Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

Director: Hal Needham

Writers: Jerry Belson, Brock Yates, Michael Kane

Composer: Snuff Garrett

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, David Huddleston, Mike Henry, John Anderson, Brenda Lee, The Statler Brothers, Mel Tillis, Don Williams, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Joe Klecko, Chuck Yeager

More info: IMDb

Tagline: It's another race against time for Burt, Sally and Jackie!

Plot: The Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail.

My rating: 4/10


Will I watch it again? No.

I haven't seen this since the early 80s and now that I've watched it again, I can see why it's been more than 30 years.  Woof.  Talk about a cash grab.  Geez.  If it weren't for the cast this would be completely unwatchable for anyone under the age of 5.  It's a lot more slap-stick-y than the first one.  Hell, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977) isn't perfect but it's got charm and the nostalgia (at least for me) of my childhood growing up in the 70s.  The worst offender of this first sequel is the story and some terribly lazy writing.  Not only do they recycle jokes, they're unashamed of it.  Early in the movie Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason) says to his son something like, "I've said it before but I'm gonna go home and punch yo mama in the mouth."  Ugh.  Even the great Dom DeLuise is largely wasted.  Some highlights...Dudley Remus as the bumpkin gas station attendant.  Hilarious.  5 of his 6 credits are in Burt Reynolds movies dating back to 1961.  I'm a-guessin' he's a lifelong friend.  Hell, that's all the highlights.  I can't believe how embarrassing this is.  I'd like to think the scripts sent to each of the actors was accompanied by a bookmark in the way of a fat check.  Hell, I'd make a horrible movie for a lot less than they did.  The laughs don't stop coming...there are are 413 people on IMDb who rated this movie a perfect 10!  The only extra with this film (as part of the "Pursuit Pack Franchise Collection") is a fullscreen trailer.

Remind me to punch our mama right in the mouth!