A road movie is best defined as one that features a journey undertaken by a character or group of characters. Those involved in the journey will cover a great distance to reach their destination, but it's usually the journey that ends up being more important than said destination. There'll often be nice scenery, plenty of self-discovery, and character development favored over plot, with road movies often being dramas/adventure films.

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All those things can be found in road movies that are both formulaic or a little more unconventional. Those more out-there road movies may prove extra-interesting, as the laidback and fairly simple core narrative structure of a road movie allows it to be blended with unexpected genres, settings, or emotions.

1 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)

Big explosion in Mad Max Fury Road - 2015

A fast-paced action movie with a uniquely gritty, grimy atmosphere, Mad Max: Fury Road rejuvenated the long-running Mad Max series with blood-pumping and relentless spectacle. It seems a small band of rebellious women — plus the reluctant title character — taking on a small army of car-obsessed fanatics through essentially one extended chase sequence (with a few moments of downtime) in a post-apocalyptic desert setting.

It's got plenty more action than your standard road movie, but much of the film is spent traveling somewhere, and there's undeniably a ton of driving. Additionally, the characters learn about each other as the film goes on, with Max and the other main character, Furiosa, developing an understanding by the film's end, showing a personal journey within the movie too.

2 'Dogma' (1999)

Dogma-1

Kevin Smith is best known for his down-to-earth comedies, but he's had many movies branched out into unexpected genres and directions. The first — and maybe most well-known — was 1999's Dogma, a comedic/fantasy/adventure movie with an unusual take on an apocalyptic conflict between good and evil and angels and demons.

Long story short, numerous characters cross paths while traveling from Illinois to New Jersey, and many comedic situations arise from the chaos of it all. There's lowbrow humor, commentary on religion and faith, and Matt Damon playing a character called Loki nearly two decades before he (sort of) did so again in Thor: Ragnarok.

3 'Wild at Heart' (1990)

Nicolas Cage in snake skin jacket in Wild At Heart

Wild at Heart takes the same premise perfected in 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, making it more extreme, bizarre, and unpredictable. It's about as unusual as you'd expect a movie about young lovers on the run to be when one of those lovers is played by Nicolas Cage at his most intense, and the filmmaker behind it all is none other than David Lynch.

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The film is essentially two hours of Sailor (Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) avoiding various unsavory characters that Lula's mother has sent to kill Sailor. Along the way, there are plenty of nods to the music and filmography of Elvis Presley and enough Wizard of Oz references to make it sometimes feel like some sort of twisted remake of the 1939 classic. Befitting its title, it's definitely one of the wildest road movies of all time.

4 'Badlands' (1973)

Badlands - 1973
Image via Warner Bros.

Terrence Malick's filmography becomes more abstract as it goes along, in many ways, which is likely a good thing for some and maybe not as great for others. That makes it unsurprising that his debut feature film, Badlands, is perhaps his most straightforward, narratively speaking, with two young lovers who go on the run from the law.

The story has them constantly on the move, with that sense of momentum and dangerous adventure giving it the feel of a road movie. It also contains some Malick trademarks - like poetic voiceover narration and expertly captured natural vistas - that make it stand out from a more typical "lovers on the run" type of film.

5 'Finding Nemo' (2003)

Finding Nemo - Marlin and Dory looking at each other
Image via Pixar

Despite being set almost entirely underwater and far away from any roads, Finding Nemo arguably functions like a road movie. Its story features a very protective father having his only son taken from him suddenly, with him then determinedly setting out on a long journey to retrieve him.

He makes friends along the way, learns how to be a better father, and eventually reaches his destination and finds the titular Nemo. Its Dory-focused sequel, Finding Dory, functions less like a road movie, but for what it's worth, does actually contain a scene where a group of fish manage to operate and drive a vehicle on an open road.

6 'American Honey (2016)

Star in the car during road trip in American Honey.
Image via A24

American Honey is a very personal film with an epic runtime, clocking in at 163 minutes. For such a long movie, its premise is surprisingly simple. A teenage girl wants to escape the tedium of her life, so she joins a group of rebellious youths who sell magazines by day and party by night, traveling all over the Midwest in the process.

It's a film about living in the moment, arguing that finding oneself takes time, and aimlessness might be needed to aid that process. Its length and sprawling, sometimes unfocused nature make it stand out among other road movies, though it's undeniably engaging thanks to the acting, the way it looks, and the soundtrack.

7 'Until the End of the World' (1991)

Until the End of the World - 1991
Image via Village Roadshow Pictures

Known as a film intended to be "the ultimate road movie," Until the End of the World certainly has a shot at that title. The first thing that makes it notable within the sub-genre is its length, with the director's cut clocking in at almost five hours long (and the less favorably viewed theatrical cut is still 2.5+ hours, for what it's worth).

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It also features a journey on an international scale, with the main characters visiting numerous countries before reaching their destination in the Australian outback, which is where much of the film's second half takes place. Few movies are as varied, long, or filled with so many interesting and varied locales, making Until the End of the World right up there with the best and boldest road movies of all time.

8 'Thelma & Louise' (1991)

Thelma & Louise - 1991
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Thelma & Louise is one of the definitive road movies of American cinema. It centers on two women who go on the run after killing a man in self-defense, with their journey together on the run from the law strengthening their bond, each experiencing a personal odyssey of sorts together.

Its crime/thriller aspects don't differentiate it too much from other road movies, seeing as it's fairly common to see characters go on the run. However, Thelma & Louise is notable for having two female protagonists be the characters on the run, with it being a powerfully feminist film that pits two confident women against a misogynistic society.

9 'Weekend' (1967)

Weekend - 1967

Despite Jean-Luc Godard is no stranger to strange movies, Weekend still feels particularly strange. This darkly comedic satire from the French New Wave director features a weekend trip devolving into chaos and violence, and indeed one that ends up feeling borderline apocalyptic by the film's end.

Weekend can't be faulted for its ambitions, given it tackles lofty political and social themes while also having some very interesting creative decisions and plenty of on-screen unpleasantness. It's not a film for everyone, but those burnt out on more formulaic road movies will at least feel like this nightmarish take on the sub-genre has plenty of unique things to offer.

10 'Who’s Singin’ Over There?' (1980)

Who’s Singin’ Over There_ - 1980
Image via Centar Film

A Yugoslavian dramedy set right before the start of World War II, Who's Singin' Over There? certainly feels like a breath of fresh air within the road movie sub-genre. It follows a group of eccentric characters who all have to share a cross-country bus trip, with various misadventures befalling them on their trip to Belgrade.

There's a certain amount of tension that comes with knowing early on that it's set during 1941, with those who know their history knowing that the invasion of Yugoslavia by German forces is imminent. It makes for a film with an unusual tone, but it works quite well in the end, being funny at times and then heavy at other times.

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