Used Cars

Last updated • 9 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Used Cars
Used Cars film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by
Produced byBob Gale
Starring
CinematographyDonald M. Morgan
Edited by Michael Kahn
Music by Patrick Williams
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 11, 1980 (1980-07-11)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million [1]
Box office$12.7 million [1]

Used Cars is a 1980 American satirical black comedy film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story follows Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell), a devious salesman, working for affable, but monumentally unsuccessful used-car dealer Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden). Luke's principal rival, located directly across the street, is his more prosperous brother, Roy L. Fuchs (also played by Warden), who is scheming to take over Luke's lot. The film also stars Deborah Harmon and Gerrit Graham, and the supporting cast includes Frank McRae, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Joe Flaherty, Al Lewis, Dub Taylor, Harry Northup, Dick Miller, and Betty Thomas.

Contents

Steven Spielberg and John Milius acted as executive producers on the project, while the original musical score was composed by Patrick Williams. Filmed primarily in Mesa, Arizona, the film was released on July 11, 1980.

Although a modest box-office success at the time, it has since developed cult film status due to its dark, cynical humor and the Zemeckis style. [2] It was marketed with the tagline, "Like new, great looking, and fully loaded with laughs." It was the only Zemeckis film to be rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America until Flight (2012).

Plot

Rudy Russo is a young and cunning car salesman in Mesa, Arizona, with aspirations of running for the state senate. He works at the struggling New Deal used car lot owned by the elderly Luke Fuchs, who agrees to invest $10,000 in Rudy's campaign if he promises to keep the business alive.

Meanwhile, across the street, Luke's twin brother and arch-competitor Roy L. Fuchs is desperate to keep his used car lot from being demolished and replaced by a proposed freeway exit. Wanting to collect life insurance money and New Deal from Luke, Roy hires his mechanic, demolition derby driver Mickey, to recklessly drive Luke's pristine, hand-restored 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air around the block with Luke in the passenger's seat.

Shortly after crashing the classic car into the lot, Luke dies of a heart attack, leaving Rudy with firm evidence that Roy staged the "accident". In an attempt to prevent Roy from gaining any inheritance, Rudy has his superstitious co-worker, Jeff and mechanic, Jim, help him bury Luke on the dealership's backlot in a vintage Edsel that was once New Deal's sign ornament. When Roy comes looking for Luke the next day, they explain that Luke took the Edsel on a vacation to Miami.

The following night, Rudy and his friends make a live cut-in broadcast of their commercial into the middle of a major network football game. It goes awry when Jeff finds out the car on display is red (he believes all red cars are bad luck) and female model Margaret has her dress stuck on the hood ornament, which rips open and exposes her when the hood is popped open. The commercial results in New Deal receiving a massive number of new customers the next day. In one deal, Jeff cons a family into buying a station wagon by having the lot's mascot dog, Toby, fake being run over during a test drive.

When Roy lures customers to his lot by hiring circus animals, Rudy counters with a live stripper show. Luke's estranged daughter Barbara Jane visits the lot in hopes of reuniting with her dad, having dropped out of college more than ten years before to live on a hippie commune. Rudy conceals the truth about her father by taking her out on a date, and inadvertently convinces her to stay in town.

Rudy's gang broadcasts another commercial in the middle of Jimmy Carter's presidential address, destroying some of Roy's used cars in the process, most notably his prized Mercedes SL. In retaliation, Roy storms into New Deal and attacks Jeff before discovering Luke's resting place in the backlot. Roy brings the police to New Deal the next day to dig up the rearlot, but Jim has taken the Edsel out of the pit, placed Luke's corpse in the driver's seat, and rigged the car to crash into a power transformer, where it explodes as planned.

Everyone believes Luke was killed in the fiery accident, and any evidence to the contrary is destroyed. Roy believes he now has possession of New Deal, but Rudy points out that Barbara, as Luke's daughter, is effectively the new owner.

Eventually, Barbara discovers the fiasco over her father's death and fires Rudy, Jeff, and Jim for their cover-up scheme. As a final means of shutting down New Deal, Roy has his connections in local television station KFUK re-edit Barbara's commercial to imply that she has "a mile of cars", while also pushing a trumped-up charge of false advertising.

Rudy's luck changes when he wins a bet on a football game, guaranteeing him enough money for his campaign. Once he discovers that Barbara is being prosecuted for false advertising, Rudy convinces her to tell the court she has a mile of cars. To avoid a charge of perjury, she must prove it in front of the judge by having more than 250 cars on her lot by 2:45 pm that afternoon.

Rudy spends his investment on 250 cars bought from Mexican dealer Manuel and having 250 student drivers deliver them to New Deal's lot in less than two hours. After overcoming Roy's attempt at disrupting the resulting convoy and Jeff's superstition of driving a red car, the drivers arrive just in time. The total measurements are just long enough to equal a mile of cars, saving Barbara and the car lot. Roy's former attorney informs Rudy and Barbara that once the freeway ramp across the street is constructed, New Deal will become the largest dealership in the state. Everyone except Roy celebrates, while Rudy and Barbara embrace each other in a kiss.

Cast

Production

Development

The idea for Used Cars originated from producer John Milius, who pitched it to Gale and Zemeckis while they were writing the script for 1941 (1979), the film directed by Steven Spielberg. Milius said that he and Spielberg had hoped to one day write a story about a used car salesman based outside Las Vegas.

Casting

They had wanted to cast actor George Hamilton as Kurt Russell's character, Rudy. [3] Universal Pictures passed on the film, leading the duo to take it to Columbia Pictures. Frank Price, the studio president at the time, had sold used cars as a young man, and he quickly said yes. [3] According to Bob Gale, Jack Warden had initially passed on the role of Roy Fuchs, but agreed to play the role under the condition that he be able to play Luke Fuchs, since he was interested in playing the role of both brothers. [3] John Candy was originally cast as Sam Slaton, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with 1941 and was replaced with Joe Flaherty. [4]

Filming

Used Cars was shot in 29 days at the working Darner Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Mesa, Arizona, from October to November 1979. The dealership served as the setting for "Roy L. Fuchs Pre-owned Automobiles", while a vacant lot across the street served as the setting for "New Deal Used Cars". The vacant lot now has an apartment complex, while the Chrysler bankruptcy of 2009 caused the Darner dealership to lose its Chrysler affiliation. [2]

Release

Home media

Shout! Factory re-released Used Cars on Blu-ray February 26, 2019 through their Shout! Select branch. The film had been previously released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on January 1, 2002, as a Region 1 DVD with audio commentary by Robert Zemeckis, Kurt Russell, and Bob Gale. The film was released August 12, 2019 as a Region B Blu-ray by Eureka Entertainment Ltd., a division of their Eureka Classics product line. [5]

Reception

Box office

Used Cars grossed $12.7 million in North America. [6]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 6.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Robert Zemeckis' pitch-black satire of American culture doesn't always hit the mark, but it's got enough manic comic energy to warrant a spin." [7] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 68 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8]

However, early reviews were mixed. The Washington Post 's Gary Arnold dubbed it "a mean, spirited farce [...] Director/co-writer Robert Zemeckis has undeniable energy and flair, but it's being misspent on pretexts and situations that seem inexcusably gratuitous and snide." [9] A staff reviewer for Variety wrote that "What might have looked like a great idea on paper has been tackled by filmmakers who haven’t expanded it much beyond the one joke inherent in the premise." They too praised Zemeckis' direction as "undeniable vigor, if insufficient control and discipline." [10] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars, saying the film is "filled with too many ideas, relationships, and situations with plot overkill." [11]

Among the positive reviews, Dave Kehr of the Chicago Reader found it to be a "fierce, cathartically funny celebration of the low, the cheap, the venal—in short, America." [12] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "...a movie that has more laughs in it than any film of the summer except Airplane! It wipes out...just about every other recent comedy aimed, I assume, at an otherwise television-hooked public." [13] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker described Cars as "a classic screwball fantasy — a neglected modern comedy that’s like a more restless and visually high-spirited version of the W. C. Fields pictures." [14]

At the time, Used Cars received the highest ratings in test screenings in Columbia Pictures history. In 2015, film critic and historian Leonard Maltin said, "I loved Used Cars, and I'll never understand really why that didn't become more." [15] Zemeckis and Gale blamed the film's failure on Columbia, who moved the film up a month from its scheduled release date based on the test-screening response. It debuted with little advance marketing and was released only one week after Airplane! . [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Back to the Future</i> 1985 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, it follows Marty McFly (Fox), a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), where he inadvertently prevents his future parents from falling in love – threatening his own existence – and is forced to reconcile them and somehow get back to the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle (automobile)</span> Defunct American automobile brand

Eagle was a brand of the Chrysler Corporation following the purchase of American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987 and marketed through the end of the 1998 model year. It was aimed at the enthusiast driver and promoted as more "European" than the automaker's similar models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edsel</span> Automobile brand of the Ford Motor Company

Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the 1958 to 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effort to give Ford a fourth brand to gain additional market share from Chrysler and General Motors. Established as an expansion of the Lincoln–Mercury Division to three brands, re-christened the Mercury–Edsel–Lincoln Division, Edsel shared a price range with Mercury. The division shared its bodies with both Mercury and Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Ford II</span> American businessman (1917–1987)

Henry Ford II, commonly known as Hank the Deuce, was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford. He served as president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, chief executive officer (CEO) from 1947 to 1979, and chairman of the board of directors from 1960 to 1980. Under his leadership, Ford Motor Company became a publicly traded corporation in 1956. From 1943 to 1950, he also served as president of the Ford Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Zemeckis</span> American filmmaker (born 1952)

Robert Lee Zemeckis is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for five British Academy Film Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.

<i>Back to the Future Part II</i> 1989 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second installment in the Back to the Future franchise. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson, with Elisabeth Shue and Jeffrey Weissman in supporting roles. It follows Marty McFly (Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) as they travel from 1985 to 2015 to prevent Marty's son from sabotaging the McFly family's future. When their arch-nemesis Biff Tannen (Wilson) steals Doc's DeLorean time machine and uses it to alter history for his benefit, the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.

<i>Back to the Future Part III</i> 1990 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, and Lea Thompson. The film continues immediately following Back to the Future Part II (1989); while stranded in 1955 during his time travel adventures, Marty McFly (Fox) discovers that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd), trapped in 1885, was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen (Wilson), Biff's great-grandfather. Marty travels to 1885 to rescue Doc and return once again to 1985, but matters are complicated when Doc falls in love with Clara Clayton (Steenburgen).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxwell Motor Company</span> Former american car manufacturer (1904 - 1925)

Maxwell was an American automobile manufacturer which ran from 1904 to 1925. The present-day successor to the Maxwell company was Chrysler, now Stellantis North America, which acquired the company in 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury (automobile)</span> Automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company

Mercury was a brand of medium-priced automobiles that was produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between the 1939 and 2011 motor years. Created by Edsel Ford in 1938, Mercury was established to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines within Ford Motor Company. From 1945 until its closure, it formed half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Milius</span> American screenwriter and director (born 1944)

John Frederick Milius is an American screenwriter and film director. He was a writer for the first two Dirty Harry films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of Apocalypse Now (1979), and wrote and directed The Wind and the Lion (1975), Conan the Barbarian (1982), and Red Dawn (1984). He later served as the co-creator of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Rome (2005–2007).

<i>The Getaway</i> (1972 film) 1972 American action thriller film by Sam Peckinpah

The Getaway is a 1972 American action thriller film based on the 1958 novel by Jim Thompson. The film was directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Walter Hill, and stars Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Ben Johnson, Al Lettieri, and Sally Struthers. The plot follows imprisoned mastermind robber Carter "Doc" McCoy, whose wife Carol conspires for his release on the condition they rob a bank in Texas. A double-cross follows the crime, and the McCoys are forced to flee for Mexico with the police and criminals in hot pursuit.

<i>Magnum Force</i> 1973 American film

Magnum Force is a 1973 American neo-noir action thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film Dirty Harry. Ted Post, who had previously worked with Eastwood on Rawhide and Hang 'Em High, directed the film. The screenplay was written by John Milius and Michael Cimino. The film score was composed by Lalo Schifrin. This film features early appearances by David Soul, Tim Matheson and Robert Urich. At 123 minutes, it is the longest of the five Dirty Harry films.

<i>Bordello of Blood</i> 1996 film by Gilbert Adler

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood is a 1996 American horror comedy film directed by Gilbert Adler from a screenplay by Adler and A.L. Katz, and a story by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Dennis Miller stars as Rafe Guttman, a private investigator hired by Katherine Verdoux to investigate the disappearance of her brother Caleb which leads him to a bordello run by Lilith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Gale</span> American writer, producer and film director

Michael Robert Gale is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer and director. He is best known for co-writing the science fiction comedy film Back to the Future with his writing partner Robert Zemeckis. Gale co-produced all three films of the franchise and later served as associate producer of the animated TV series. Actor Michael J. Fox has referred to Gale as the "gatekeeper of the [Back to the Future] franchise".

<i>Big Wednesday</i> 1978 film directed by John Milius

Big Wednesday is a 1978 American coming of age buddy sports comedy-drama film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. The picture stars Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, and Gary Busey as California surfers facing life and the Vietnam War against the backdrop of their love of surfing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmett Brown</span> Fictional character in the Back to the Future franchise

Dr. Emmett Lathrop Brown, commonly referred to as "Doc Brown", is a fictional scientist in the Back to the Future franchise. He was created by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. First appearing in the 1985 film Back to the Future, he is an eccentric mad scientist and friend to the protagonist Marty McFly. In the franchise, he invents a time machine using a DMC DeLorean. He is portrayed by Christopher Lloyd in all three films and in the television series and was loosely inspired by Leopold Stokowski and Albert Einstein. He is also voiced by Dan Castellaneta in the animated sections of the television series.

<i>Dillinger</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by John Milius

Dillinger is a 1973 American biographical gangster film, dramatizing the life and criminal exploits of notorious bank robber John Dillinger. It is written and directed by John Milius in his feature directorial debut, and stars Warren Oates as Dillinger, Ben Johnson as FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, and Michelle Phillips in her first film performance as Dillinger's moll Billie Frechette. Other actors in the film include Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, and Richard Dreyfuss.

<i>Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!</i> 1931 animated film

Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! is a 1931 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Rudolf Ising. The short was released on September 5, 1931, and features Foxy, an early Merrie Melodies star.

<i>The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard</i> 2009 American film

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Neal Brennan, produced by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Kevin Messick and Chris Henchy, written by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson and starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms, Jordana Spiro and Craig Robinson. Originally titled The Goods: The Don Ready Story, the film was theatrically released on August 14, 2009 in the United States by Paramount Pictures and was released on DVD as a rental only with no special features November 17 and for sale December 15. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $15.3 million against a $10 million budget.

The following is a list of unproduced Robert Zemeckis projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Robert Zemeckis has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially cancelled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

References

  1. 1 2 "Used Cars (1980)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Jarman, Max (13 June 2009). "For Mesa's Darner family, Chrysler era is over". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale (2014). Audio commentary for Used Cars (Blu-ray). Twilight Time.
  4. "The Lost Roles of John Candy". 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  5. "Eureka's August 2019 line up is announced with hits from the 20s, the 60s, the 70s, the 80s and the present day!". Eureka Entertainment Ltd. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  6. "Used Cars (1980)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  7. "Used Cars (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on October 6, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  8. "Used Cars (1980)". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. Gary Arnold (July 11, 1980). "Junkyard Follies". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  10. "Review: Used Cars". Variety . Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  11. Roger Ebert (January 1, 1980). "Used Cars". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  12. Dave Kehr. "Used Cars". Chicago Reader . Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  13. Canby, Vincent (22 August 1980). "Used Cars (1980) review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  14. Kael, Pauline (2011). The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael. Library of America. ISBN   978-1598531091.
  15. Gaines, Carseen (2015). We Don't Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy. Plume. ISBN   9780142181539.