Like a bad haircut, this 1971 film belongs to a different time...what once might have been anti-establishment is, in hindsight, a badly dated, not particularly entertaining piece of work. Michael Burns, who played "the boy" in Altman's THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK, is thrown together with sexual free spirit Meg Foster as they hitchhike through northern California. The movie is fairly episodic, with the duo running into wacky Bruce Dern, wacky Joyce Van Patten and wacky Michael Conrad. They also get involved with wacky Burke Byrnes and his giddy wife Marianna Hill. The director, Quentin Masters, makes some really odd decisions (close ups of mouths, oddly timed fades, etc) that distract from rather than enhance any of the action. The acting is fine, though Burns really can't carry a film and there is little chemistry between him & Foster. There is plenty of nice scenery captured by veteran cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr.
Review of Thumb Tripping
