Car Babes

Last updated
Car Babes
Car Babes (2006 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Nick Fumia
Chris Wolf
Written by Blake Dirickson
Nick Fumia
Chris Wolf
Produced by Ben Rekhi
Elizabeth Destro
Starring Ben Savage
Jon Gries
Blake Clark
Donnell Rawlings
CinematographyOden Roberts
Edited by Cary Gries
Music by Dino Campanella
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Car Babes is a 2006 independent comedy film starring Ben Savage and directed by Nick Fumia and Chris Wolf.

Contents

The title of producer Ben Rekhi's Car Babes comes from the term car salesmen use for each other. He realizes that some might suspect otherwise, but promises "it's in no way a bikini car wash movie".

The film is a coming-of-age comedy starring Savage as a recent college grad living at home who reluctantly goes to work at his dad's car dealership. "The original idea emerged from stories our co-writer Blake Dirickson entertained us with about working for his father on his car lot", say co-directors Nick Fumia and Chris Wolf, who jack up their film's tension with the threat of a hostile takeover and the requisite romantic interest. The soundtrack ranges from hip-hop to country.

Car Babes had its premiere on December 26, 2006.

Overview

Directed and produced by five Bay Area filmmakers, Car Babes is the first feature-length film written, directed, and produced by all five filmmakers, who channeled their love for the art of making films to produce this slapstick comedy.

Car Babes directors (l to r) Chris Wolf and Nick Fumia talk to actor David Shackelford (seated) before filming. CB8.JPG
Car Babes directors (l to r) Chris Wolf and Nick Fumia talk to actor David Shackelford (seated) before filming.

The idea for the film was conceptualized by Blake Dirickson, 27, who is one of the writers of the film. He said he gained the inspiration for the film from a used car lot in Santa Clara, where he worked for 18 months. He would often share stories with his friends about the car babes he worked with. He pitched the concept to first-time filmmakers Chris Wolf, 27, Nick Fumia, 27, Ben Rehki, 28, and Liz Destro, 27, and they loved the idea.

"The biggest challenge we faced with this project was convincing friends and strangers to invest in a group of filmmakers who didn't have much under their belts in the realm of filmmaking," Wolf said. [1]

"It was the most emotionally and physically draining thing I've ever done and I loved every minute of it," said Fumia. [1]

The 35mm Car Babes, was shot at Moore Pontiac & Buick in Los Gatos, California, for 26 days late Summer, 2005, with feature film cinematographer Oden Roberts. Co-starring in Car Babes are Jon Gries, Blake Clark, Donnell Rawlings, Carolina Garcia and David Shackelford.

For Ben Savage the attraction was the dynamic between the father and son and the struggle for the son to grow from a boy into a man. "It focused on something my friends and I are going through," the recent Stanford graduate explains. "Like that two- or three-year period right out of college where everything's a possibility, everything's terrifying. You don't really have any sense of stability. It's the first time you're out on your own in life and I think that's such an interesting time." [2]

Savage is in almost every scene of the film and he appreciates the level of collaboration involved. "Working with these guys, it really makes you feel like it's a group project. They're all young (and) they are very open and receptive to everyone's ideas. It's a really great set to be around." [2]

Having to put the film together on a "spit and glue" budget (an industry term for low budget), covering 126 days of script in 26 days, caused the cast to improvise and adjust along the way, according to Wolf. He said it is under these circumstances, however, that the most creative things happen. [1]

Much like the car babes they portray in the film, Wolf said being a filmmaker also starts and ends with the ability to sell yourself. He said Car Babes is a stepping-stone to something bigger for each of the filmmakers. [1]

"Watching a little dream turn into something that is essentially immortal and the experience of creating something that starts on piece of paper and ends up on the big screen is really rewarding," Wolf said. [1]

Plot

Ford Davis, a 24-year-old recent college graduate with no direction in his life, is forced to live with his parents and work for his dad, Big Len, at his car dealership to pay off a loaner car he damaged. On the lot, Ford quickly learns that the game of car sales is not easy. His only saving grace becomes his co-workers, the heartwarming and irreverent Car Babes, who teach him that selling cars is about selling yourself. After an unforgettable test drive with a self-assured hairdresser, Ford begins to gain confidence not only selling cars, but with his new sexy girlfriend.

But back on the lot, mobile home tycoon Ron Hamper, owner of the neighboring Hamper's Campers, has his evil eye on Big Len's property. After an uncalled-for visit, Hamper threatens to shut Big Len down and turn Davis Automotive into a parking lot for his used campers.

With the days at Davis Automotive numbered, Big Len and the Car Babes have all but given up, but Ford comes up with an idea to save the dealership. Using the wisdom he has gained from his father and the rest of the team, Ford concocts one final plan: a blowout sale to sell 300 cars in a month.

Cast

Car Babes of the title are (l to r) John Campo, Marshall Manesh, Ben Savage, Donnell Rawlings and David Shackelford. CB12.JPG
Car Babes of the title are (l to r) John Campo, Marshall Manesh, Ben Savage, Donnell Rawlings and David Shackelford.

Home media

Car Babes was released in Region 1 DVD on June 10, 2008, by Vivendi Visual Entertainment.

Related Research Articles

Blake Edwards American filmmaker (1922–2010)

Blake Edwards was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor.

Owen Wilson American actor (born 1968)

Owen Cunningham Wilson is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1998), and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), the last of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. He has also appeared in Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and The French Dispatch (2021). Wilson also starred in the Woody Allen romantic comedy Midnight in Paris (2011) as unsatisfied screenwriter Gil Pender, a role which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. In 2014 he appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, and Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way.

<i>Cannonball Run II</i> 1984 film by Hal Needham

Cannonball Run II is a 1984 action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest. Like the original Cannonball Run, it is set around an illegal cross-country race.

<i>Mr. Deeds</i> 2002 film by Steven Brill

Mr. Deeds is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1936 Frank Capra film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, which in turn is based on the 1935 short story Opera Hat by Clarence Budington Kelland.

Glenn Ford Canadian-American actor (1916–2006)

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, who had a career that lasted more than 50 years. Although he played in many genres of movies, some of his most significant roles were in the film noirs Gilda (1946) and The Big Heat (1953), and the high school angst film Blackboard Jungle (1955). However, it was for comedies or westerns which he received acting laurels, including three Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy movie, winning for Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He also played a supporting role as Clark Kent's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, in Superman (1978).

Ben Savage American actor

Bennett Joseph Savage is an American actor. He played the lead role of Cory Matthews on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World (1993–2000) and its Disney Channel sequel Girl Meets World (2014–2017).

<i>Boiler Room</i> (film) 2000 American film

Boiler Room is a 2000 American crime drama film written and directed by Ben Younger and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nia Long, Ben Affleck, Nicky Katt, Scott Caan, Tom Everett Scott, Ron Rifkin, and Jamie Kennedy. The film was conceived when screenwriter Ben Younger interviewed for a job at brokerage firm Sterling Foster. Younger said, "I walked in and immediately realized, 'This is my movie.' I mean, you see these kids and know something is going on."

<i>Used Cars</i> 1980 film by Robert Zemeckis

Used Cars is a 1980 American satirical black comedy film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story follows Rudy Russo, a devious salesman, working for affable, but monumentally unsuccessful used-car dealer Luke Fuchs. Luke's principal rival, located directly across the street, is his more prosperous brother, Roy L. Fuchs, 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.

<i>100 Rifles</i> 1969 film by Tom Gries

100 Rifles is a 1969 American Western film directed by Tom Gries and starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. It is based on Robert MacLeod's 1966 novel The Californio. The film was shot in Spain. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.

<i>Two Rode Together</i> 1961 film by John Ford

Two Rode Together is a 1961 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart, Richard Widmark, and Shirley Jones. The supporting cast includes Linda Cristal, Andy Devine, and John McIntire. The film was based upon the 1959 novel Comanche Captives by Will Cook.

Calvin Coolidge Worthington was an American car dealer, best known on the West Coast of the United States, and to a more limited extent elsewhere, from minor appearances and parodies in a number of movies. He was best known for his unique radio and television advertisements for the Worthington Dealership Group, most of which began with the announcement "Here's Cal Worthington and his dog Spot!"—though "Spot" was never a dog. Often, Spot was a tiger, a seal, an elephant, a chimpanzee, or a bear. In one ad, "Spot" was a hippopotamus, which Worthington rode in the commercial. On some occasions, "Spot" was a vehicle, such as an airplane on whose wings Worthington would be seen standing while airborne. "Spot" was officially retired in the mid-1980s; however he was mentioned occasionally in later commercials.

<i>Flywheel</i> (film) 2003 American film

Flywheel is a 2003 American Christian drama film about the unexpected pitfalls that a used car dealer experienced as he suddenly goes honest. The dealer intentionally overcharges his customers until reaching a turning point in his life where he decides to end his shady business practices and become a Christian. Alex Kendrick both directed the film and starred in the lead role, and with his brother, Stephen Kendrick, co-wrote the film. Flywheel also features Lisa Arnold and Tracy Goode.

<i>Charlie Bartlett</i> 2007 film by Jon Poll

Charlie Bartlett is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular.

<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 Vantage 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.

<i>Your Highness</i> 2011 US stoner comic fantasy film by David Gordon Green

Your Highness is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was released on April 8, 2011. It follows an arrogant prince and his brother on a quest to kill the sorcerer and save the bride and their father's kingdom. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $28 million worldwide against a $50 million budget.

<i>Movie 43</i> 2013 American anthology comedy film

Movie 43 is a 2013 American anthology comedy film co-directed and produced by Peter Farrelly, and written by Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko among others. The film features fourteen different storylines, each one by a different director, including Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin Dunne, Patrik Forsberg, James Gunn, Bob Odenkirk, Brett Ratner, Will Graham, and Jonathan van Tulleken. It stars an ensemble cast that is led by Banks, Kristen Bell, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Seth MacFarlane, Leslie Bibb, Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Anna Faris, Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Justin Long, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloë Grace Moretz, Chris Pratt, Liev Schreiber, Seann William Scott, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Uma Thurman, Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet. Julianne Moore, Tony Shalhoub and Anton Yelchin are also featured in cut scenes released on DVD and Blu-ray.

<i>The Three Stooges</i> (2000 film) 2000 biopic about the Three Stooges

The Three Stooges is an American biographical television film about the slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges directed by James Frawley. This television film was entirely shot in Sydney, Australia. It was broadcast on ABC on April 24, 2000.

The Cinema Snob is an American comedy webseries created, edited, written, and starring actor and filmmaker Brad Jones. It started in 2007 on YouTube before copyright claims caused Jones to move the series to its own personal site, TheCinemaSnob.com, in August 2009. The series became part of Channel Awesome in January 2010. Jones is one of three creators to remain on the site as of April 2021.

<i>Teenage</i> (film) 2013 American film

Teenage is a 2013 documentary film directed by Matt Wolf and based on Jon Savage's book Teenage: The Creation of Youth Culture. In the documentary, Wolf attempts to bring to life the "prehistory" of youth culture which preceded and evolved into the concept of teenage culture in the 1950s and beyond. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20, 2013. and was released in a limited release and through video on demand on March 14, 2014, by Oscilloscope Laboratories.

<i>Brown Nation</i>

Brown Nation is an American comedy-drama series directed by Abi Varghese and written by Matt Grubb, George Kanatt and Varghese. The series is shot in New York City and the first season of the show consists of ten episodes that are 20–25 minutes long. Brown Nation released in all 190 countries offering Netflix on November 15, 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hilfiker, Christina. "New Comedy Explores Life In Used Car Lot". The Golden Gate [X]Press Online. Archived from the original on 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
  2. 1 2 Quelland, Sarah. "'Babes' in Benland". Metroactive Movies. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.