''American Strays'' is a 1996 American
comedy-drama film directed by Michael Covert. It follows three interwoven stories of desert travelers as they converge on a small diner.
Synopsis
Red's Desert Diner Oasis, a dive in the middle of nowhere, becomes the focal point of three separate storylines. In the first, Dwayne (
Savage
Savage may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land
* Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Savage Ridge, Victoria Land
United States
* Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community
* Savage, Minnesota, a city
* Savage, Mi ...
), a homicidal vacuum cleaner salesman, may have met his match in Patty Mae (
Tilly Tilly may refer to:
Places France
* Tilly, Eure, in the Eure ''département''
* Tilly, Indre, in the Indre ''département''
* Tilly, Yvelines, in the Yvelines ''département''
Elsewhere
* Tilly, Belgium, a village in the municipality of Viller ...
), a woman with an impressive collection of sweepers. The second story follows Johnny (
Perry
Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...
), a suicidal man who hires a sadistic hitman (
Jones
Jones may refer to:
People
*Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname
*List of people with surname Jones
* Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter
Arts and entertainment
* Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...
) to end his life anyway possible which includes beating the ever loving crap out of him. The third story follows an unemployed man (
Roberts) and his family, two mobsters (
Viterelli and
Russo Russo may refer to:
*Russo (surname)
* Russo (footballer, 1915–1980), full name Adolpho Milman, Brazilian football forward and manager
* Russo (footballer, born 1976), full name Ricardo Soares Florêncio, Brazilian football defender
*Russo brothe ...
), and others as they travel across the emptiness of the American Southwest.
Cast
*
Scott Plank
Scott Chapman Plank (November 11, 1958 – October 24, 2002) was an American actor who played Nick Reardon on ''Melrose Place'', and as Wiley Farrell on '' Air America''.
Life and acting career
Scott Plank was born in Washington, D.C. on Nove ...
as Sonny
*
Melora Walters
Melora Walters (born October 21, 1959) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Wanda Henrickson in the television series ''Big Love'' and Kathy Kone in '' PEN15'', and has appeared in several Paul Thomas Anderson films. ...
as Cindy
*
John Savage as Dwayne
*
Brion James
Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999) was an American character actor. He portrayed Leon Kowalski in ''Blade Runner'' and appeared in ''Southern Comfort'', ''48 Hrs.'', '' Another 48 Hrs.'', '' Silverado'', '' Tango & Cash'', ...
as Oris
*
Joe Viterelli
Joseph Viterelli (March 10, 1937 – January 28, 2004) was an American actor, best remembered for playing Italian-American mobsters. He portrayed Jelly in ''Analyze This'' (1999) and ''Analyze That'' (2002).
Early life
Viterelli was born on Marc ...
as Gene
*
James Russo
James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in over 150 films in three decades.
Early life
Russo was born in New York City, New York, to an Italian father and German mother. A graduate of t ...
as Eddie
*
Luke Perry
Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III (October 11, 1966 – March 4, 2019) was an American actor. He became a teen idol for playing Dylan McKay on the Fox television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' from 1990 to 1995, and again from 1998 to 2000. He ...
as Johnny
*
Will Rothhaar
William Edward Lamar "Will" Rothhaar (born January 12, 1987) is an American actor.
Early life
Rothlaar was born in New York City, the son of Michael Rothhaar and Nancy Linehan Charles, both of whom are playwrights, actors and directors.
He br ...
as Jordan
* Jessica Lerelman as Daphne
*
Toni Kalem
Toni Z. Kalem (born August 29, 1956) is an American actress, screenwriter and director. Kalem is best known for her portrayal of Angie Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''.
Kalem grew up in Springfield Township, Union County, New Je ...
as Alice
*
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...
as Martin
* Vonte Sweet as Mondo
*
Anthony Lee
Sir Anthony Lee (c. 1510 – 24 November 1549) was an English courtier and Member of Parliament, and the father of Elizabeth I's champion, Sir Henry Lee. He was at the court of Henry VIII in his youth, and served as a Justice of the Peace and ...
as Omar
* Stephanie Cushna as Johnny's Girlfriend
*
Sam J. Jones
Samuel Gerald Jones (born August 12, 1954), known professionally as Sam J. Jones, is an American actor and former football player. He is known for playing the title character in the 1980 film ''Flash Gordon'' and for starring in the short-lived ...
as The Exterminator
* Stace Williamson as Johnny's Brother
*
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as '' Hester Street'' (for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), ''Dog Day Afternoon'', ''Annie ...
as Helen
*
Luana Anders
Luana Anders (born Luana Margo Anderson, May 12, 1938 – July 21, 1996) was an American film and television actress and screenwriter.
Career
Anders began her career with supporting roles for American International Pictures. Some of the early f ...
as Martha
* Jack Kehler as Walker
*
Robert Fields
Robert Samuel Fields (born 10 July 1934) is an American actor who has appeared in film and television. A life member of The Actors Studio, Fields is known for his role as Daniel in the 1987 drama film ''Anna''.
Early life and education
Fields wa ...
as Harry
* Charles Bailey-Gates as Bobby
* Thomas Elliott as Timmy
*
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...
as Patty Mae
*
Michael Horse
Michael Horse (born Michael James Heinrich; December 21, 1949) is an American actor known for his portrayals of Native American characters in film and television.
Early life
Horse was born Michael James Heinrich near Tucson, Arizona, on Decem ...
as Lead Cop
*
Leland Crooke
Leland Crooke is an American actor from stage and film. He is known from several stage plays and films by David Beaird.
Career
In February 1980, Crooke gave his stage debut in the play Bal ( Richard Nelson's loose adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's ...
as Cop #2
* Michael Kaliski as Cop #3
*
Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor.
On television, he has played David Puddy on '' Seinfeld'', the title character on ''The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less Than Perfect'', Jeff Bingham on '' Rules of Engagement'' and L ...
as Rookie Cop
Reception
''American Strays'' was released to a single theater on September 13, 1996.
The film grossed $1,183 in its opening weekend and $1,910 in total during its theatrical release.
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote in his review that the film "has the germ of a good idea" but concluded American Strays is "a spoof in search of a sense of humor".
References
External links
*
*
*
1996 films
1996 comedy-drama films
1990s English-language films
American comedy-drama films
1990s American films
{{1990s-comedy-drama-film-stub