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Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, Thandie Newton, Charles Fleischer, Howard Hesseman ... see more see more... , James Pickens Jr. , Ron Cummins , Vondie Curtis-Hall , Kasi Lemmons , William Long Jr. , Billie Neal , Eric Payne , Rusty Schwimmer , Mik Scriba , Tom Towles , Venessia Valentino , John Sayles , Tom Wright , Darryl Jones , George Poulos , James Shanta , Debra Wilson , Richmond Arquette , Lucy Liu , Tracy Vilar , Lynn Blades , Joey Dente , Jim O'Malley , Debbie Zaricor , Elizabth Anne Dickinson , Jasen Covine , Tim Truby , Bradley Jordan Spencer , Rory J. Shoaf , Roslyn McKinney , Roderick Carr , Mark Ericsom , Tonia Rowe , Henry Hunter Hall

In this hard-edged drama with a strong undercurrent of dark comedy, Stretch (Tim Roth) and Spoon (Tupac Shakur) are two friends who share both a passion for music and a dependence on heroin. Stretch a... read more read more...nd Spoon play in a jazz combo with Cookie (Thandie Newton), and after a New Year's Eve gig, they score drugs and get high together. Cookie lacks her friends' experience with hard drugs and soon ends up in the hospital after a severe overdose. Cookie's brush with death turns out to be a serious reality check for Stretch and Spoon, and they decide that it's time to kick drugs and get clean and sober. But both men know that they can't get off heroin on their own, and therein lies the problem; as they try to navigate a complex maze of social service agencies (who can't help them get treatment because they aren't on welfare), drug treatment facilities (one of which turns them away because they're only equipped to handle alcoholics), and hospitals (where, in order to be admitted as emergency patients, Stretch and Spoon ponder how to go about stabbing each other) in search of a detox program. The two friends begin to wonder if it might simply be easier to stay on drugs than to get healthy. Gridlock'd marked the feature film directorial debut for actor Vondie Curtis Hall, best known for his work on the TV series Chicago Hope; Elizabeth Pena and John Sayles both appear in supporting roles. Rap musician-turned actor Tupac Shakur, who played Spoon, died in a drive-by shooting four months prior to the release of this film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

9,220 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

32 critics

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Vondie CurtisHall

Release Date: January 31, 1997

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DVD Release Date: December 10, 1997

Stats: 426 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (426)

  • phubbs1
    March 8, 2012
    phubbs1
    I found this quite a bleak depressing film with moments of humour, true its a dark comedy and a satirical look at the bureaucracy and needless paperwork that I'm sure most countries have but there isn't really anything upbeat about it.

    Not that there is suppose to be I'm sure, a... read more film about junkies trying to get into rehab or just looking for some help but only to come face to face with weeks of waiting and forms, enough to make anyone shoot themselves.

    Its a decent film but not as good as it was made out to be in my opinion, Roth is simply his whiny foul mouthed annoying self but Shakur does a little better actually showing some emotion for once, Newton is just cute as a button but with little to do. I think the sub plot about getting involved in a murder case and having drug dealers on their tail kinda spoils the dark realistic comedy of their rehab mission, kinda makes it too daft and more Hollywood if you ask me. Definite cult and Shakur's last film.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    November 15, 2011
    FiLmCrAzY
    I love this movie, its extremely entertainly.
    Its a laugh a minute and you can just fall in love with all the characters!
    Tupak and Roth are fantastic and have great chemistry and Newton is also brilliant.
    Its a highly enjoyable and funny movie that is a must to watch!
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 25, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    an excellent film about friendship and the abuses of heroin. tupac puts forth probably the one truly noteworthy performance of his acting career and tim roth is brilliant as always. underrated in that this film has been so largely ignored over the years, definitely worth a watch.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    There is only one thing wrong with this movie. Thandie Newton, I can't stand her but she?s not in it much so, it?s pretty much perfect. Shakur and Roth bounce off each other so well. Roth?s character is like the 90's version of Rizzo from Midnight Cowboy!
  • TheMachinist
    June 12, 2008
    TheMachinist
    Saw this one in a film festival and loved it. Tim Roth has always been great but Tupac Shakur suprised me with a fantastic performance. Junkie films are my favourites (Requiem for a dream) 'cause the persons always have a story behind them. Recommended!
  • EightThirty
    August 26, 2007
    EightThirty
    Tupac is Great ^_^
  • Deano78
    June 30, 2007
    Deano78
    A very funny dark comedy/buddy film.
  • NuditysShiver
    March 13, 2011
    NuditysShiver
    Spoon (Tupac Shakur) and Stretch (Tim Roth) are heroin addicts who play in a jazz band with their straight-laced vegan girlfriend and lead singer, Cookie (Thandie Newton). After Cookie overdoses on heroin, Spoon decides it's time to kick the habit and go to rehab. The story revol... read moreves around Spoon and Stretch being given the runaround by the many government buildings they go to, about the medicaid they need, to be admitted into the rehabilitation program. Along the way they encounter crazy drug dealers, ubiquitious cops and their own drug addiction.

    I believe Gridlock'd was Tupac Shakur's best performance, being released a few months after his murder. Tupac had more chemistry with Tim Roth than he did with anyone else he starred alongside with on his run in cinema. It was actually funny to see Roth trying to sound black, but it worked out so great here. I wish Thandie Newton could of had more screen time, though. She always seems to be a jewel whenever she appears on the set. Even though Gridlock'd is rather pessimistic in it's delivery, the film felt like an uplifting cartoon and you can tell Roth and Shakur were having a lot of fun in their respected roles. Gridlock'd is a grim look into the lives of addicts and the brooding world in which they live in.
  • marevalo83
    April 27, 2010
    marevalo83
    Really frustrating but well-done movie that does portray the bureacratic issues that do in a sense perpetuate crime, violence, and substance abuse.

    Bonus: Thandie Newton isn't in the movie all that much.
  • thereverendtholomewplague
    January 7, 2010
    thereverendtholomewplague
    Brilliant movie. Brilliant.
    It had funny parts, thrilling parts.
    And a bucket full of fun.
    Great watch! Tupac and Tim's performances were outstanding.
    Oh the adventures of trying to get to a detox center..
    Awesome movie i'd say.
    It was hilarious when they got away from the cops ... read morebecause of the old guy with his dog.

View All Gridlock'd Reviews

Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
May 2, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

An engaging look at a mangy day in the lives of two junkies trying to kick, Gridlock'd would have been a good mid-level B.O. performer even without the interest surrounding it, due to the recent death... Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

The film seems so fresh it's almost possible to forget that it is a fraud in its description of the culture of hard drugs. Full Review

Rick Groen
April 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

The movie's appeal lies largely in its capacity for surprise, riffing off tired characters and pooped genres to produce, intermittently at least, a fresh new tone. Call it junkie humour. Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 14, 2001
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times

Cast against type as the gentler of two musician junkies trying to burrow through the bureaucracy to enter a rehab clinic in Detroit, Shakur has the relaxed screen presence of a young Wesley Snipes an... Full Review

Jennie Yabroff
January 1, 2000
Jennie Yabroff, Salon.com

A surprisingly light-hearted comedy about what happens when two self-imposed exiles from society decide to go straight and look to the system for a little help. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is grim material, but surprisingly entertaining, and it is more cause to mourn the recent death of Shakur, who gives his best performance as Spoon, a musician who wants to get off drugs. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Gridlock'd is refreshing because it's different. The subject matter isn't new, but the approach and tone are. Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

A smart, well-made buddy film about two junkies desperate to kick the habit. Full Review

May 2, 2008
Film4

A dark, effective satire about drug addiction that offers laughs as well as savage criticism of the US approach to dealing with users. Full Review

Laura Clifford
May 2, 2008
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

While not entirely successful, there's enough humor and humanism amid gritty urban locations to recommend Gridlock'd. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Gridlock'd Trivia

  • Which actor starred along side Tupac Shakur in the movie Gridlock'd?  Answer »
  • He raped Liam Neesons wife in "Rob Roy" - he spent most of the film led on the floor bleeding to death in "Resevoir Dogs" - he was a junkie friend to Tupac in "Gridlock'd" - and he held up a restaurant in "Pulp Fiction"......Name him  Answer »
  • Who was the famous rapper that starred in Gridlock'd?  Answer »
  • Which movie was 2pac Shakur's last ??? (R.I.P PAC 1971-1996)  Answer »
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