Movie: Smokey and the Bandit
My Rating: 3 stars
Now this is a fun, old movie. It’s a classic that everyone seems to have fond memories of. The movie doesn’t have the most innovative plot. It your classic, “good, ol’ southern boys driving fast and evading the law” type of movie. That’s pretty much the extent of the story. In this one “Bandit” has taken a bet to drive a semi-truck full of illegal beer across state lines in a ludicrously short amount of time. And, there’s a lot of money at stake. Bandit is making pretty good time, but along the way, he picks up a runaway bride, and that complicates things a bit. Not only does he have to keep the illegal alcohol under the radar. But, now he also has to stay ahead of the jilted groom who’s determined to get his girl back.
These southern car movies are a dime a dozen. But, sets this one apart is that it stars Burt Reynolds and Sally Field when they were sexy young things. And, these two really do have a lot of chemistry. There’s not really much to this movie. Just a lot of fast driving in an old, American, muscle car, and the silly antics of a comically stupid and angry sheriff. But, I don’t think you’d choose this movie just for the story. You’d pick this movie in order to see these cute young things giggling, and flirting with each other, and generally having a sexy, outlaw romp.
This is a pretty fun movie. It’s definitely worth renting even if just to experience the chaos that was the American South in the 1970s in the safety of your own home. But really, choose this movie because it really captures Burt Reynolds and Sally Field when they were in their prime. It’ll remind you why they became stars. And, that’s a really fun thing to do for people like me who were too young to know about these movies first-hand, when they first came out.