david.steiner It's too bad Michael Ritchie died of prostate cancer in 2000. So there's no opportunity for a commentary track unless Reynolds, Kristofferson and Clayburgh decide to get together to do it, which would be an excellent idea. Bert Convy who played a caricature of Werner Erhard named "Frederick Bismark" died in 1991 at the age of 57 of a brain tumor. An unfortunate loss; his performance, one of his few in films is superior and worth the price of the disc. He's remembered as a game show host, but he earned his acting chops from 1958 in television dramas. Carl Weathers, who would have a major role as Apollo Creed in three Rocky movies, has a small role here. Jill Clayburgh's best work is arguable, but for someone who got her start in soaps in th 60s and whose movies include Portnoy's Complaint, Gable and Lombard and Hanna K., Semi-Tough has to be a highlight. It's difficult to think of someone who might have been better in this role. Robert Preston is one of those actors who hasn't been replaced. The movies he made, for the most part, can't be remade because there's nobody like him. From 1938 until his death in 1987: This Gun For Hire, Whispering Smith, The Bells of St. Mary"s, How the West Was Won, The Music Man, S.O.B.,Victor, Victoria. His performance as the football team owner is priceless. Lotte Lenya has a small role as Clara Pelf, in a not-to-be-missed scene as a masochistic masseuse by this great actress. True, it's not a great movie, but for those of us who were there or who'd like to know about the excesses of the 70s, this movie is very hard to beat for laughs and a sometimes painful look at the way we were.

Pangborne People don't seem to know how to respond to this movie. The people whowant "Smokey and the Bandit" think it's weird and not funny; the peoplewho want "Scenes from a Marriage" think it's sophomoric. Well, it isweird and occassionally sophomoric, but it is very, very funny in anunderhanded, ironic way - and also in an over-the-top goofball way. Youbetter be prepared for different kinds of jokes coming at youunexpectedly. This obviously big-budget studio comedy has more in commonwith discursive satires like "Smile" or "Nashville" than other studiocomedies of the period, although it is far more well-made and plottythan either "Nashville" or "Smile": I think it's the best of both worldssatire and spontaneity wrapped up in a comfy old-fashioned romanticcomedy. Think "My Man Godfrey" with four letter words and football. It'strue the characters do not have exactly novelistic depth, but surelyCarole Lombard's character in "Godfrey" was as thin as a pancake - butit didn't matter because Lombard was playing her, and she made up indizzy star-power what the writers left out. Here Jill Clayburg is theLombard part, a real star at the top of her game, radiating star-poweredcharm. Matching her watt for watt is Burt Reynolds, perfectly cast, andable to make the odd-ball anti-intellectualisms of the writing soundperfectly effortless. Kris Kristofferson is in the Ralph Bellamy part -the guy whose job it is to get jilted - but he oozes a full-bore sexualmagnetism that makes the heroine's confusion perfectly understandable.This is real neglected gem - you shall recognize it for the dunces arein a c

groucho-33 Supposedly based on the book of the same name, the only similarities are the characters' names -- SOME of the characters. Some of the best ones, such as Elroy Blunt, greatest country/western singer ever to warble a tune, were left out completely. The whole thing is a shame, because this was by far the funniest book I ever read. I remember eagerly anticipating the forthcoming movie back in 1977. Then I heard that Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson and Jill Clayburgh were the stars and thought "oh-oh." Still, I went to see the movie -- just awful. Watched it again a couple of years ago with the hope that time might have taken the edge off. Wrong; it was worse than ever. While I respect the "favorable" reviews given by some above, it's obvious that they didn't read the book. I'd invite them to do so, then watch the movie again and see how they'd rate it again.

marzolian This was "based" on a very funny book, one of the most enjoyable I have ever read. But as other reviewers have said, the producers gutted the story and replaced it with something utterly different. Didn't work for me, at all. And I usually liked Burt Reynolds and Jill Clayburgh, and didn't mind Kris Kristofferson in a couple of other movies.