Looking at the talent lined up for Runaway Daughters, I can only assume the whole affair is an elaborate joke that no one ever got.

This is a bad movie, folks, and here's why.

The titular runaways are three 1950s girls -- one pregnant, one rebellious, and one bland -- who decide to take a trip to San Diego when the teenage boyfriend of preggo girl #1 runs out on her and joins the army. Rather than explain the situation to anyone, they steal a car and fake their kidnapping (all together), which of course sets the whole town on end. There's even a body count along the way, as the girls get caught up in a series of misunderstandings and absurd mix-ups, primarily mix-ups involving hillbillies.

There's nothing good about this film -- and even the actors (Julie Bowen and Paul Rudd are among the bigger names) look embarassed to be seen here. The absurd and awful script (replete with stagy dialogue that no one seems able to deliver in a natural manner) is on par with something you'd read on a Judging Amy fan fiction site. Shockingly, this is a piece from Joe Dante, who's given us such films as Gremlins and Explorers. For this monstrosity, Dante deserves a brief visit to his namesake's Inferno.