The Cannonball Run, an all-star caper about a bunch of ne'er-do-wells competing in a trans-American road race, is one of those films that I have had fond memories of ever since seeing it on its original release. So re-watching this film after many years was going to be a real treat - or at least I thought so. Isn't it funny how time affects your memory?
Instead of the laugh-a-minute, stunt-packed classic that I recall enjoying immensely as a kid, I was shocked to find that the film is in fact a rather tedious, poorly directed, mostly laugh-free effort saddled with mundane action. Apart from some stunning cars, and a few stunning women, The Cannonball Run actually has little to recommend it.
Not nearly exciting enough (the car stunts are limited to a few unremarkable jumps, skids and crashes), nor funny enough (the desperate non-PC humour making light of schizophrenia, drink driving, stammering, abduction, racial differences, the law, and drug and alcohol abuse), director Hal Needham's chaotic comedy rarely gets into gear, and repeatedly stalls when it does.
With an improvised feel to every facet of the film, The Cannonball Run gives the impression that much of it was made on the fly. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that Needham got his cast, crew and cars together first, and worried about the finer details (like a script) once the shoot had begun. The director and his Hollywood pals probably had a blast making the film, and I would like to say that the sense of fun is infectious. But it isn't.
To be fair, a few moments did manage to make me smile - Jackie Chan kicking biker ass, Adrienne Barbeau's cleavage, Jack Elam as a drunken proctologist - but the majority of the film left me massively disappointed.
The Cannonball Run gets a star for the kung fu, one for the babes, one more for the freaky doctor, plus a bonus star purely for nostalgia's sake. A not-so-grand total of 4 out of 10.
Instead of the laugh-a-minute, stunt-packed classic that I recall enjoying immensely as a kid, I was shocked to find that the film is in fact a rather tedious, poorly directed, mostly laugh-free effort saddled with mundane action. Apart from some stunning cars, and a few stunning women, The Cannonball Run actually has little to recommend it.
Not nearly exciting enough (the car stunts are limited to a few unremarkable jumps, skids and crashes), nor funny enough (the desperate non-PC humour making light of schizophrenia, drink driving, stammering, abduction, racial differences, the law, and drug and alcohol abuse), director Hal Needham's chaotic comedy rarely gets into gear, and repeatedly stalls when it does.
With an improvised feel to every facet of the film, The Cannonball Run gives the impression that much of it was made on the fly. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised to discover that Needham got his cast, crew and cars together first, and worried about the finer details (like a script) once the shoot had begun. The director and his Hollywood pals probably had a blast making the film, and I would like to say that the sense of fun is infectious. But it isn't.
To be fair, a few moments did manage to make me smile - Jackie Chan kicking biker ass, Adrienne Barbeau's cleavage, Jack Elam as a drunken proctologist - but the majority of the film left me massively disappointed.
The Cannonball Run gets a star for the kung fu, one for the babes, one more for the freaky doctor, plus a bonus star purely for nostalgia's sake. A not-so-grand total of 4 out of 10.