Slasher
Slasheris a semi-comic and revealing documentary about the crude art of selling used cars in a hurry. Filmmaker John Landis, best known for some key 1970s and '80s comedies (Animal House,Trading Places), directs this warts-and-all look at the life and trade of Michael "the Slasher" Bennett, a California freelance salesman who travels the country mounting garish campaigns to clear car lots of old inventory. The film focuses on one weekend in which Bennett and his team of "mercenaries" descend on a lot in Memphis, attempting to unload 60 automobiles in 48 hours. Motormouth Bennett and his allies pull out all the stops (raffles, pretty hostesses, music) and keep intense pressure on themselves, revealing a few unscrupulous practices in the course of things. Landis finds moments of unintended and sometimes tender comedy everywhere, especially in Bennett's strenuous efforts to live up to the moral standards of his wife and children.--Tom Keogh