The 1989 film “Road House” isn’t a classic. It’s more like a “classic.”
Patrick Swayze’s honky tonk romp is both deeply flawed and a cherished ’80s film. Any attempt to remake it seems fraught with complications.
Too woke? Too reverential? Too over-the-top in that glorious “Road House” fashion? How about too bland? And, worst of all, too unnecessary.
Jake Gyllenhaal steps in for Swayze, playing a former UFC fighter struggling to make sense of his life. He’s offered a sweet gig as the lead bouncer in a Florida club called, wait for it, The Road House.
No, it’s not a funny line nor is much of what we get worth a chuckle.
Our new Dalton flashes his bouncing skills in a sequence that suggests this remake might be worth the bother. He’s a force of nature,...