Used Cars (1980)

Great Film overall

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Writer, director Robert Zemeckis must have had a great deal of fun making this film. That goes double for the feature star Kurt Russell who plays Rudolph Russo. In addition, audiences get to see the late great Jack Warden playing a duel role as Roy L. Fuchs and Luke Fuchs. The amusing story is of Rudolph Russo, a young ambitious Used Car salesman bent on getting himself elected to the State Senate. To do that, he must raise $60.000 for his party's nomination. The money is soon forthcoming when his immediate boss pledges his support. However, after suffering a heart attack and his boss suddenly dies, Rudy must deal with Luke Fuch's daughter ( Deborah Harmon) and Roy L. who has every intention of claiming the car lot by default. But Rudy has scheming allies to help him, like superstitious Gerrit Graham, Jim the Mechanic (Frank McRae) and Manuel (Alfonso Arau) the across the boarder car dealer. Together, the entire cast which includes Al Lewis, Joe Flaherty and Dub Taylor makes for a fun time for all. The entertaining by-product of the movie is a hilarious collection of exciting stunts, terrific explosions and visual situations. All in all, in many circles, this movie has become a Classic. Recommended for all audiences. ****

The story and the characters are loyal to the cartoons. The atmosphere could allow one visual farce to be on the screen loudly. And the theme of the racing cars was too popular at the time. But despite all of that, the final result was something intolerable, heavy, and foolishly entertaining (read : unfunny !).It's about many sketches of cat and mouse hunt, with few clever ideas here and there, then one big climax through a rally, a hot pursuit, and a dazzling car bounce over a moving train. Actually the end of the 1970s & the start of the 1980s was the era of the champion car (which could occasionally fly) in TV's shows like (The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, Hardcastle and McCormick) or in movies' series like (Smoky & The Bandit) and (Cannonball Run). Here, it's just a commercial try to keep up with the fashionable mode, to present uproarious finale which harmonizes with the whole movie before it, but the problem is that the whole movie before it wasn't that good in the first place.The characters around the lead (his friends) were silly with lots of gross-out moments, (Gerrit Graham) as the pessimistic guy was bothersome and repugnant, (Jack Warden)'s performance as the evil man was too evil with overstatement that made him too detestable to be in a comedy, the love story was so fabricated, the bad tasting was bad, I couldn't stand the filthy dialog, and the comic situations suffered ridiculous exaggerations, ending up as mostly no comic.(Used Cars) seems initially as a nice child; just like Disney's movies where (Kurt Russell) used to be the lead star short time earlier. However this time, the movie is made to show him as not a kid anymore, but a man, assuring all the time that we aren't in another Disney's well-mannered refined movie. That's why there is abundance of : the (F) word (too many times to a very boring extent), a strip dancing, a lot of insisting references to (Russell)'s sexual affairs.. etc. Let alone the rest of the movie's open vulgarity. Therefore the movie looked eventually like a child but nasty !! It's a comedy, but it runs for too long, with a load of disgusting material. Well, being "Too long" is fatal enough for any comedy if you ask me.

When cineophiles think of classic 80s comedies, I would only hope that Used Cars makes their list. I had the unique opportunity to watch this film and it took me back to a time when bathroom humor and gross sexual jokes were not needed to create hysterical comedy. It reminded me of a time when spontaneity and simplicity allowed for more laughter than imagined. This was the case with Used Cars. As I am a man in the used car business, I was a bit nervous about watching this film and perhaps seeing myself muddled in the middle. Needless to say that after watching this movie, I believe that every used car salesman (or anyone in sales for that matter) should watch Used Cars for not just Zemeckis' silly look at the profession, but because it actually does cover the true basis needed to run a successful dealership. As I watched this film, I couldn't think that Zemeckis made Russell and Graham's characters into very creative individuals, sometimes bending the law to assist in gaining a stronger customer base. They were smart, shrewd, and clever when it came to making the customer feel comfortable buying a car from them, which opened the door to more laughs per mile than most modern day comedies. Used Cars is a staple in the comedy genre, demonstrating that you can spoof a career, reinvent an age old story, and use mathematics (1 mile of cars = 250 cars) all to make a viewer laugh.I genuinely miss these types of comedies. Used Cars reminded me of a combination of The Blues Brothers, Police Academy, and License to Drive. It reminded me of a time when comedy was funny because of the language, actions, and final result. Sure, it followed a pattern that can be seen in nearly every film from this decade, but it was a tactic that worked well for those looking to make simple audiences laugh with simple jokes. You cannot find this in today's movies at all. What made Used Cars stand out initially is Kurt Russell's obvious enjoyment of his role and his character. Sometimes in films like these you have comedians going through the motions, but overall it doesn't feel as if they are they for anything more than the paycheck. That is not the case with this cast. Either due to the direction of Zemeckis or the obviously funny script by Bob Gale, the entire cast seemed to fall neatly in place. What made this film reach even further was the idea that each of these characters had a separate life. They were not your cliché characters that fell into the same mold. I love that Russell wanted to run for US Senate (a great sequel could have been spawned with this idea) and that Graham's superstitions were true (enough to help Russell in a tight space). I loved the use of McKean and Lander, obviously playing off their characters from Laverne & Shirley. Could you imagine this film today using television stars in different roles? It wouldn't work. Zemeckis pulled together a great cast and Russell fit the part of the used car salesman perfectly. I especially loved the dual role of Jack Warden, who continued to make me laugh again and again with his ancient family feud. This film worked because of the characters and while each are flawed within the film, the actors playing them are as close to comedic perfection as you can get.With such a strong cast in place, one would imagine that Zemeckis wouldn't have to worry about a strong story. Wrong! The 80s were a time of underdogs moving up and genuinely tangent plans coming together at the last minute. What other film could you find 250 cars running to the desert, all helmed by high school sophomores, each bought by the evil villain from Three Amigos? I miss these types of films. You knew what was going to happen before it did, but you went along for the ride anyway because it was fun. Today's comedies are only half-way there. You watch them knowing how they will end, but the ride just isn't as fun any longer. Used Cars uses the "Keep it Simple, Stupid" technique which created lifelong comedy and a possible cult film amongst salesmen. I thought that the entire premise between Russell and Warden was nearly like watching a cartoon, i.e. the old Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemite Sam. The commercials that Russell and Graham pull off are comic genius adding more to the story and the overall zaniness of the situation. Again, this isn't rocket science comedy, this is simple. It is easy to laugh at the words, the characters, and even the situation because it can be related to you. You, as an audience member, can see the used car salesman, you can laugh at the technique, and you can even find yourself rooting for him closer to the end. It is a story about being passionate about your job, even if it means you have the bottom of the barrel career.Overall, I thought this film was hysterical. I was ready to watch a dated film that felt like a time warp back to the 80s, but instead what I discovered was huge laughter and crazy characters that I wouldn't mind re-exploring again. Russell was the perfect choice for the role, demonstrating to us that he can move past his "Disney" image and give us something more robust, more comical, and definitely more adult. If you had to watch this film for one person, it would be Jack Warden. His blend of comedy is superb. He is the epitome of the evil car salesman, but does it with the finesse of comedy that his actions are immediately laugh-out-loud funny. Zemeckis has created a gem that will take you back to the greatness of 80s comedy, but also will make you laugh at today's standards.Grade: **** out of *****

I think 'Used car buyer take care, buy or go to Hell" were the lyrics by Bobby Baer for the movie's theme song. Kurt Russell said he thought "the theme song was good" on the DVD audio commentary feature.Truly this is an 'Arizona gem'. Beside the barrage of curse words, this is one of thee funniest fast-paced all out screws-loose movies I have seen. Think about it, with the plastic-way cars are made now, the new ones would never survive this movie! With it's old metal classic cars driven through the desert, taken on the highway as a demolition exhibition, the timing could not have been too much better, than if it was made in the sixties. But let's face it with the seventies style of hair and clothing and attitude, you can't beat that decade for a comedy like this one! Kurt Russell excels at being the ultimate fast talking, girl scamming, car hocking, power drinking, trash tossing 'megalow-maniac' sleazoid used car sales dude, in just about all of the fifty states. However, the release of this movie by the studio was by every account, messed up!! As far as box office receipts, grosses and so on, it should have 'grossed' a lot more than it did. But pitted against movies like 'AirPlane' and 'Police Squad' It did not fair as well. They should have released it in the summer of 79'. But I know it depends on when it gets finished, I just think that time would have been perfect for the story. Because of the medium ticket sales turn out, it makes this 'feature' terrifically underrated. But nevertheless I have watched it over and over and so on and this movie doesn't lose it's flavor over the years. The characters like 'Luke Fuchs' (Jack Warden) and Roy L Fuchs (also Warden) who passed away July 19, 2006 at 85 years old. The characters were all in living color. From the 'ego's' to the 'insecurities', and the selfish gains, the attacks and property destruction, the lustful indulgences right down to the apathy, it was a used car or regular car salesman's Delight. A regular swindler's fist, of a few dollars more, than the other guy. The competition across the street of course. The performances from Rudy on down, the Fabulous Fuchs Brothers, the electronics 'Wiz' kids David Landers and Michael McKean of 'T.V's Laverne & Shirley...remember Lenny and Squiggy!!! They are a slicing duo together brilliantly again! To Manuelle (Alfonso Arau) the tow truck driver, 'Finder's Keepers'. The motto on the side of his truck cab door. These guys played it down to the bone. The FuNnY-bOnE of course. This was a real sleaze fest of offenders, from the car biz, some of the finest! The location could not have been better and the over-information in the movie that some of the characters had, goes beyond real life. I laughed, quite a lot, and for anyone with a sense of humor, they would too. I am looking for a 'clean' version of this movie and for that would be a 'twenty', because this one hits the industry right between their greedy eyes. The regular DVD has a track that features commentary from Russell and the director and producer. The three together narrating the movie is an additional bonus, hearing their exploits while writing, casting and filming-to me it's a scream. If you don't have a sense of humor and don't get the humor...that's your own loss. I loved it all the way. 4 stars out of four(****)