Used Cars

Summary

“Old people go to Miami, he’s old isn’t he? Where do you want him to go, Aspen?”

Before Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale created the iconic Back to the Future franchise, the two talented writers made a comedy starring Kurt Russell that was executive produced by John Milius and Steven Spielberg. That film, Used Cars, was a very modest success at the box office with approximately $11.7 million in receipts against an $8 million budget. Unlike Back to the Future, Used Cars was a crude comedy along similar lines of Animal House. Instead of poking fun at fraternity life the jokes in Used Cars are directed towards car salesmen, political ambition, and liars in general. The film helped Kurt Russell to shake off his clean image produced by his roles in Disney films in his youth and paved the way for Russell to be a charismatic leading man for the following four decades. Shout! Factory has given the film a new release on Blu-ray that includes a nearly hour long interview with writer Bob Gale.

As the film begins, Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) is a used car salesman at a low-end car lot run by Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden.) The car lot is directly across the street from Luke’s brother Roy’s lot. Roy’s lot is more high end, but he wants to see his competition destroyed before a highway project makes his lot more valuable. With no heir apparent, Roy knows that if his brother dies the lot would fall into his hands. Roy is helped by his political muckraker confidante Sam Slaton (Joe Flaherty.) Across the street, Rudy is low on morality, but high on ambition. He wants to be a state senator – specifically a corrupt one willing to take bribes. To run a good campaign he is going to need roughly $40,000. He has saved all but $10,000 dollars. His motto is fittingly, “Trust me.” Rudy can’t convince Luke to let him run the car dealership by using theatrical gimmicks and even grimier tricks to move lemons off the lot to help pay for the campaign, but Luke promises to lend him the money for his campaign the next day. Luke has a bad heart and when startled it is necessary for him to take some pills to save himself. That night, Luke receives a phone call from his estranged daughter just as a customer shows up and requests a test drive from Luke. He takes Luke for the ride of his life. It turns out he has been sent by Roy to startle Luke. Luke has a heart attack and stumbles into the office before passing away. Rudy can not let his dreams go, so he convinces coworkers Jeff (Gerrit Graham) and Jim (Frank McRae) to help him bury Luke in a car on the grounds for the time being to keep the lot out of Roy’s hands. They hope to sell as many cars as they can using any tactics necessary. They claim that Luke has gone to Miami. Just as the business experiences a true upswing, Luke’s estranged daughter and heir apparent Barbara (Deborah Harmon) shows up on the lot.

Used Cars has plenty of laugh-out-loud sequences. It is certainly outrageous and frequently crude. The film is very funny, although at nearly two hours long it almost outstays it’s welcome. Thankfully, it ends before it hits that point and leaves the audience feeling like they certainly got their money’s worth. The writers, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, fill the film with so many jokes that I think it would hold up well to repeat viewings. The movie did modest numbers at the box office, but thanks to repeated showings on early cable networks in the early Eighties the film found an audience. It has aged well and the jokes that were true of liars, politicians, and car salesmen all still ring true today.

The film is capably directed by Robert Zemeckis. He draws energetic and fast-talking performances from the entire cast, but Kurt Russell is lightning in a bottle in this movie. It ranks as one of his best comedic performances, and coming from me that is a very high compliment. Jack Warden is every bit Kurt’s equal, playing both Roy and Luke Fuchs so capably that the gimmick actually works. The supporting cast is lined out with strong character actors including Gerrit Graham, Joe Flaherty, Frank McRae, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, and Deborah Harmon. All of the cast draws easy laughs in the film.

Overall – Used Cars is a frequently hilarious early Eighties comedy that deserves to be seen by fans of films like The Blues Brothers and Animal House.

Video

From what I have read elsewhere, Shout! Factory have commandeered the same transfer that was used on the limited Twilight Time release of the film. This is not a bad thing, because the video specs are definitely good. While the transfer is not from a new scan, fine detail is pleasing overall and the film maintains a healthy look.  

Audio

Used Cars features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 remixed surround track alongside a DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual monitors track. I listened to the 5.1 track and it gets the job done. As is common with many remixed 5.1 tracks, the majority of the action plays in the fronts with occasional activity behind. I thought the track sounded pretty good. Dialogue is clear and the music gets a nice boost from the track, Fans should be pleased.

Supplements:

• Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Robert Zemeckis, Producer/Co-Writer Bob Gale, and Actor Kurt Russell 
• Would You Buy a Used Car from These Men?: Getting Used Cars Made with Producer Bob Gale – in this new interview with producer and co-writer Bob Gale, the legendary writer discusses how he write the script with Zemeckis and how they managed to get the film made. Gale is a good story teller and the anecdotes are as funny as they are informative.
• Kicking the Tires: Making and Selling of Used Cars with Producer Bob Gale – this new interview with Gale picks up where the other end and focuses on memories from filming the picture (including Kurt performing some stunts and some dangerous moments while filming) before shifting gears and focusing on advertising gimmicks and reviews of the film from the time.
• Gag Reel and Outtakes
• Radio Spots
• Radio Interview with Kurt Russell
• Theatrical Trailer
• Alternate Trailer (Unrated)
• TV Spot
• Press Kit Gallery
• Photo Gallery
• Advertising Gallery

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.25/5

Used Cars is a very funny acerbic comedy from 1980. The writing by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis is solid and the direction by Zemeckis draws the best out of the actors involved. The film is certainly crude, but I had a lot of laughs watching it. Kurt Russell helped to shake his clean image with this role and he absolutely nailed it. He is fantastic in the film. Jack Warden is similarly good playing two roles in the film believably. Fans of films like The Blues Brothers and Animal House should definitely check this film out. The new Collector’s Edition from Shout!Factory features good technical specs and a great new interview with Bob Gale. Recommended.