job as a bouncer at his bar in the Florida Keys. What she doesn't tell him is that she is being harassed by a local developer and crime boss, Brandt (Billy Magnussen), who wants the land her house is on. Among those coming for them is a crazed henchman, Knox (Conor McGregor), hired by Brandt's imprisoned father.
The crowd wildly applauded the film's fight scenes, particularly the final showdown between Gyllenhaal and McGregor. Filmed in the Dominican Republic, the film has stunning scenery and some truly outrageous boat stunts. Liman imbues the entire film with a gonzo sensibility where anything can happen. Gyllenhaal's first confrontation with a biker gang, in which he slaps them all instead of them punching him before inflicting more violence, captures the film's energetic tone.
The film features an “introducing Conor McGregor” title card, as the former UFC champion makes his acting debut in the film. He brings a wild edge to the character, who is meant to be an unpredictable agent of chaos.
Dax Shepard, host of the “Armchair Expert” podcast and avowed fan of the original film, moderated the post-screening Q&A, taking the stage with a long list of questions while introducing much of the main cast, including Gyllenhaal, McGregor , Williams, Magnussen, Post Malone, Lukas Gage, Daniela Melchior and JD Pardo.
McGregor, who earlier in the evening walked down the theater aisle waving a bottle of alcohol and pouring drinks for people in the reserved seating section, was, shall we say, very enthusiastic. He took charge of answering many of the questions, the combination of his thick Irish accent and the venue's microphones making many of his answers unintelligible to the delight of those on stage and the audience.
Speaking about McGregor's casting, Gyllenhaal said: “We were chasing Conor and hoping he would do the movie and suddenly we got the call that he was doing it. And you know that feeling when you buy the house you've always wanted and you think, what the fuck did I just do?
Suddenly, Williams chimed in: “Millennials say, 'No, we don't!'”
Laughing, Gyllenhaal continued: “The feeling was like, Oh my God, this is the most incredible feeling. And then it was like I wanted to run as far as I could.”
“It's definitely very hard work,” McGregor said. “I thought while watching the movie: I'm going to ruin this.”
As for whether he will act more, McGregor said in reference to the film: “I know, watching that with the crowd, I have a lot more to give. I feel like I have a lot more.”
He added, “Doug Liman is not on stage and he should be on stage,” and the audience erupted in cheers as Liman stood up in the audience.
As McGregor continued to playfully hijack the questions and answers, Shepard regained control by noticing the paper in his hand and saying, “The studio wants these questions asked.”
After asking Malone a question, who appears in one of the first scenes of the film, the musician responded: “I don't know what I'm doing. He said backstage that there is no Autotune for acting. “It really is very hard work.”
Shepard asked Gyllenhaal what his favorite movie, Tough Boys, was, and Gyllenhaal said, “Well, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't throw Mr. Swayze back into the mix. For me as a kid, at first it wasn't 'Road House,' it was 'Point Break.' And subsequently my sister took me to see 'Dirty Dancing' like four times. I mean, even in that he was a tough guy.
“But ultimately I think he was just full of charisma. So much so that he has brought this story here. So I have to hand it over to Patrick.”
Once the questions and answers were over, as everyone was leaving the theater (Liman was wearing an oversized black cowboy hat), screams for medical help could be heard from the hallway where the cast was exiting.
A member of McGregor's entourage appeared to have fainted. While being treated, the man revived and was sitting in a chair drinking water when emergency medical services, firefighters and police quickly arrived. McGregor and a small group of people stayed with him, seeking to calm the situation. He talked about it all being a matter of “hydration.”
