A pair of the worst feuding brothers in the history of cinema is to be found in Used Cars. Jack Warden plays both the Fuchs brothers who own competing used car lots across the street from each other in Mesa, Arizona. But bpth are different.
Roy Fuchs has a top of the line outfit and wants to take over brother Luke's ramshackle establishment which employs Kurt Russell and Gerrit Graham as the sales staff and Frank McRae as a mechanic.
Luke dies under some interesting circumstances and to keep their jobs and for Russell to make more money to start a political career the body is hidden and the lot keeps open. All while the living Warden tries to find out what's going on.
The con still keeps going after Deborah Harmon the daughter of the deceased arrives. After that it gets too madcap to describe.
The film s a bit of Weekend at Bernie's and Robin And The 7 Hoods mixed nicely together. Russell who was a Disney bubblegum star shows some nice comedic acting chops further developed in vehicles like Captain Ron. Graham amd McRae are pretty funny, and there's a nice pair of appearances from David Lander and Michael McKean playing the same kind of roles they did as Lenny and Squiggy on Laverne And Shirley.
It seems appropriate that Russell wants to go into politics. I still remember the famous Herblock cartoon of Richard Nixon with the caption, "Would you buy a used car from that man".
This one very funny film.
Used Cars
1980
Action / Comedy
Plot summary
Used car salesman Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) needs money to run for State Senate, so he approaches his boss Luke (Jack Warden). Luke agrees to front him the $10,000 he needs, but then encounters an "accident" orchestrated by his brother Roy also played by Warden, who runs the car lot across the street. Roy is hoping to claim title to his brother's property because Roy's paying off the mayor to put the new interstate through the area. After Luke disappears, it's all out war between the competing car shops, and no nasty trick is off limits as Rudy and his gang fight to keep Roy from taking Luke's property. Then Luke's daughter shows up.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Such brotherly love
Wildly funny comedy from Zemeckis
Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) is an unscrupulous used car salesman of a rundown lot owned by Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden). Rudy wants to run for State Senate. Luke is willing to lend him the $10k needed as long he promises to help him keep his lot from his brother Roy (Jack Warden). Roy owns the lot across the street, and has tried buying off the mayor and sending in the Consumer Protection Agency. He even tries to kill Luke by sending in somebody to scare him to death. The scheme actually works and Rudy hides Luke's body with the help of Jeff (Gerrit Graham) and Jim (Frank McRae). They pretend that Luke is going to Florida. Rudy starts doing crazy schemes pirating the big football game broadcast, having strippers, and breaking into a presidential broadcast. Then Luke's estranged daughter Barbara (Deborah Harmon) shows up.
This is the start of a great run by Robert Zemeckis. This is hilarious starting with the outrageous boob shot in the pirated commercial. Kurt Russell is doing great. The wacky schemes are mostly funny. It just needs an extra stupid side kick for some wild physical comedy like Belushi or Bill Murray or John Candy. The pairing of David Lander and Michael McKean comes close, but they're only in the movie when they pirate broadcasts.
mile of cars...
Following "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", Robert Zemeckis directed the equally silly "Used Cars", about the antagonistic high jinx between two used car salesmen (Kurt Russell and Jack Warden). This isn't the sort of movie that you watch to change your life or pick up on double meanings or anything like that; you watch it to have fun. And indeed you will! Whether it's the R-rated commercials, or anything else, the movie's a hoot the whole way through. Like "Big Trouble in Little China" and "Overboard", it shows that Kurt Russell really works best in comedy. Just great.
A mile of cars. Imagine that...