Cannonball Run II (1984)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Absolutely the worst movie.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The Cannonball Run II is a follow-up to the previous movie, where J.J. McClure (Burt Reynolds) and Victor Prinzim (Dom DeLuise) participate again in a cross-country Cannonball car race that this time is organized by The Sheik (Jamie Farr), who is a little upset at not winning the last Cannonball run.Like the previous film, this sequel is a plot-less nonsensical comedy with an all-star cast. This movie is not meant to be taken seriously and it is apparent that the entire cast were just having fun and goofing around while making this film. However, Part II lacks the charm and uniqueness of Part I due to it basically being a toned-down retread of the first movie and Roger Moore is sorely missing in the picture. While the Godfather/mafia type subplot is a clever spoof, it is not emphasized enough nor is it connected very well to the race plot. Nor is the Sheik character elaborated upon, which I think is a must since he hosted the race.The characters' physical comedy and quick humor as they compete in the race are somewhat entertaining; however, some of the gags and jokes do run a little old. Female leads Shirley MacLaine and Marilu Henner weren't as charming or appealing as Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman, and the action sequences weren't very action-packed. However, Jackie Chan and Richard Kiel did make a humorous duo and Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. were hilarious with their quick wit and political jokes. And, the song Like A Cannonball Run sung by the Latin group, Menudo, is very catchy and fun to listen to.Overall, it's a very average comedy. If you liked the first movie, this movie is somewhat of a downer. However, it's not an extremely bad movie to watch if you just want something to pass the time with.Grade C

In agreement with most everyone. This film sequel is an embarrassment to the original, and a horrible budget waster, AND a Talent waster. So tons of big names were cast. So what? A huge insult to their talents. Only Telly Savalas was really convincing in his mob character. But he would deliver nothing less anyway. The entire script from A-Z is awful. Absolutely NO JOKES. I think I chuckled only once -- but it was BRIEF. I actually had to fast fwd along the way, hoping it would somehow improve. It didn't.Jamie Farr was decent enough, reprising his sheik persona. And I agree with SUNUBIT. It was obvious Burt and Don were doing this for the pay. And what crap. 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas', which came out around the same time, was a box office hit for Burt! Perhaps Hal Needham figured Burt owed him a favor or something. And while it was dandy to see 'Daisy Duke' AKA Cathy Bach caressing alongside the iconic Susan Anton (former 70's supermodel turned actress), they too were given some pretty weak moments.Throwing the chimp in the action? What a cheap ripoff from 'Every Which Way But Loose'. I was seriously expecting an uncredited cameo of Clint Eastwood to suddenly emerge from the limo! To my recollection, during this films' original cinematic release, it was a total bomb. Any wonder.

From the closing titles it looks like the cast had some fun, and watching the bloopers during the end credits is the only time you'll find yourself laughing for the whole of this awful, overlong sequel.Original producer Albert S. Ruddy and original director Hal Needham both return and co-script with Harvey Miller on what is a big misfire. Brock Yates' first up concept was far too thin to be stretched into a second feature, and the result is a real yawn which produces some downright terrible gags. One of the worst moves was bringing on board the chimp, ala "Every Which Way But Loose". What a drag.Burt Reynolds, Dom De Luise, Sammy Davis Junior, Dean Martin, Jackie Chan and Jamie Farr all return, and they're joined by Telly Savalas, Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra and Jim Nabors. I can't believe there was more after this flop.Sunday, January 12, 1997 - Video

This film has no race and no chase. Okay there is a race but it has really nothing to do with the movie. The first film of course is all about "The Cannonball Run", which is an illegal race from coast to coast, written by Brock Yates who, along with director Hal Needham, actually drove an ambulance across America - and it's Yates who invented the Cannonball Run. In the original, Burt and Dom use the very same ambulance; now we have a sequel which isn't written by Yates, and is as bad a sequel as I've yet to witness on screen. As mentioned, the actual coast to coast race has little to do with anything this time around. Instead there's a lame subplot about mobsters trying to hijack Jamie Farr's character, an Arab with tons of oil money who this time around is funding the prize at the finish line. So basically this is a comic mobster film with a bunch of actors thrown in who are driving cars. Jack Elam, who is incredible in the first film, is thrown in as wallpaper. Burt and Dom are horrible and lazy; you can tell they were just doing the film for a paycheck. Shirley Maclaine and Marilu Henner play actresses dressed as nuns, and we have to sit through people doing double-takes as these impostor penguins curse in public. Boring. Horrible. Jackie Chan is even ruined this time around. In the first film Roger Moore plays a guy who thinks he's Roger Moore, and thus he drives a gadget filled car, ala Bond. This time around, Chan, who had some gadgets of his own in the original, has even more gadgets as he's basically replacing the Moore/Bond character from the original. And his driver is Richard Kiel, best known as Bond nemesis "Jaws". Chan's car even goes under water, just like Bond's car in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (which featured Kiel). Other contestants include an ape teamed up with Tony Danza. All I have to ask Tony is: Didn't "Going Ape" teach you not to work with primates? Jamie Farr's character is ruined because he's too involved; his sheik was far better as a cameo in the original. And Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr are totally wasted this time, disguised as cops instead of priests, and they don't even get into any trouble. Burt and Dom are dressed as soldiers; Burt is a general and Dom is a private. They pick up Jim Nabors along the way, as "Private Lyle" (guess what they're spoofing here?) and his cameo is as useless as an air conditioner in an igloo. It doesn't feel as if there is any "need" to win the race for any of the characters. You forget there is even a race at all. Man, I tell you, this is one of the worst sequels - if not the worst sequel ever, ever, ever made. Avoid it at all costs. Even as a kid I knew it was chum.