The Spirit of '76 (1990)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Time travelers traveling to 1776 get inadvertently dropped in 1976 instead. Hilarity, bell bottoms and leisure suits ensue. I haven't seen this film in years. It's one of those forgotten classics that, for some reason, never makes it onto television anymore. Yes, it's silly. Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's not Masterpiece Theatre. But if you want a film that is just plain fun then this is it. One of my favourite aspects of the film are all the cameos...and starring roles....that are filled by established actors, both from the time the film is set (David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Rob Reiner, Tommy Chong) and also from the late '80s/early '90s when it was filmed (Chanel 9 is the sister from The Wonder Years). The most annoying thing about the movie are the two guys helping the visitors from the future. I don't know much about Redd Kross, their band, but their acting ability was a bit shoddy. But considering the intentional cheesy atmosphere of the film, maybe that was the point? There are a lot of jabs, loving of course, taken at '70s pop culture: Pintos blowing up, gas lines, The Hustle. What fun! The soundtrack is fantastic: The Carpenters, Grand Funk, Afternoon Delight. I wasn't around for the '70s, but this movie makes me wish I could have been...and kind of makes me feel like I was! 8/10

Three intrepid time travelers from the distant future take aim for the year 1776, but a 200-year miscalculation brings them instead to an age of platform shoes, mood rings, and disco dancing. This harmless parody of pop culture during the 1970s is often more lame than the decade itself was, in part because it never tries to be any less superficial than the fads it pokes fun at. Everything is included: the music (Peter Frampton, Grand Funk Railroad); the trends (bean bag chairs, self-awareness seminars); and even the personalities (teen heartthrobs David Cassady and Leif Garrett, who apparently enjoyed spoofing themselves). The plot is a good natured plagiarism of 'Back to the Future' but, except for the exploding Ford Pinto, there aren't any actual time-warp jokes; the humor, such as it is, relies entirely on the stimulus-response of simple recognition. Filmed in beautiful downtown Alameda, California, with a cast of local actors alongside the many celebrity cameos.

In the future, civilization has really declined. The fashions are U.S.S.R. retro, don't you know. Not only that, no one is flourishing. Therefore, when a man named Adam 11 (David Cassidy) insists he has made a time machine, the U.S. government asks him to go back to 1776 and study the founding fathers and the making of the constitution. It is hoped that he and his co-horts, Chanel 6 (Olivia D'Abo) and Heinz 57 will learn how to make society worth living again. The time machine takes off but lands in 1976 instead. Not realizing their mistake, the three interlopers try their best to find out how to revitalize their country with the lessons from the seventies. Amid Pacers and learning the hustle, can they succeed? This movie is a fast and fun look at the much maligned seventies. Things were more colorful then, that's for sure, and people did seem to be having a great time, despite the tight pants and floral shirts. Cassidy, D'Abo and company do a nice job of keeping the spirit of discovery alive. If you lived through the seventies, this movie is made for you. It has so many seventies icons that will make you laugh and remember. The younger crowd, too, would be entertained in seeing what they only know from history books. Don't hesitate to pop this movie in the VCR some evening in the near future. It was made, as the Bay City Rollers croon, for a fun, fun "Saturday Night".

ONLY if you grew up during the 1970s.David Cassidy (looking great), Olivia d'Abo (with English accent intact) and Geoff Hoyle (WHO???) travel from 2176 to 1976 by mistake. While there totally predictable "hilarity" ensures.The jokes are horribly bad (there's not one good one!) and the story and dialogue are truly abysmal. Also it contains a character called Snodgrass (ho ho) who gives one of the worst performances in comedy history--his idea of acting is SCREAMING every line full force. Still, I (sort of) enjoyed it.They caught the 70s dead on--as a child of the 70s I can attest to that! The fashions, the music, the cars, the horrible furniture and carpets--all perfect! For me it was a trip back to the past. Also, the cast gives their all to the awful script. And the movie does come to life in one sequence in which d'Abo and Leif Garrett (another 70s icon) do the Hustle! Boy, did that bring me back!Worth seeing only for those who remember or lived through the 70s. All others--beware!