Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

I didn't expect to get much out of this. You may have noticed that there are only so many comedies I really like, and SatB has mixed reviews. But it was quite a hit back in the day, and I continue to see allusions to it now and then, so I figured I owed myself the education.

Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) does not appear to have any legitimate employment, just a daredevil reputation. "Big" Enos Burdette (Pat McCormick), an aristocrat with a hankering for gambling, promises him $80,000 if he can be the first to drive from Atlanta to Texarkana and return with 400 cases of Coors in just 28 hours. In this version of reality, not only does that require a high average pace, but it runs the risk of a bootlegging charge. The Netflix jacket fails to mention that Bandit doesn't drive the rig himself; he aims to distract the fuzz in a Burdette-funded new Trans Am for his buddy Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed, who also wrote the movie's signature songs).

The trip to Texarkana is nigh uneventful, judging from how few of the 96 minutes have passed at that point. Things get more interesting after Bandit picks up a hitchhiking runaway bride (Sally Field), who accepts his code name for her, "Frog." The Jersey dancer feels a bit out of place, but she quickly learns to enjoy the ride. Turns out the groom (Mike Henry) is the son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), who will stop at nothing to avenge this insult.

Justice does use "Smokey" as a call sign, but it can also refer to police in general in CB radio slang. And that's what stands out most herein: the sheer breadth of lessons on that subject. I'd already had a crash course beyond C.W. McCall's "Convoy," but it was good to have a refresher.

I cannot recommend taking any other aspect without a grain of salt. IMDb lists quite a few errors, albeit many of them contested. I noticed a plot hole myself: At the "choke and puke" scene (thanks a lot for that slang, CB users), Frog drives when she shouldn't be able to. I suppose Bandit could have been absent-minded enough to leave the ignition key in the car, or she might have been savvy and determined enough to hotwire it in a jiffy, but either way, he expresses no surprise that she can do it.

Evidently, truckers give bikers a run for their money in rebelliousness. Everywhere Bandit and Snowman go, CB users have heard of them, admire their guts, and will do anything to help -- up to and including hitting police cars -- even without being asked. You'd think at least one of them would have a more lawful mindset. Mind you, they're a pretty diverse bunch in terms of race, gender, and age, which I take as being done for laughs more than the mere sake of diversity. Who expects a little old lady to get in on the action?

If any of the authorities deserves this treatment, it's Justice. He acts like the whole country is his jurisdiction, expecting cops everywhere to know who he is. And he's implied to be racist, given his surprise at a certain other sheriff.

You can tell that this PG movie predates the PG-13 rating, primarily for the considerable volume of swearing. There's also some innuendo, but we get no unambiguous indication of what Bandit and Frog are up to. As for violence, nobody looks injured, but it plays like a forerunner of The Blues Brothers with a touch of Speed.

Field thought she shouldn't have taken the role, and a MAD writer once listed this flick as evidence that she's a "comedy black hole." I wouldn't say that. Her performance may not elevate the humor, but neither does she drag it down. Basically, my amusement was always at a dull roar with or without her.

Yeah, it's not my scene, nor do I wish it were. But I picked up enough of a sense for why other people dig it. Maybe it could see a fresh fandom now that a lot of young viewers resent the police.