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Actors: Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Roger Moore, Jackie Chan
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Cannonball Run |
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The Cannonball Run is an illegal Connecticut-to-California road rally with eccentric and tricky participants. Deliveryman J.J. McClure (Burt Reynolds) disguises a van as an ambulance for the race. He takes along his mechanic buddy Victor, a.k.a. superhero "Captain Chaos" (Dom DeLuise;) pretty tree-hugging "patient" Pamela Glover (Farrah Fawcett;) and a smoking, drinking, hacking, cockeyed "doctor" Nikolas Van Helsing (Jack Elam.) They will race against Seymour Goldfarb (Roger Moore,) a wealthy heir with delusions of being Roger Moore/James Bond in an Astin Martin DB5; Jackie Chan (Jackie Chan,) Japan's #1 race driver in a fully computerized Subaru; Sheik Abdul ben Falafel (Jamie Farr,) a wealthy Arab in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow; Jamie Blake and Morris Fenderbaum (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.,) an ex-F1 driver and a Vegas gambler, disguised as priests in a Ferrari; Bradford Compton (Bert Convey,) a thrill-seeking businessman who parachutes in on his motorcycle; rednecks Mel and Terry (Mel Tillis, Terry Bradshaw,) in a chameleon race car; stud-magnets Marcie and Jill (Adrienne Barbeau, Tara Buckman,) in a Lambourghini; and yahoos Mad Dog and Batman (Rick Aviles, Alfie Wise,) in a GMC truck.
Anti-race zealot Arthur J. Foyt (George Furth) writes down licence numbers as the racers hit the road. Bradford's weighty passenger Shakey Finch (Warren Berlinger) keeps the motorcycle balancing on one wheel. "Bond" endures CB users who don't know how to speak the Queen's English, and various dates tempted to touch his spy gadgetry. Marcie and Jill find out that not all cops can be charmed by cleavage. Arthur sets up road blocks. J.J. and Jamie exchange insults, tire flattening, and cop baiting. Jackie's invisible stealth mode speeds him safely past radar, but his high-tech navigation system fails to distinguish Santa Fe from El Paso; and the skin flick on his dash screen causes much swerving and skidding. The sheik talks about buying California and firing the patrolmen. The truck's brakes fail with a train in the way. Nearing the finish, the racers are halted by construction and confronted by a mean motorcycle gang (led by "Easy Rider" Peter Fonda.) Wild fights break out, and Captain Chaos emerges to toss bikers through a window. When the road re-opens, Jackie can't resist lingering to show off his martial arts skills. With only a few blocks to the finish line, drivers must abandon their vehicles and run to determine a winner.
--vjm, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Cannonball Run |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Kind of comedy
- road trip
How much humor v. drama
- Nearly all humor
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) very short/crewcut
Body type
- (man) fat
How much in movie?
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- govt employee
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair type
- (man) very short/crewcut
Body type
- (man) skinny
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Southwest
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- full of laughter
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Country/Western
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TOP SCHOLAR:
 vjm
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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