Used Cars (1980)
March 27, 2016 7:03 PM - Subscribe
When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.
Roger Ebert: When the movie isn't manipulating cars, it does have its good moments. It involves an ancient family feud between two brothers who own competing used car lots across the street from each other. The brothers, both played by Jack Warden, have been treated differently by fate: One is rich and successful; the other is on his last legs, like the cars on his lot. Warden does a good enough job in the dual role, but I always wonder why dual roles seem like a good idea in the first place.
Trailer
That's too fuckin' high
Roger Ebert: When the movie isn't manipulating cars, it does have its good moments. It involves an ancient family feud between two brothers who own competing used car lots across the street from each other. The brothers, both played by Jack Warden, have been treated differently by fate: One is rich and successful; the other is on his last legs, like the cars on his lot. Warden does a good enough job in the dual role, but I always wonder why dual roles seem like a good idea in the first place.
Trailer
That's too fuckin' high
"Maroon car, my ass. This motherfucker's red. "
Such a great, quotable movie.
posted by valkane at 6:52 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Such a great, quotable movie.
posted by valkane at 6:52 AM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think this movie flew under the radar for most people, but it was "discovered" once it showed up at the local video store. Funny as hell.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:53 PM on March 28, 2016
posted by Thorzdad at 8:53 PM on March 28, 2016
Rudy: C'mon Jeff! You've seen how bad business is. Thanks to Fuchs, our name is mud! Look... we had nuns, protesting out front when I got here this morning.
Jeff: Nuns?
Rudy: Yeah. I had to have Jim turn the firehose on them.
Jim: [holds up the still wet firehose] And I knocked them motherfuckers right on they asses, too.
posted by valkane at 4:25 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Jeff: Nuns?
Rudy: Yeah. I had to have Jim turn the firehose on them.
Jim: [holds up the still wet firehose] And I knocked them motherfuckers right on they asses, too.
posted by valkane at 4:25 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I remember reading somewhere, or maybe it was the DVD commentary mentioned by Freedomboy, but they wanted to make a point of the characters constantly littering. And there's something just so wrong about it, and yet hilarious, watching Kurt Russell just nonchalantly tossing empty beer cans aside when he's done with them. I love this movie.
posted by valkane at 4:37 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by valkane at 4:37 AM on March 29, 2016
I love this movie. It is wonderful to watch. It is overstuffed with great bits, although I think they don't cohere or add up to all that much.
I think it would have been fascinating to be on that movie set and watch it being made. There is something about Used Cars that suggests, even by the standard of the times, that the consumption of a great deal of cocaine was involved.
posted by Mr. Justice at 6:15 AM on March 29, 2016
I think it would have been fascinating to be on that movie set and watch it being made. There is something about Used Cars that suggests, even by the standard of the times, that the consumption of a great deal of cocaine was involved.
posted by Mr. Justice at 6:15 AM on March 29, 2016
This is somewhere in the dusty old bin of memories next to Convoy, Smokey and the Bandit, Every Which Way But Loose, Cannonball Run.. trashy car/road movies that all came out from 1977-1980. Not like, shitty 70s car chase movies, but like populist car culture movies.
The F&F movie are more about urban/suburban car stuff. Cars wasn't really weird enough..
I dunno, do movies show backroads America looking so weird and vibrant anymore.
posted by nom de poop at 7:54 AM on March 29, 2016
The F&F movie are more about urban/suburban car stuff. Cars wasn't really weird enough..
I dunno, do movies show backroads America looking so weird and vibrant anymore.
posted by nom de poop at 7:54 AM on March 29, 2016
oh shit it was Twister wasn't it ugh
posted by nom de poop at 8:06 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by nom de poop at 8:06 AM on March 29, 2016
This was the first movie that my household ever owned a copy of. As in, my dad bought it from a store, we didn't tape it off of TV. It's a shame that we had a VHS player, my dad had no idea there was a different format available called Betamax, and he'd bought that version...so we couldn't actually watch it. But I knew the cover art like the back of my hand!
I finally watched in in college, and oh man how I wished I'd had it to memorize during my more formative years. It makes me think of the Disney movies Kurt Russell made as a teenager, only much funnier, better made, and way way WAY more adult.
posted by doctornecessiter at 10:43 AM on March 29, 2016
I finally watched in in college, and oh man how I wished I'd had it to memorize during my more formative years. It makes me think of the Disney movies Kurt Russell made as a teenager, only much funnier, better made, and way way WAY more adult.
posted by doctornecessiter at 10:43 AM on March 29, 2016
Rudy is such a great character. The script pulls no punches that he is selfish, dishonest, not a hero, amoral, etc. And yet before you know it you're completely in the tank for the guy. Who else but Kurt Russell could have played him?
And the ending! Rudy hasn't become a better person. No, Barbara's the one that has had an (a)moral awakening: "No Ma'am, that's yellow primer."
posted by whuppy at 12:28 PM on March 29, 2016
And the ending! Rudy hasn't become a better person. No, Barbara's the one that has had an (a)moral awakening: "No Ma'am, that's yellow primer."
posted by whuppy at 12:28 PM on March 29, 2016
This is somewhere in the dusty old bin of memories next to Convoy, Smokey and the Bandit, Every Which Way But Loose, Cannonball Run.. trashy car/road movies that all came out from 1977-1980. Not like, shitty 70s car chase movies, but like populist car culture movies.
Those are exactly the movies we are covering with Shut Up And Drive! Both the populist and the shitty! You might wanna give it a looksee.
posted by valkane at 5:38 AM on April 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Those are exactly the movies we are covering with Shut Up And Drive! Both the populist and the shitty! You might wanna give it a looksee.
posted by valkane at 5:38 AM on April 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by Freedomboy at 12:54 AM on March 28, 2016