I Have a Problem and it is Called "Time Travel": The Michael Nesmith Edition

Who knew that two of my obsessions would intersect so neatly? Some time ago, Michael Nesmith co-wrote and produced a movie called Timerider. I vaguely remember this movie in my time travel hunts but I ignored it for the most part. Its about a dirt bike racer named Lyle Swann who crosses paths with a government experiment on time travel and ends up in 1877. Not exactly the kind of time travel movie I usually watch. But because of my current infatuation with Michael Nesmith, I decided to give it a try and watch it.

The cast is fine. Peter Coyote always makes a great villain. Fred Ward plays a likable hero. There's a couple of other character actors that are decent. On the flip side, Richard Masur is awful. Won't lie about that. And the girl that plays the love interest? Yikes. I definitely liked the soundtrack. I know Nez did it but I think its very fitting all things considered.

The thing about this movie is that it's kind of ridiculous. Not in a bad way though. It really is quite funny at times. Let's face it. Time travel is silly. Even if we could travel back in time, would we act the same as the people in history? Nope. Because language and culture evolve. What is relevant to us in the present is certainly not relevant in the past. And that is what Nesmith and this movie get right. Swann talks and acts like a guy from California circa 1981. The people he meets in the past act accordingly to their timeline. Sort of. The female lead is certainly too modern in her dress and at times actions.

Anyway, I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that Swann doesn't even realize he's in the past until the very end. It isn't a thought that crosses his mind during the entire movie. That is refreshing. Any other movie and within five minutes of time traveling, the hero would smack his head and say, "I must have time traveled! I need to find a newspaper to see what date it is!" I definitely liked that aspect.

Now, favorite bits from the movie:

1. The bad guys trying to figure out how to start the hero's motorbike is gold.
2. Swann telling the people who are willing to help him where all his stuff came from made me laugh. 
3. "Where did you get that beautiful map?" "At an Exxon station."
4. Without telling you the ending, I'll just say Peter Coyote's last scene is head shaking funny.

I don't know if I would call this movie great. It was entertaining, sure. Of course, I wasn't expecting it to be great so perhaps my lower expectations ensured a better result. I would still recommend the movie though. It was silly and fun. And also, you really have to suspend belief with any time travel movie and just enjoy it for what it is. I want to leave you with a quote from Nez himself on time travel. This is from his Facebook page a while ago:

There is a certain je ne sais quoi about time travel movies that are loony on the face of it but connect on a level that is almost profound. Not quite, but almost. 

To this, I can only nod my head and add, "Yup."