The Best Road Trips in Movies, Ranked

Image via Complex Original

In this classic comedy, Neal (Steve Martin), a high-strung executive, races to get home in time to his family for Thanksgiving, only to have his trip sidelined by a clumsy but well-meaning and jolly curtain salesman named Del Griffith (John Candy), who inadvertently turns his less than two-hour journey into a three-day ordeal. As the title suggests, the duo take every method of transportation necessary to get him back to his family while they battle the unforgiving winter snow, which makes for plenty of hilarious accidents, arguments, and alcohol-fueled bonding sessions that eventually thaw Neal’s icy heart.

A coming-of-age tale like no other, My Own Private Idaho is the late River Phoenix’s magnum opus. Here, the actor plays Mike, a gay street hustler who hits the road with Scott (Keanu Reeves) to travel from Portland to Idaho to find his mother. The closer the two get to finding the woman whom Mike hopes can make sense of his life, the more Mike falls deeper in love with Scott. When their futile road trip sends them across the world to Italy to track her down, Mike and Scott experience their relationship deteriorate as they come to terms with the fact they’re both in different places and want different things out of life. For Scott, that doesn’t include Mike. Ultimately, the film is a true testament that it’s the journey, not the destination, which defines you.

The hijinks aren’t what make this road trip memorable. Rather, it’s what it means to the entire family. The 800-mile adventure, which takes the Hoover clan from Albuquerque, N.M. to Redondo Beach, Calif. for youngest member Olive’s “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant, bonds the dysfunctional group, all of whom are dealing with their own personal demons. In the driver’s seat is the unsuccessful motivational-speaking father, in the front passenger’s seat is the overworked mother, and filling out the rest of the Volkswagen van is the willfully mute son, the recently committed uncle, the dysfunctional granddad, and the oddball baby of the family, all of whom find themselves rekindling their disjointed familial relationship—and fixing themselves—during the journey.

The Muppets doing anything is a pleasure to watch, but a cross-country, soul-searching road trip takes it to a whole new level. On a quest for movie stardom, Kermit the Frog packs his bags for Hollywood with aspiring comedian Fozzie the Bear and, along the way, picks up a rag-tag team of other Muppets who all share their ambition for the spotlight. Of course, it isn’t smooth sailing for the gang, as evil restaurateur Doc Hopper is hunting down Kermit to be the face of his frog legs business. Fraught with a series of mishaps that land the group stranded in the middle of a New Mexican desert, the group’s simple trip to Los Angeles becomes a teachable moment about the power of believing in yourself.

You could only wish that your family trips were this memorable. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides to take his family (Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron) on a cross-country trip from Chicago to the famed (and fictional) Los Angeles amusement park Walley World. What was meant to be relaxing bonding time turns into an epic series of misadventures as the suburban foursome find themselves dealing with everything from ruthless vandals and pesky extended family to a then-Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Christie Brinkley home-wrecking the Griswolds in her Ferrari. Sure, it sounds a little overwhelming but, face it, all you took away from your last vacay with the ‘rents was a stupid magnet.

Here, Burt Reynolds plays a legendary truck driver who’s tasked by a pair of thirsty Texans to haul 400 cases of Coors beer, then only sold in the Western U.S., to Georgia for the “Southern Classic,” all for the promise of $80k and a sweet new ride. On the trip, which the Bandit embarks on with fellow driver and BFF ‘Snowman’ (Jerry Reed), he attracts the attention of a Texas sheriff when he picks up his son’s runaway bride (Sally Field), whom he nicknames Frog. What ensues is a cat-and-mouse game and a series of high-speed chases—all for the sake of delivering some beer.

A timeless classic bred an equally extraordinary adventure. Clark Gable plays a story-hungry reporter who agrees to reunite a wealthy heiress with the husband her father disapproves of in New York City, as long as she gives him an exclusive piece on her act of rebellion. While their relationship is tempestuous at first, their banter turns flirtatious as they hitchhike their way along the Eastern seaboard. 

When you think about it, Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry’s (Jeff Daniels) cross-country adventure is actually a sweet little love story. Smitten with a beautiful passenger that he drops off at the airport, Lloyd takes Harry on a trip across country just to drop off a briefcase of money she left behind. In the sickest ride of all time—a van dressed up as a shaggy dog (which is eventually replaced by a tiny motorized scooter)—the BFFs deal with hitmen masked as hitchhikers, pesky cops, and aggressive truckers all the way to their destination of Aspen, Colo.

The epitome of cool, Easy Rider has become a cult classic since its late-’60s debut. Perfectly timed with the hippie movement, the film is a fever dream: Two hippies, Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper), both with a fresh wad of cash from illegal pursuits, get on their hogs to make it to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras. On their adventure, the pair pow-wow with friendly ranchers, dabble in the free love movement, take down bigoted cops, and bask in the glow of life on the road.

Nothing can top Thelma and Louise’s road trip. The two literally take the ride of their lives. What was meant as a nice, relaxing two-day vacay from their dreary lives turns into an escape out of town for their freedom. After Louise (Susan Sarandon) saves Thelma (Geena Davis) from an assault, the two decide to leave home for good and start fresh in Mexico. Without spoiling too much, their road trip, marked by armed robberies just to get by and handsome hitchhikers (i.e. Brad Pitt), becomes an unforgettable permanent vacation.