The South by Southwest festival is known for many things. Whether it is the incredible collection of geniuses, the amazing BBQ, or the next big band. But the thing that makes South by Southwest stand out from any other festival is the screenings at the Paramount Theater.
There is nothing like a SxSw premiere at Paramount. The audiences are hyped up and ready to go. You are guaranteed for cheers, screams, uproarious laughter, and the best time. The world premiere of Doug Liman’s reimagining of Road House will go down as one of the most fun SxSw screenings of all time.
It turns out Road House and the Paramount Theater were a match made in heaven. The film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and featuring the acting debut of UFC legend Conor McGregor, is definitely not gunning for any Oscars but instead possibly the title of the most ridiculous, most fun movie of 2024.
The remake of the 1989 cult classic starring Patrick Swayze starts out with a big bang, and the punches keep coming. The action is constantly bordering on over the top, and the audience members are expected to throw logic and reasoning out the window. It feels like a throwback to ’80s and ’90s action.
This is where Jake Gyllenhaal absolutely knocks it out of the park. From the first scene to the last, Gyllenhaal oozes cool. Like a modern-day Jean-Claude Van Damme mixed with the looks of a Swayze, Gyllenhaal steps into the shoes of a former UFC fighter who is approached to be a bouncer at a bar in the Florida Keys who needs a lot of muscle.
After having over the top villain after over the top villain thrown at him, Gyllenhaal gets knocked down over and over and even stabbed multiple times, but Gyllenhaal rallies back every time and delivers a true knockout performance as an action star.
At the end of the day, this film is a whole lot of fun. It features many enjoyable performances from a stellar cast, including Jessica Williams, Billy Magnuson, Lukas Gage, and more.
Conor McGregor makes a very impressionable debut as a larger-than-life villain brought in to bring Gyllenhaal down. McGregor brings the same charisma, machismo, and over-the-top antics he has brought in his professional fighting career. Is he the next Daniel Day-Lewis? Definitely not. But in a movie like this, he takes the movie to a completely different level of ridiculousness and fun.
Road House is the perfect movie to grab your buds, turn your brain off, and want to cheer in your seat. I am so glad I watched this movie with hundreds of others in Downtown Austin.
