Some films have the barest bones of a plot, some allow their actors to dance around and improvise much of what goes on. Some films have no idea what happens and hope to God you�ll not notice. Then there�s The Cannonball Run, a film with no plot, no pretence of a plot and absolutely no hope that you�ll not see right through it. While I vaguely remember liking it as a kid in the cold light of day The Cannonball Run is poop of the stinkiest and most pointless kind. And I might have been thinking of Smokey and the Bandit. Yeah, I think that was the good one. Both had Burt Reynolds' moustache in them, it�s easy to get confused.
So what can be said? Well, the actual Cannonball Run was a real event run 5 times in the 1970s and was a coast-to-coast race, starting from the Eastern seaboard and finishing in California. There were no rules and the car with the shortest time taken was declared the winner. The man who started the whole thing, Brock Yates, wrote the screenplay for the movie, and while an actual writer clearly lacked any expertise in how to translate a delightful little giggle into an entertaining movie. While the film certainly does not lack for big name stars it gives them absolutely nothing to do expect drive automobiles and squabble.
Most are humiliated, especially the aging Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr as a couple of hopefuls dressed as priests, but they�re in good company. Dom DeLuise, who I honestly believe has never once been even remotely funny, is another sordid culprit, serving as Burt Reynolds� (ostensibly the lead character) co-driver and butt of many jokes. The man left his dignity in New York and never looked back. Another culprit is a young Jackie Chan (playing Jackie Chan but seemingly Japanese), who has an unnecessary fight scene written in specifically for him. The only people coming out of this with any pride left are Roger Moore and Jamie Farr, who ham it up superbly and look surprisingly well-suited to their surroundings.
It�s a good thing too as other than that there is no plot. The actors merely drive their motley cars across the country occasionally stopping for a lame set-piece. For a comedy most of the jokes fall flat, and several racist jokes aimed at Davis, Jr are positively squirm-inducing. Far too many actors were involved as well, leaving most with only the odd scene to make any impression. By the end you couldn�t care less who �won� as it was likely that they�d only been onscreen for a few minutes. And the driving scenes were crappy too. If they couldn�t even get that right what hope was there? |
