jessedorjeirwin
Then at all costs avoid this movie. I wasn't surprised to see this Burt Reynolds vehicle was directed by auteur Burt Reynolds: it takes a particular kind of vanity project to stink this badly. The fact that both he and costar Dom Deluise continued to thrive in Hollywood after this stinker is proof either of their prodigious personal charisma or the profound unjustness of the universe. Flatly lit and shot like a sitcom. Drastically unfunny. Perhaps if edited down to 10 or 15 minutes this would have made a merry jaunt, but as it is the story moves like glue. Peppered with casual racism. I saw this for free and still wanted a refund. The bright side is that compared to 'The End,' other movies seem just that much better. Also, Mr. Reynolds wears some nice-looking tracksuits.
bkoganbing
For a guy diagnosed with a terminal disease, Burt Reynolds sure pumped a lot of life into this film. This is the ultimate in black comedies, a man is told he's got a little over a year to live. We would all react in different ways. Burt Reynolds gets this cheerful bit of news and goes immediately berserk and starts acting all kinds of crazy. Of course everyone around him sees him differently. Wife Joanne Woodward, girl friend Sally Field, parents Pat O'Brien and Myrna Loy. Burt pushes all their buttons except O'Brien who seems oblivious to all.Reynolds always had a marvelous gift for comedy that in his prime period of the seventies was utilized rather well. His career seemed to go in the same path as Tom Selleck's, I think they could have played a lot of each other's parts.Of course it was nice to see two veterans of old Hollywood, Myrna Loy and Pat O'Brien in support. They never disappoint.My favorites though are Strother Martin as the officious head of a mental institution where Reynolds gets committed after some bizarrely unsuccessful suicide attempts and Dom DeLuise as another patient there.DeLuise when he gets going approaches Robin Williams kind of zaniness and he was working on all cylinders in this film. He's ready to offer all kinds of help to Burt to fulfill his mission.
gbhamilton1966
This is a seriously black comedy which, although it contains a fair bit of slapstick, also features some of the most subtle comedic touches I've seen in a film. Little things which may be missed on a first or casual viewing can delight a dedicated fan of 70s comedy.I've been a fan of this film since I came across it by accident as a teenager and now as I approach forty, it hasn't lost any of its delights for me and I was lucky enough to pick up an old second hand copy of the video so I can sit back and watch it if I'm ever in need of a good laugh.Do yourself a favour and watch this film.
noyb cutshall
Burt Reynolds stars as a man who is terminally ill. He doesn't want to go through the pain of dying so he decides to takes his own life, problem is, he is afraid to.Reynolds' made the most out of a weak story plot and script. His performance was of high quality and was backed by a good well talented supporting cast. Reynolds' usual pal, Dom plays a crazy lunatic that truly wants to help his buddy with his goal of doing himself in, but as the movie moves along Reynolds has second thoughts.Many good talented actors in this movie, with a better script this may have been Reynolds best outing since, Smokey and the Bandit.
AD
