Wacky Taxi

Sometimes in the course of movie fandom you manage to find a film that is life changing. Awe inspiring. A film that touches you on a deep and emotional level. "Wacky Taxi", however, is not such a film. This globule of cinematic wonder came to me in a box set of 100 films which cost me $17. That makes this a 17¢ movie. I was overcharged.

A short plot summary: Watch John Astin Run! Watch John Astin Purchase A Car! Watch John Astin Shave! Watch John Astin Buy Fast Food! Watch John Astin Wash A Car! Watch John Astin Emote! Watch John Astin play an immigrant from South America with no discernible trace of a Latin accent! And that is just the first 15 minutes. I...just...couldn't go any further.

I would like to take a moment to recognize robertfranz, the other reviewer of this "film" for finding the strength of will to voluntarily watch the entire thing. Sir, you are a better man than I.

If you idea of a good time is watching Gomez Addams doing mundane things then you will LOVE this film. If find yourself SANE instead, you probably will not enjoy it.

So, let me see if I understand this. We meet Pepper Morales, a married man with kids and a pregnant wife, at his job in a factory. The narrator tells us he is not satisfied with his job and we next see Pepper walk off the job after impulsively overturning a rolling cart filled with empty cans that scatter everywhere, making a mess that his former coworkers will have to clean up. At least he shook the hands of his coworkers before triumphantly exiting the building and leaping in the air for a freeze frame during the opening credits. Pepper goes home and announces he's starting a taxi business, spending almost all the family's savings on a broken down 1959 Cadillac and some take out food. This is during the first ten laugh-free minutes. It never gets better.

Maybe I'm just a cynical old guy, but I don't see a lot of humor in a man placing his family into serious financial jeopardy this way. Luckily for him his wife seems to be clueless about the potential dire consequences of Pepper's actions. He acts like someone experiencing a manic episode and by todays standards, everything he does is disturbing. Playing wacky music and speeding up the frames does not make on screen law-breaking and mental illness funny.

John Astin is funny in The Addams Family, but I cannot imagine what he was thinking to star in this steaming pile of crap. Cameos from the singer/satirist Alan Sherman and Frank Sinatra, Jr. Are also awful.

I gave this two stars because despite its deep flaws, it was fun to see San Diego in 1972 and literally tons of classic cars.

A man buys a taxi to change his monotonous existence. A mediocre movie with an ending that doesn't belong to him. The only scene I liked was the loss of the taxi. I could feel the feeling of abandonment and emptiness that captured the poor taxi driver's heart. Only decent scene from the movie or at least the only one I remember.

I loved it. Perfect for the era. A pick me up, feel good flick with no frills. Just real. Love it or hate it...just watch it. John Astin is a pro, here and everywhere. Loved the craziness of the filming. The plot is simple. We all want the American dream, but are scared to take the risk. This film takes all the risk and doesn't worry about losing. Many may see this as a "wacky" film, but it's perfect for its intended purpose. To motivate and entertain. No big budget, no special effects. Seemed more like a current reality show. I put this on because it seemed old, wacky and out of sorts. It was exactly that and exactly what I needed at that moment. It's wacky for sure. Watch it to the end. Thank you John Astin.

This is not a great movie but I would have been OK with sitting through it at the drive-in back in the day. My daughter says that any movie you can sit through should get at least a 3. I might even give this a 3.5. The story is about a man who wants to be more than a low paid factory worker and dreams of establishing a successful business. There are a lot of reasons to be discouraged but his family supports him through it all and he never gives up on his dream. I didn't like the final wrap-up at the end. It wasn't really needed. Otherwise it might have gotten a 4 from me, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Nice little G rated family movie.