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& the Bandit movies as well as the commercially successful Hooper. He had worked his friend Dom Deluise in numerous films including Silent Movie and The End (directed by Reynolds). George Furth and Norman Grabowski were in Hooper. John Fiedler had appeared in Sharky's Machine, which was also directed by Reynolds. Bert Convy had appeared with Reynolds in Semi-Tough. Bob Tessier was in the Longest Yard. Terry Bradshaw and Joe Klecko had cameos the Smokey & the Bandit movies. Mel Tillis had cameos in both WW & The Dixie Dance Kings and Smokey & the Bandit II. Alfie Wise appeared with Reynolds in Starting Over, Hooper, The End, The Longest Yard and Smokey & the Bandit. Reynolds' people were brought together in this either to entice him to sign on or perhaps because he insisted they be added after the fact.

Some movies are critic proof. That does not necessarily mean that they are so bizarre that critics can't figure them out. Sometimes it means that the flick in question is geared specifically towards an audience that never reads movie reviews.

To call this flick the cinematic equivalent of fast food would be wrong. It is more like the condiments one puts on fast food. That it is how insubstantial this movie is. This overproduced, obscenely stupid and almost instantly tedious film is the type that Hollywood squeezes out so often in lieu of the kind of quality films that it could make with just one-tenth of the budget that this one had. When I think of the amount of production resources that went in to it I lament the loss of the number of good movies that could have been made instead with those same resources.

Yet people went to see it in droves spawning a sequel. So much for the silly theory that North American movie audiences secretly wanted to see the Bicycle Thief or My Dinner with Andre by the millions but just never got the chance to due to a conspiracy of distributors who wanted to impose drek on them. Does anyone really think the people who went to see this one wanted to see either of those? Films are a mirror reflective of their respective audiences. Critics (and other auteurs) can love hating movies like this but people WANT to see them. Let me repeat that: people WANT to see them.

Dr.Pepper, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, 7-11, Ruffles chips, Subaru, Camel cigarettes, GMC trucks, Champion, Castrol GTX, Goodyear, Best Western, Hawaiian Tropic, and Shell all had shameless product placements or advertising in this. Dom Deluise even sings the theme music for Dr.Pepper. I guess it helps underwrite production costs (such as Burt Reynolds obscene salary for appearing here) to have so many corporate logos all over the screen but even as prevalent as they are they do not blend in. It looks like one long commercial for mostly carrs, unhealthy garbage. This film is not merely a monument to big-budget Hollywood excess but to capitalism in itself.

The companies, which helped to underwrite production costs, may have liked for their stuff to appear prominently but when it is done as blatantly as it was with this it serves to remind audiences that they are watching a movie.

The bizarre musical score includes a rather limited mix of artists ranging from Ray Stevens, Chuck Mangione and Lou Rawls. A weird combination, no?

Learn more about this author, Jason Daniel Baker.
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