Go

The Movie Loner returns from vacation without a tan but brimming with renewed vigor. In keeping with my newfound pep, I offer an adrenaline shot film from the outstanding movie year that was 1999. I caught Go a few days back and had forgotten what a fantastic joyride it is. To call it a guilty pleasure would somewhat denigrate its merits. It won’t answer life’s enduring questions or solve the world’s complex problems, but it will give you a fun, trippy movie experience filled with laughs and quotable characters.

Bored with life Ronna (Sarah Polley) is going to get evicted from her place. Desperate for cash she accepts co-worker Simon’s shift at the grocery store so he can shuffle off to Vegas with his pals. While working the shift Ronna is approached by TV stars Zack and Adam looking to score some drugs from Simon. Still in need of money, industrious Ronna decides to pay Simon’s dealer a visit to purchase some Ecstasy for Zack and Adam. Drug dealer Todd Gaines agrees to sell Ronna the pills but because she’s short $100 he requires collateral. So Ronna leaves best-friend Claire (Katie Holmes) in Todd’s possession while she completes her transaction.

Zack and Adam’s overeager “friend” Burke arouses suspicion in Ronna, so she flushes the Ecstasy down the toilet, thus hampering her masterplan. But the ever-clever Ronna devises a scheme to fool vindictive Todd Gaines and land her the necessary dough she needs. Meanwhile, Simon’s excursion to Sin City provides a few lasting memories such as a heated menage-a-trois, food poisoning, a stolen Ferrari, gunplay at a strip club, and being pursued by low-rent hoods down the Vegas strip. Whew! Had enough? I haven’t even mentioned the rave. Go keeps going, and going.

Go1

Director Doug Liman and writer John August tell this frenetic odyssey through three different POV’s: Ronna, Simon, and Zack and Adam all act as plot tour guides helping to unwind the interconnected story. Living life on the edge and to the extreme is what Go is all about. Sharp dialogue and cool characters highlight an energetic script that Liman steers with reckless abandon leaving no chance for lulls. The film also features a terrific young cast speerheaded by Polley and Timothy Olyphant who plays the crude yet charming Todd Gaines, one of my favorite characters of the last ten years. If you’re looking for a little maniacal fun at the movies buckle up and check out Go.

The trailer for Go: