An hilarious all-star race across America

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2015)

The plot to this film is as simple as it gets; a group of people are planning to race across the United States paying no respect to the 55MPH speed limit enforced at the time. The first half of the film introduces us to the various racers. The protagonists are J. J. McClure and Victor Prinzim who are having a little trouble deciding what sort of vehicle is best for such a race; they eventually reason that an Ambulance will be best as it is less likely to be stopped for speeding of course they will also need a doctor and a patient to be convincing. There are also a couple of Chinese drivers in a high-tech Subaru; two men in a Ferrari, who are disguised as priests; two beautiful women in a Lamborghini and a Englishman who claims to be a spy and calls himself Roger Moore and played by Roger Moore. There are quite a few other secondary racers too; each fairly distinctive. Once the race is underway they must deal with zealous cops, fellow racers, a motorcycle gang and an environmental campaigner who objects to the motorcar in general and to the speed merchants taking part in the race in particular.
There have been plenty of films about groups of people racing across America but this is probably the best known thanks to its all-star cast. There are lots of laughs to be had throughout the film; provided by a cast that is clearly having a blast. The cast, which does a solid job, includes such well known people as Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. amongst others. The humour is, for the most part, suitable for viewers of all ages although some elements of the film are definitely not politically correct; most notably the Lamborghini Girls who show an impressive amount of cleavage to persuade male policemen to let them off! For me the highlight was Jack Elam's strange doctor; just looking at him was enough to make me laugh! There are a few plot holes but that doesn't matter as this is all about delivering laughs ultimately we don't even care who wins the race even. Not all of the gags work but enough do to make this comedy worth watching.