The Cannonball Run

Pamela: "Why all this speed, and trouble, and risk, and...I mean, what for?"
JJ: "For the hell of it."

release year: 1981
genre: racing comedy
viewing setting: home Bluray 11/5/22 and 6/25/20

synopsis: An assortment of characters compete in a coast-to-coast race.

impressions: Connecticut to California in just over 30 hours, with a dozen noteworthy characters and a variety of vehicles (everything from a Ferrari and a Lamborghini to an ambulance and a Rolls-Royce)...it's good silly fun. The movie has speeding/racing moments, but it's really all about the different characters and their quirks and lines, and how they interact with each other. After my most recent viewing, I have to say that - like Stripes - this one has actually gotten LESS funny with the passing of time.

acting: Burt Reynolds is a much-less-serious version of the character he played in Smokey and the Bandit. Dom DeLuise is his friend, who occasionally puts on a mask and cape and becomes the silly but heroic Captain Chaos. Farrah Fawcett is a naive, perky young lady who ends up in their ambulance, along for the adventure. Ditto for Jack Elam as a weird doctor. Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr are a pair of boozing, gambling buddies who pose as priests. Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman are a pair of ladies who use their looks to avoid getting speeding tickets. Jackie Chan has an early role as a martial artist driver. Roger Moore basically plays James Bond. Jamie Farr is a crazy Arab billionaire.

final word: Silly but sometimes-fun high-speed comedy.

back to the main review page