Petey Wheatstraw (1977)

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Years ago, I wrote a hostile review of Petey Wheatstraw for IMDb. What can I possibly say to justify that? I was young, and foolish. And the greatness of this film had not yet revealed itself to me.Well, "greatness" is too strong a word. Petey Wheatstraw is not great, but rather "amusing" and somewhat "crazy." If you permit yourself to be drawn into the film's wacky universe, you may have a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience.Petey Wheatstraw, in short, is about a kung-fu fighting stand-up comedian who makes an unwise bargain with Lucifer. It's part comedy movie, part horror movie, part gangster movie, part sex movie, and part kung-fu epic with intentionally (I hope) bad choreography. The film bounces breathlessly between these genres, especially in the early scenes, which are disorienting and seem totally unconnected. But soon enough, the story settles into a kind of weird rhythm.Needless to say, the production values are poor (Lucifer's demon minions are men in ballet tights and Halloween masks), the editing is choppy, and the acting is of highly variable quality. The script, however, has a weird poetry to it. The comedy dialog, though extremely crass, is sometimes really funny, and some of the "character" scenes when Petey and Lucifer get together are bizarrely effective.Now I feel all weird, because I'm trying to defend what is, in essence, an extremely tacky bad movie. But it's a *witty* bad movie, and I can appreciate the effort that went into its production. And the film undeniably captures a time -- a place -- a bizarreness. It's sort of hypnotic.Let me put it this way: I bought Petey Wheatstraw as a bargain DVD years ago, hated it on the initial viewing, and almost pawned it. But I never did get rid of that DVD. It survived several years of DVD trading-in, numerous changes of address on my part, and other seismic events in my life that might easily have caused Petey Wheatstraw's demise. But that DVD survived through it all; I still have the movie, still think about it sometimes, still smirk when I see it on my shelf. And that's the best endorsement I can give it.

As another review once said, "The written word cannot do justice to the comedic stylings and kung-fu antics of Rudy Ray Moore movies." I agree. Petey Wheatstraw is a movie that must (and should) be seen to be believed. The opening is the birth of Petey. After his mother first passes a watermelon(!), the child is born and the good doctor gives him a few smacks on the butt to get him started. However, Petey is no infant, he's an eleven year old boy, even born with underwear. He proceeds to give the doc a beating until his dad steps in. Young Petey lips off to his father about "disturbing" him for the past nine months (get it?) and then goes after him! Such is Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil's Son-In-Law, and it only gets worse (or better?) from here. Full of offensive comedy, horrible kung fu, Moore's rhymes (the original rapper!), and cheap, crazy scenes (Satan's demons have glued on horns, wear red tights, and move like robots), this is a great cult flick not to be missed. FYI, the movie was actually influenced by the real blues artist, Peetie Wheatstraw.

Okay, I respect Rudy Ray. _Dolemite_ was an absolute classic blaxploitation film. When I saw Dolemite, I noticed something fresh, something raw, and something that is deserving of its place in film history._Petey Wheatstraw the Devil's Son In Law_ was by far the worst movie I have ever seen. And believe me, I gave it a chance. It was recommended by a friend who knows what I want to see, and suggests both the best and the worst movies ever for me to see. He had already seen it once, and when we watched it, neither of us could finish it. I ALWAYS finish movies. I hate leaving, even to go to the bathroom, from even bad movies. This one just couldn't do it for me. The low budget nature is negligible. The poor acting is expected. But the acting is not just poor, it is terribly excessive overacting at points, and at other points cardboard-cutout-esque.I had a hard time getting my mind around the stereotypes displayed.The worst part of all is, it is not a bad movie you can make fun of. I mean, a scary movie, a drama, an action film... if done poorly, you can make these a laugh riot, either with a bunch of your pals or by yourself. But when a no budget comedy is horrible, you can't laugh at it. It is impossible.Alan Alda's character in _Crimes and Misdemeanors_ says "If it bends, its funny. If it breaks, its not funny." This broke before the movie started and consistently waves the broken pieces in your face.Look at it like this: A friend tells you a bad joke. It is uncomfortable to listen to, but the reward comes when you pretend to laugh and then they feel good about themselves. These jokes are even worse, so they are more uncomfortable to listen to, and then, since it cannot receive your reaction, assumes you are laughing hysterically, and kicks the horribleness up a notch, trying to top the last joke. And since the filmmakers are ignorant to your response it is not endearing, but annoying. You feel no reward for attempting to laugh. Its even hard to make your own jokes about it, because this film goes to such great lengths to try to make you laugh anyway but fails at every turn. And I do mean EVERY TURN.Maybe I missed something, so you can try to watch it. After all, I do advocate trying new things. At least you will be able to appreciate good comedy.Forgive me, Rudy Ray.

This one should have been called Dolemite versus Satan and the Reverend Al Sharpton (Leroy Daniels looks just like the reverend). Rudy Ray Moore stars as Petey Wheatstraw the Devil's Son-in-law in this black action classic. The basic story breaks down like this: Petey Wheatstraw is murdered and makes a bargain with Lucifer to come back and exact his revenge. The only catch is that he has to marry the Devil's daughter, who is a bus station skank. So Petey is given an enchanted pimp cane which gives him superpowers and he begins to plan out his vengeance (as well as a plan to doublecross the devil). In traditional fashion, it's loaded with off the wall humor. For example: Rudy Ray stopping in the middle of the street to comb some kids hair, ridiculous jogging, and watermelon child birth. Petey Wheatstraw is also loaded with the regular Rudy Ray cast, including Jimmy Lynch, Queen Bee, and Sheriff Beatty. Where is Howard Jackson though? It's not quite the masterpiece that is Dolemite, but it does have the greatest sex scene in the history of film. Can you dig it?