Sexy, high octane thrill ride!
Directed by: Sean Patrick Flanery
Written by: Sean Patrick Flanery, Story by John Thaddeus
Cast: Billy Budinich, Caylee Cowan, Johnathon Schaech, Brian Maillard, Sydney Scotia
Swift shot: Back in 2010, I came up with The Thrillometer for my old iratefilms site, and it’s been awhile since a film has earned dusting that bad boy off, and now here comes Frank and Penelope practically begging for it! This movie has everything that I love in a story: sexy characters; violence; betrayal; freaks; and even supernatural abilities. If you don’t love it, go plug in your fucking Prius!
Imagine a man who has lived his entire life calculating his every move, that’s Frank (Budinich). He drives a Prius, has a nice house, a stable job, and a loving wife. Frank is about as average as they come, until one day he comes home to see his wife getting railed by some douchebag, and everything about his life suddenly feels pointless.
Frank decides to make one final decision, he’s going to just drive to the end of the proverbial road. As in, yea, check out, punch his own ticket, do himself in, but first he has to get some gas for his sad little Prius, and he winds up at a literal crossroads, a gas station right next to a strip club. There, he meets a waifish innocent looking girl, Penelope (Cowan) who seemingly, immediately falls for him.
Things are looking up for our boy, Frank, as Penelope tells him she’s going to give him a special dance to help him forget all his woes. Honestly, at this point, Frank has already made up his mind that his past life is over, and why not go all in. Hell, he’s never even been inside a strip club before – Frankly, it’s time to live a little, Frank!
Frank is enjoying the company of his new smitten, sexy stripper when the Club Manager (Flanery) interrupts their session. Seems he’s not the nicest guy in town, and after an altercation, Frank and Penelope get the Hell out of Dodge . . . in a Prius.
Meanwhile, a new character is introduced to the story, Molly (Scotia) who is evidently a woke liberal, based on her bumper stickers vomiting all manner of anti-Awesome messages: no to guns; coexist; etc. Molly is a real jock-blocker type. And she’s broken down on a bad stretch of road in a cellular dead-zone.
But lucky for her, she is quickly picked up by local tow-truck driver, Cleve (Maillard) who gives her a terrific little trek to the “Quicksilver Motel.” Her stay is, shall we say, not ideal.
The “Quicksilver Motel” is in an old Texas mining town that houses a various assortment of “Appalachian weirdos,” led by a creepy, powerful cult-leader, Chisos (Schaech).
Realizing that a Prius is a terrible car for their new adventure, Frank and Penelope acquire a Super Bee ’68 Dodge. And after a brief encounter with Kevin Dillon as Sheriff Dalton, Frank and Penelope make their way to the Motel too.
[Swift aside: I must say, just the fact that I actually liked Kevin Dillon in a movie speaks volumes, as I have not been a fan of his since I wanted to punch him in the face in No Big Deal — yes, really. Look it up!]
The “Quicksilver Motel” acts as the oil for the entire movie, at this point. All the moving pieces are there and just waiting to get greased and used in various ways.
You’ve got Cleve, who runs the place with his wife, Mabel (Donna D’Errico) and she’s got some supernatural abilities of her own . . . maybe. And then there’s Cookie (Charley Koontz) who is the chef along with his mute, frail wife, Magda (Jade Lorna Sullivan) who runs the register at the diner.
Along with Molly, and Frank and Penelope, there’s only one other guest, Ophelia played by the iconic, incomparable (Lin Shaye).
And of course, the real leader is Chisos, who weighs up any visitors and decides their fates based on his whims. His power is unique and so is his twisted lineage.
What plays out is a raunchy romance where characters are tested on every level humanly possible. There’s even a neat little nod to The Notebook, yes, you read that right. Elements of Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Duel, and probably more that I missed are cleverly crafted into the final product that is Frank and Penelope.
My favorite part of the film is watching how the characters are forced to make choices outside their comfort zones and what that looks like for each of them.
In the end, you may find yourself really surprised how much you love this little independent film . . . I know I was floored by its impact. I really hope it gets a huge cult following and creates a resurgence for T&A and adrenaline-fueled films!
