1999, Running Time 1 hr 42 min. Rated R for strong drug content, sexuality, language and some violence. Dir: Doug Liman (Swingers). Cast: Sarah Polley (Ronna), Katie Holmes (Claire), Desmond Askew (Simon), Taye Diggs (Marcus), Scott Wolf (Adam), Jay Mohr (Zack), Timothy Olyphant (Todd), Breckin Meyer (Tiny), William Fichtner (Burke), Jane Krakowski (Irene Burke).

Those who know be best are well aware that I hated Pulp Fiction with every waking moment of my being. However, of all the films that have knocked off the formula, I enjoyed Go! the most. The characters are troublemakers, sure, but they're still more down to earth and relatable in this film, a 24-hour romp from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back to L.A. on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

The key PF factor notably used in Go! is the intermingling character viewpoints on the same subjects and how their experiences interlock. Of course, also seen in Go! are the pop culture references, sexuality, drug abuse, rampant disregard for gun laws and lack of emotion toward the dead and/or dying. All of which makes Go! a fun ride that doesn't glorify any of those vices.

Go! is as close as it gets to showcasing a cast of talented and promising young actors who will be successful for years to come, in the range of American Graffiti. A few already have had their share of screen time, such as Katie Holmes ("Dawson's Creek", Disturbing Behavior), Jay Mohr (200 Cigarettes, Mafia!) and "Party of Five"'s Scott Wolf.

But the actress who will benefit most from her screen time is relative newcomer Sarah Polley, who has been in several small indies (The Sweet Hereafter most notably) and some TV movies, but this could be Polley's biggest break yet. The first thirty minutes are all hers as Polley plays Ronna, a supermarket clerk Ronna who has a child-like face and eyes as big as headlights as she surprises the audience with brash lifestyle choices in a desperate attempt to prevent imminent eviction. Of course, selling Ecstasy, outsmarting cops and double-crossing drug dealers is probably not the way most of us would go about fixing the situation. But then again you have to have some kind of interesting plot.

The next half-hour we follow Simon (Desmond Askew), a fellow supermarket clerk and part-time drug dealer who makes a first trip to Las Vegas with three friends, one of the most memorable visits to Vegas in silver-screen history. With his black-yoga-sex-god friend Marcus (Taye Diggs), wanna-be gangster Tiny (Breckin Meyer) and some other guy we observe as they steal a Ferrari, shoot a bouncer and Simon has sex with two drunk bridesmaids at the same time. Which is the most important?:
Other guy: "You stole a car, shot a man and had sex with two women?"
Tiny: "You had sex with two women?" (pause) Again, "You had sex with two women?"

This, along with a bouncing car chase to the tune of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride", makes for a fun ride and some good laughs. Taye Diggs will get rave reviews for his role, and expect to see him in future blockbusters.

The third set is the most humorous, with soap actors Adam (Wolf) and Zack (Mohr), after busted for possession of drugs, being blackmailed by an eerie L.A. cop named Burke (Fichtner) to lure Ronna in a drug sting. This leads to a strange Christmas dinner out of everyone's nightmares (swipe to reveal spoiler):

Burke and his wife (Krakowski) are not sexually interested in Adam and Zack as we are led to believe. In reality, they are trying to swindle the two to join an Amway-like scheme--thus "open to new experiences."

Very amusing is when the duo hit a girl with their car, and think no one will notice except the guy pointing a gun at her when they hit her:
Zack: "On the plus side, you, me and him aren't going to want to talk about this any time soon. So it's really not as bad as it could be."
Adam: "A girl is dead."
"I didn't say it was perfect."

Holmes is adorable, and especially sexy after walking in the rain all night. But she really doesn't have much to do in the film. Maybe five or ten minutes are hers, otherwise she's a supporting player with a few lines to add to the dynamic. The best conversation comes in a diner over whether "Family Circus" should exist anymore:
Todd: "I'm scrolling down the comics. Good stuff. Then 'Family Circus' spoils the entire comics 'cause it sucks."
Claire: "Then why don't you not read it?"
Todd: "I hate it, but I'm uncontrollably drawn to it." Exactly my feelings. Add "Dennis the Menace" to that list.

Another plus that is very funny is the scenes where we see how Ronna and Claire's friend Manny reacts to popping two pills of Ecstasy. He imagines dancing with a Hispanic clerk in the market to a more hip "Macarena", talks to a Zen-Buddha cat in subtitles through ESP, and in Easy Rider fashion has some serious drug trips at the rave.

Go! pulsates coolness throughout, and although many elements are telegraphed beforehand its still a hoot when the "fit hits the shan". Likeable characters, cool action and some unique scenes rate this one above average for a PF follower.