Stormin’ Home (1985)

James Booth does not appear in this film but he co-wrote the screenplay. It’s the story of Bobby Atkins, a Texas over-the-road trucker with a passion for competitive motorcycle racing. Atkins is a nice guy but a  fuck-up and problem drinker at the start of the film. With the motivation of a big race to win, he cleans up his act, builds a motorcycle from scratch, and trains hard, ultimately taking third place. Subplots involve his embittered ex-wife and his adoring ten year old daughter, who hates her new boarding school.

This is a very ordinary, made-for-TV-quality film, visually ugly but with an impressive grasp of redneck lifestyle and aesthetics. The clothes, accents, pick-up trucks, bar scenes, and minor characters are all very authentic. How did James Booth, an Englishman, become  so familiar with this milieu?

Text copyright Diana Blackwell, 2002.