MRA Entertainment, the distributor responsible for selling Yo Puta (or simply Whore as it is known here) on DVD, build a strong case for false advertising here. As opposed to the rather charming cover picture that appears on the IMDb entry, the Region 4 PAL DVD cover features both Daryl Hannah and Denise Richards so prominently that one could be forgiven for thinking they are the stars of the show. Although they are the biggest names in the film, their performances are little more than bookmarks for interviews. That these interviewees are so repugnant both in verbiage and physicality undermines the whole film. Just as we are getting interested in what the paid actors are doing, the film cuts away to interviews with actual putas who mostly only succeed in making the profession seem as repulsive as I am sure many feel it is. I am indifferent, having had no personal experience with it of any kind, but this film did not convert me either way because it comes off more as a student film. One that would get some very well-earned bad marks.

The plot that drives what little non-archival footage there is revolves around Richards' character, a mid-twenties student in anthropology. She needs money to pay the bills, and has a neighbour who works in prostitution. Having no other means to get herself out of the financial quagmire (this much I could relate to), she eventually tries prostitution. That is literally all there is to the plot, and it is stretched out over so much archival footage of prostitutes talking about their work that the main plot feels more like filler. There is one piece of archival footage that looks like the sort of thing one gets from one of those websites I will not mention here. You know the kind, the sort that have themes revolving around common attributes of models. Most of them offer free samples, so you can see what good there is in Yo Puta on said sites without paying for a rental.

Which brings me to my advice to both Hannah and Richards. Fire your agents, and do so now. Hannah already knows being a has-been, and while her appearance in films I will not glorify by mentioning here gave her a bit of a kick-start, she seems anxious to go back. At least judging by her appearance here. Richards' career has utterly tanked, and after seeing The Third Wheel, I cannot keep a straight face while calling this unjust. Joaquim de Almeida has little more than an extended cameo, portraying a rich customer. And these three actors basically make up the sum total of the legitimate actors in the film, unless you count the extras. Since three actors whose careers are, let us just say, in a lull does not a rounded, dynamic cast make. As previously mentioned, the interview cast do a lot less than pick up the slack. Given that a film about an illegitimate trade that brings many social problems needs a sympathetic focus at the best of times, this is very bad.

I would make statements about the cinematography, but since it mostly consists of one person standing before the camera and speaking, there really aren't any opportunities to be creative in this department. We could have done without the footage of one prostitute on a toilet with an obviously blue-screened backdrop, to say the least. This amplifies the ugliness of the subject three-fold, which is the last thing this particular individual needs. The music is by turns irritating or simply indifferent. But the real kicker is that two people are credited with writing this piece of crap. Sure, there is dialogue here, but no human being in their right mind should own up to having written it. I have never heard of the editor who is credited with working on Yo Puta, but two possibilities occur to me regarding the way it was cut together. Either this editor gave up after reel upon reel of barely cohesive footage, in which case it is the directors fault, or he simply cut the footage together in such a manner as to give it no transition, as a sort of practical joke.

I gave Yo Puta a two out of ten. Like Baise Moi, it tries to make a claim to being extreme. It gives nothing to back this claim up with, and thus winds up little more than a limp noodle. I would not even recommend seeing it for free.


I saw this on Showtime, just before the 147th showing of Spidergirl.

This gives you an idea of what we're talking about here. T&A between interviews of Ho's Pimps and Gigolos from the legal trade.

OK in the beginning they all talk like it's their choice and what they want. By the end they're whining about wanting to get out and have a normal family with kids and all that. Right down to the interview with the faceless Russian mobster talking about force, violence and keeping the passports to keep the girls working for them. All pure stereotype and nothing we haven't seen better before by real documentaries. Oh except they have flashy sexy sets from inside tacky euro-trash whorehouses complete with the red satin and mirrors.

Denise Richards and Darryl Hannah provide the titillation to keep the viewer interested with one of those horribly lame plots like you get in soft core porn like the Red Shoe Diaries.

A long time ago Umberto Eco wrote an essay on how to tell if you're watching a porno film. If the drive to the house takes way too long as a setup ... ie. if the fluff is just to fill time then that's what you got.

Not the worst ... by far ... of porn producers trying to justify themselves.

Personally Spiderbabe was much better.


They say Jesus Christ sacrificed for our sins, he suffered for us all Alright, I think that I've just done the same that Jesus: I've watched "Yo, p..." so no one have to watch it anymore. I'll carry the cross, my brothers. The cross which is this apology of the prostitution, this fake documentary, this fake fiction. To prostitute yourselves is "just like any other thing" (that's what they say when they want to justify what cannot be justified, when they want to humanize the subhuman, to dignify the unworthy) , and men are just pigs, thirsty for sex, unmerciful pimps. The documentary part and its more than debatable message, its "artie" and post-modern touch, is hair-raising enough to keep yourself away from this treasure; but, let me tell you: the fictitious part is even worst!!! What did Denise Richards, Daryl Hannah, and Joaquin De Almeida drink in the party where the signed the contacts??? (I wan some of that too!!) . Well, the fictitious part has no rhythm, no sense of the narrative style hey, What am I doing??? I'm not gonna lose more of my time with this crap: one of the biggest rubbish of 2004, and come on with that final dot!.

My rate: 0/10


Another of the endless Mad Max ripoffs, and this one ranks with the stinkinest of all time. I don't mind a few stinkers, and I love the campiness of these late 70's/early 80's post-nuke films, but this is probably the worst film I've seen since Blair Witch 2. After a WWIII holocaust, we look in on the lives of a few survivors who are about to cross paths. We have the scum biker gang, the all-American dad and child with a foreign sounding wife and daughter (who have an old man as a mock grandpa),we have the last 2 remaining horses on planet earth, a convent of nuns, and finally a loner stud lookin' for action any way he can get it.

All I can say is, all of the horrible clichés are in affect. Absolutely nothing happens for about the first 50-55 minutes except a lot of garbage talk about the way things were and how retarded man is for destroying everything. The rest of the film cannot be considered action, horror, or science fiction in my opinion. You just have to make a whole new genre for films like this and call it the Sh*t genre. You could fit this 90 min. film into a 25 min. TV show package.

The editing is horrible also, and you have the feel that some scenes (including the ending) needed more extensions onto them to help tell the story, but I have a feeling this would just prolong the pain of viewing it even more. Please be warned, there's a good reason why less than 30 people have rated this film.


After a devastating nuclear war most of the land has become contaminated by radioactive fallout. Only several scattered patches of land known as "survival zones" remain untainted. Rugged, hard-working farmer Ben Faber (forcefully essayed by dour, husky, pudgy-faced "2001: A Space Odysey" star Gary Lockwood) resides on one such area with his gutsy wife Lucy (lovely Camilla Spav), willful teenage daughter Rachel (comely brunette knockout Zoli Marki), adoring son, and feisty old buddy Uncle Luke. The Faber's peaceful existence gets jeopardized when a vicious horde of scummy, black leather-clad cannibalistic bikers led by the highly intimidating and intelligent Bigman (coolly underplayed by big, brawny, hirsute George Eastman lookalike Ian Steadman) stop by and lay siege to their house. Fortunately, nice guy itinerant loner Adam Strong (a likable turn by handsome, muscular Morgan Stevens) comes to the Fabers' aid.

The shopworn premise, basically just another rough'n'tumble post-nuke survivalist take on a classic Western movie scenario (the Fabers are clearly patterned after early settlers, with Strong as a heroic roving troubleshooter type and the bikers substituting for marauding Native Americans), doesn't promise much, but luckily the uniformly sound performances, unusually complex, well-drawn and even plausibly human characters, a welcome element of genuine humanity, Percival Rubens and Eric Brown's smart, surprisingly thoughtful and introspective script, a few unsettling oddball touches (Bigman has a severed doll's head affixed to the top of his motorcycle helmet), Rubens' capable direction, a sturdy theme which addresses how a man ought to fight for what's his and stand up for what he believes in (Ben refuses just to let the bikers destroy his farm without putting up a fight), an unsparingly harsh and savage tone (early in the picture the bikers raid a missionary and murder a bunch of nuns!), and shocking outbursts of raw, brutal violence lift this one well out of the rut. Vincent Cox and Colin Taylor's spare, stripped-down cinematography, shot on gritty film stock, gives the film a convincingly scrappy look. Only the somewhat sluggish pace and Nic Labuschagne's slushy, obtrusively overwrought score detract from this otherwise satisfyingly tense and gripping winner.


And with those words, our ubiquitous couple walk off into the sunset together, having just survived a spade/knife fight and an attempt on their lives with a land rover. Warms the cockles doesn't it? Except in this film it doesn't. You'll have been too busy laughing at one of the most hilarious decapitations ever seen on film and wondering what the hell happened to the little boy who vanished from the cast twenty minutes ago with no explanation. Not to mention the strange case of the American dad who has a South African accented wife and daughter, but a USA sounding son. And then there's the..

But I digress, let's get to the plot.. for what it is. Another nuclear bomb, another bunch of mutated survivors on motorbikes, and yep, you guessed it.. plenty of leather and shades to go around. They are led by the typical bearded bloke with a rasping voice and a toy doll's head on his helmet(?) We knows he's in charge because he has the word BIGMAN engraved on the back of his jacket. During the opening, him and his crew of ruffians ransack a nunnery. (Oh the beasts!!) Turns out they're cannibals who roam around munching their way through the survivors of the holocaust. But have they met their match when they try to take over a farm presided over by a resourceful farmer and his feisty family? Let battle commence!!

All thumbs and no fingers sums up this little flick. Every single scene seems to be have been handled in the most clumsy way imaginable, so you get random camera angles and abrupt sudden cuts galore. You know from the budget that the acting isn't going to be the best and the dialogue won't win the screenwriter any Oscars, but it would be nice to have a few surprises along the way. Nothing in this film is anything less than predictable, from who will be the first to die (always the old guy) to the fact that the stereotypical young blonde hero who arrives on the scene in the middle will be the one to save the day. From a purely artistic point of view I've seen much worse even in the last month, but why waste time on this when there are so many other superior movies out there calling for your attention? In fact, some of them are probably on television right now. Go and take a look.. 3/10


This like it's going to be a good slasher at the beginning, when in the second scene, Bigman defeats another bikie in a jousting match with chains, then soon after another of his gang punches a nun to death, but it goes very quiet after that and never picks up.


I was thirteen when I saw this film. Some friends of mine were big fans of horror films. I wasn't particularly a fan but I knew what to expect. "Survival Zone" wasn't at all what I expected. I have a soft spot for this movie and would love the opportunity to see it again. But I'm afraid to say that is because I distinctly recall it as being the worst film I ever saw. I mean....the doll's head on top of the motorcycle...is that supposed to be scary? Evidently it was supposed to be. It wasn't.


This movie is not worth the time and aggravation that comes with watching it. Jimmy Fallon's considerable talents are not enough to overcome this weak script and poor direction. It is painful to watch, worse that the worst SNL skits you've ever seen. This obviously wasn't a theater movie and it's not one to watch on video or DVD either. The commentary at the end is the only real joke, Duncan Foster is an unknown for good reason. I have to wonder if Jimmy was wanting for cash when he said yes to this flop. That said, if you are an ultimate Fallon fan you may be able to find something entertaining, but I can not begin to guess where. Some movies are so bad that they are good, but this is not one of them. If there was anything to this story it seems to have been destroyed in the editing process.


This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my whole entire life. I have seen some pretty bad movies, but this takes the cake. Just watching the first five minutes of this movie I wanted to shoot myself in the head, and remove my eyeballs. I mean the guy drops a baby doll to steal some mail. After that he goes on to saying "What we did back there didn't make any sense" Damn right that didn't make sense, the whole movie doesn't make sense. The worst movie EVER! Worse than GIGLI! There I said it.


This film is a complete crap that hasn't a single thing in favor. OK, maybe just one: It's Andie Tecec! I'm talking about the woman, not the actress. She's hot but as an actress she's as lame as any other thing in this movie!

It's a completely ridiculous movie: tremendous stupid plot, bad characters, bad actors, hilariously bad screenplay and totally unfunny "supposed to be funny" moments.

Now that I have finished watching it I just wonder why I didn't have looked at this movie's IMDb rate I guess it would have saved me one hour and half of a bad cinematic experience!

Well, it's a complete 0 out of 10, but I've to score it 1/10, right??!!


This movie overall was not all that great, it did however have some high points. Some funny bits, and lines throughout it, moderate acting. Although in the end you felt empty and depleted, would not rent this one on my own nickle, but if someone else was paying I might watch it again.


Now, in my defense, before i go on, i have to say that on the night in question (last night,) I was at home alone in my small room suffering a cold and had a small fever. I had also taken some cold medication and hadn't actually taken any notice of the title as I was watching movies back to back just trying to get over the cold. In addition, the lousy plan that my hotel had locked me down to didn't even afford me one news channel so that I couldn't verify what I was seeing. I started watching it and it went to the news flash portion. I must say that I was almost sucked in from then on. A few things I couldn't believe entirely but obviously I did in the end, as by the time they came up to the 9 minute deadline I'd put on my boots and hightailed it up to my local bar which was only 3 doors away and informed my mates. And didn't I cop it when I finally got to see that it wasn't even being broadcast on CNN or BBC. HAR HAR. I am going to pay dearly for that for some time. Although I was so convincing in my explanations of what was about to happen, the impending doom, that a couple of the guys started mentioning they wouldn't even have time to say goodbye to their children. I gotta say, Im also laughing as I write this as I am usually the sciatic. It will remain with me forever and although yes! I looked the jackass, its also something I doubt I will ever experience again. Im happy to have that. If you are reading this then its already too late. (Har har, thats what my mates kept saying over the beers.) You cannot possibly experience the same emotions. Phew! So glad it wasn't real. hehe.


I saw this pretty late at night, and it draws you in so much. The plot twists and turns in an amazing story that mirrors a real-situation, so much that I thought it was a real news broadcast too. Only the appearance of Q from Star Trek, and references to 1994 gave the game away.

The end sequence, from the destruction of the 3 meteors onwards was as tense as many of the scenes in films like Scream. It also showed man's darker side, and gave many lessons for the future.

It wouldn't work on the big screen, but on the small screen it is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. And that's saying a lot for a film of such small stature!


Before watching this movie/ or whatever u call it. My no 1 alien movie was in confusion between these few titles i will mention. War of the worlds(2005) , Altered(2006), Contact(1997) Close encounters of the third kind (1977). I love complicated/hanging (sort of unfinished business type) endings in a movie.

But after watching this 1, i fear meteors and the possibility of an intergalactic war far more worse now. Giving me the creeps and chills every now and then when i go to bed (it just wont go off).

This 1 is very well done.So bold, so direct, the fact that everything was happening so fast in the movie without breaks was So SCARY!. Forget about the acting.. this movie took me on a deep journey that i felt acting wasn't necessary anymore in alien movies. The story and the idea deserves an Oscar.

Came across it a little bit late as it was released in 1994. But well worth it in the end. Therefore this is my no.1 alien encounter movie undoubtedly for now and for a long time to come. Didn't even need fancy CGIs or Alien costumes. Nowhere to be seen yet so disturbing.

Wud recommend this to any sci-fi fan. 10/10


The film starts off in a parallel fashion to the famous Orson Wells radio drama of 1938; opening with "ordinary programming," which is then cut in upon by a brief news bulletin that reports of meteors had struck the Earth, in three countries: France, China, and the USA. After that, this story diverges from the War of the Worlds, but bears some similarities.

It was a fun idea to mix actors and actual newscasters: Sander Vanocur is the anchorman following the rapidly unfolding story, and handles the increasing level of tension in the script pretty well. Bree Walker also succeeds in blending her journalistic talent with drama.

The mystery is effectively spooky, and this was, after all, like the radio play, an effort to say "Boo!" on Halloween. The interviews with people speculating on what was going on were just what you would expect if such a scenario was real. The interview with Arthur C. Clarke was intelligent, even fact-finding. The newscasters advancing on the sites of the meteor impacts was a good touch. Loud whines from the craters, burned survivors speaking in strange tongues, and the disappearance of two air force pilots: some eerily cool stuff. My favorite is the Faith, Wyoming sequence. This scene, was masterful in its simplicity. The narration by the newscaster describing the bizarre and inexplicable events there was a highlight of the sinister tone of the movie's events.

The movie starts to run out of gas in the latter stages, resorting to some clichés. This may be owing to the fact it had done such an immense buildup in its realistic news cast depictions, that it had to resolve the story in the bombastic way it does. There is some dialouge that nobody would say in the context of what transpires.

Even with the flaws, a good premise, skillfully executed. A fun and deliciously eerie movie.


This is not really a review but it must be said. I am English and watched the film on a cable channel that showed the film with no commerical breaks stating how the entire affair of the apocalypse was totally fictitious. And I must say that both myself and my innocent family sat through this apparently 'real' news flash and to be put lightly, I (censored)ing (censored) myself! I was 8 years old and it may well have scarred me for life and it left us hugging together infront of our tvscreen of static waiting for the alien meteors to kill us.

But it probably doest have the same effect on DVD.


Although this movie didn't have the same budget as movies like Deep Impact or Armageddon, I thought is was pretty amusing. It's not the special-effects or the beautiful pictures that makes this little film interesting, but the fact that the story is told in the format of a live TV-news broadcast. One of the big American TV-stations follows every minute that the asteroids come closer to earth live, and they used a real newsreader which makes it pretty realistic. These asteroids will hit the earth in 3 places all on the same latitude (43th, I believe), the USA (Midwest), southern France and Northern China. The countries which have access to nuclear missiles combine forces in order to save the world, before thousands of asteroids will hit the earth....


The concept of this movie is brilliant! (Therefore, read movie's "Plot Summary")

This film has no "happy end", but however, I thought the ending was rather predictable. That's why I didn't give this movie a 10. Watch this movie, you WILL enjoy it!


i saw this movie on October 28 of 2005 and i have to

say that its a very great movie because it was 10

years older and its most impressive than others "when i saw this movie i think was real because

was SO real that i have change the channel to CNN

and other news ,i want to buy this movie or recorder

from TV but i cant but unless a question a have only say that this is that type of movies that you

need to see because the simplicity is the best

this is a drama movie but i have to say that this

movie scared me a lot more than other how scream or that type of movies


I saw this film in 1994 or 1995 on Canal+ and I can still remember that I was really impressed by this film. I almost really believed everything was really happening. My VHS-tape of this movie is broken now, but I would really, really appreciate it if anybody could tell me how I could get another copy. (DVD, VHS or any other format) So... can anybody help me?


The scenery alone is enough to make you want to see it again and again. Add to that the acting of both Dickenson and Robertson and you have the perfect movie. As for having a "duplicate" title, I feel that that was a shame. The "other" "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Curt Russell, while a cute comedy that takes place on the ocean, has nothing in common with this older or original "Overboard," which is certainly far from being comical. Both my husband and I remember the final scene (we think) to a tee; but we are not in agreement on the rest of the movie. We've been arguing about this all these years and would love to be able to end our dispute by seeing the movie again.


I saw this film several years ago..fell asleep and I missed the ending of the movie .... what happened after she fell??????!!!! Pleeeeese! someone out there has to tell me! I have waited years to find out and never saw this film on TV again! I enjoyed the movie so much..the story line was great and the scenes of the boat were just enough to get me out to whale watch and try my hand at sailing! The Overboard with Kurt Russell is on all the time, but this picture never gets replayed! Please put my years of wondering to an end and someone please tell me what happens to her! Also how do you find copies or contact the networks to get this replayed on TV..Great film


I am among the many who would like to have a copy of this movie. Imagine seeing a made- for-TV movie just once, and never being able to forget it. I had read the book beforehand and found it to be an excellent novel (which led me to read more of Searles' books). What a thrill it was to see the movie so beautifully express this excellent novel. It's a real drama, the characters are real human beings, and it's a very moving story, without car chases and explosions, so unlike most of today's movies. I suppose for that reason, it will never be released on DVD. But I keep hoping.

Cliff Robertson is a great actor, and it's a miserable shame that he should have been "black- balled" by Hollywood. If you like him, you might enjoy the wonderfully melodramatic "Obsession."

This may have been Angie Dickinson's best performance, although she was also terrific in in "Dressed to Kill."

Both Obsession and Dressed to Kill are Brian DePalma films which have a particular flavor all their own. I recommend them.


Last year some friends and I were able to "save" and gain ownership of an original seawitch sailboat built in 1961 at American Marine. She is a beautiful boat but was severely stripped by her previous owner, but fortunately we think all the "pieces" are there. I was lucky to find the VHS version of OVERBOARD and bought it off eBay a few weeks ago. It is an amazing classic film and there were so many beautiful shots of the sailboat in it that makes us daydream about how she will look again one day. What a great movie and a great find since I hear/read it's a hard to get a hold of. I recommend watching this movie if you ever get a chance.


I saw the movie once (when originally aired). Been wanting to see it again but have never seen it re-broadcast. Have been looking in the TV guide for at least 25 yrs. ! The Kurt Russel version is on constantly! It's a different movie, as you all know. Cliff R. and Angie D. were both great, and this movie is deep in character and development. My wife, somehow, found a copy on DVDr and got it for me for Christmas! Holy Macrell!! It plays on my regular DVD player and I watched it last night (first time since 1978). It IS as good (or better) than I remembered. Much deeper than most TV made stuff, and no computer special effects like are so popular today. It's refreshing. Hollywood should go back and play it again - and pay friggin attention on how to do a movie! Beautiful boat and filmed on site. Nice!


I saw this unforgettable movie more then 20 years ago and have never forgotton it.The movie, whos etitle I had forgotton until I found it on imdb is simply transfixing, it's to the movie's credit that with all the movies I've seen since this has been such an unforgettable one.

The movie's phtography is absolutely beautiful(the boat and ocean scenes). The relationship between the couple is both tragic and fascinating to watch. If anyone comes upon this review SEE THIS MOVIE but be warned there are some:

SPOILERS AHEAD-DON'T READ ANYMORE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Not many spoilers since I saw the thing so long ago, I can't remember it scene by scene(except of corase for the FINAL scene!!) and will have to see it again. But I will say this: It reminded me just a tad of "war of the roses"(not alot but there was similiarities) but this movie was everything war of the roses could not possibly be.I have to watch it again and then maybe I'll post another review but anyone who likes tragic movies with beautiful photography and fascinating character development will probebly enjoy this.Unforgettable!


I saw this 1978 "made-for-TV" film the first time it was aired, and once or twice since then (though not recently) and have never been able to forget it. It is one of the most haunting, beautiful, and chilling movies I have ever seen. Stunningly filmed in the Pacific and Tahiti, it is believably acted, and the story is original(though its theme is universal). This was made WAY before "Dead Calm," another favorite of mine, but in "Overboard" fate is the villain. The story involves an attractive, affluent married couple (Dickinson and Robertson in their primes) who -- at sailing fanatic Robertson's suggestion -- decide to sail their gorgeous yacht together to Tahiti (along with their cat) to recharge their relationship and add some spice and excitement to their somewhat dull upper-middle-class lives. Their adventure accomplishes both of these goals as it progresses from the ordinary and banal to its unexpected and chilling conclusion. It is especially fulfilling because it was made before American movies became dominated by crass taste, coarse language, and adolescent mindsets.


I'm glad to see such an exciting, innovative and yet accessible television series produced here in Canada. The character of Morgan Pym, the slow revelation of his past, the evolution of the mysteries that exist in his present (especially with the boy Gabe) are all deliciously well wrought. The guest stars are varied and fascinating, allowing each episode to have a fresh and intriguing spin, while the long term story arcs keep the viewer coming back week after week. I like the mix of drama and occasional dark comedy, and the cynical humor of the devil, which remains consistent whether he appears in the form of a skateboarding kid or a ventriloquist's dummy. A show made in Canada, but not strictly specialized to appeal to only Canadian tastes, the themes and stories are universal. This one's for keeps.


I really like this TV show. When compared to most of the refuse that populates TV land these days, this show is refreshing, fun, poignant and very engaging. I cannot wait until the new season starts. I like the premise of the show, the cast, the plot/storyline and the production. I hope this show has a good run. What I find interesting, is that the actors that impersonate the devil are dead on...and very well chosen for that part. You never really know what the devil will look like in any episode. For those that think that this is just a campy and light show, pay more attention to the content. It deals with very heady topics like addiction, prostitution, violence, greed etc. and all other kinds of vices, to which people succumb and become such enticing prey for the devil. Chris Kramer's character, Morgan Pym, symbolizes the eternal desire of man for understanding and boundless love as well as a never ending search for redemption. All I can say is that The Collector is excellent. A viewing pleasure...more please!


There is so much crap on TV, too many reality shows, bad sitcom shows.

But this show is like no other, it stands out with it's interesting story about a collector of the devil who tries to save the souls of the people who made deal with the devil.

The collector in this show is limited to one city, he can't tell anyone about what he do or else that person will go to hell if he know about it.

Also every person who made a deal with the devil can't tell anyone about his deal or he will go to hell with the person he told about the deal.

I still don't fully understand but apparently that kid Gabe knows about the collector and he can see the devil and has something to do with the redemption of the collector himself.

The show is not confined to one set and in every episode you see a new place and new guest stars.

Highly recommended.


I cannot say less, at the beginning I didn't want to watch it, I thought: "another mix of gore and mystery with nothing good to make you think" (something like millennium) But finally I found at least three good reasons because the Collector it's one of the best shows 1- Unpredictable: from the first episode you'll never know when there's a "happy ending", the stories are very dark but there's no use of unnecessary violence, everything has a reason. 2- Deep: "The collector" it's not an "easy to watch show", there's always a message to think, some lesson, reflection about life and the way we live. 3- Epic: "the collector" talks about the inner war, I mean: the battle between light and darkness of every human being, for their own private desires, the price to make the dreams come true specially when we destroy the life of other people. The stories have a lot of symbols, lot of fantasy but the way the producers use it end in a very realistic message.

More reason: the acting it's good, the specially effects, and as I said in the first point: This is the kind of show where the producer don't have fear to make the necessary changes to make the stories better, so it's very unpredictable. It's not the kind of show about mysteries: you know from the beginning the rules of the main story but as the season goes you are gonna find the details, the true reasons a secrets of every character, everything from the autistic boy to the past of Morgan has a reason, and that make this a better far better than many things we usually find in the TV.


Wow! The first time I saw it was last year and I thought it was intense. I have been following as regularly as I can and I thought it was incredible as time went on. The way the devil has a different face is really good and the way it goes back in Morgan's life is helpful to new watchers who may be confused as to why he's not dying. There are some really good morals in it too. Morgan meets people who think that hey're helpless and tries as best as he can to help them find their redemption. Most of the time he does help them in the end but the devil is very tricky and usually turns up to throw a wrench in Morgan's plans. This is an amazing show all in all and the characters are great!


I found the Canadian show this year, and i really loved the first time i saw it, first i thought it was a movie, but it isn't. It was actually one of the most dark shows and it's almost in the same level of Spawn. The character of Morgan Pym, it's one of my favorite characters ever, close to solid snake, because he's tough but out of clichés, the guy also have feelings inside, which is actually good. Chris Kramer put the skills on this, he's a great actor.

The other characters have deep questions like: i need a life, how can be good for something. The guest stars are wonderful, with a lot of conflicts and problems. The themes are excellent very dark, themes like: alcohol, murder, incest, mental illness, money, and on and on. You can see there is some silent hill elements on this series, silent hill the game of course, not the movie.

In some way this series is put solid snake on silent hill town and some Spawn spots, brilliant combination.

Finally there is an evil agent in all this, very interesting, and with different faces all the time. The main theme is excellent: "you are good but you are working with the evil". The twist of the stories are very well done, you really can open your mouth really wide when you see the ending of the episode.

If you want horror, action and dark places, The collector, it's your best choice.


In Argentina we have seen many Americans shows, but really lately the Canadians don't have nothing that envy to the Americans. Example this is The Collector, for many years we don't see a show like this, so amazing, so entertainer, please we don't let us shutout the collector. We need him, we need Morgan Pym.

The performances are really good, the scrip is fantastic, the performance of Chris Kramer is wonderful, we can't imagine someone else.

The boy, Aidan, the autistic boy, his job is extraordinary.

Maya is just who Morgan needs.


I can't believe people like this show!!!! This worthless piece of crap should be off the air by now!!! It has weak, hammy acting, and the devil comes in these ridiculous guises, like a bubbly, sweet schoolgirl. Worst piece of crap I've ever seen!! And the protagonist can't act!! I've seen him act, and his facial expression never changes. There are stupid lines like "This has wrath of God written all over it!" If you're looking for something interesting to watch, don't watch this, you'll be bored in ten minutes. It's an interesting premise in the wrong hands. They need good actors and a good storyline. This is just evident of the crappiness of our movie and film industry. Couldn't they find any better actors to play the collector? Someone who could act?


Full of (then) unknown actors TSF is a great big cuddly romp of a film.

The idea of a bunch of bored teenagers ripping off the local sink factory is odd enough, but add in the black humour that Forsyth & Co are so good at and your in for a real treat.

The comatose van driver by itself worth seeing, and the canal side chase is just too real to be anything but funny.

And for anyone who lived in Glasgow it's a great "Oh I know where that is" film.


WARNING: My comments should be regarded as - a sad old sod's musings on a movie remembered fondly from his youth! I'm not going to dissect the movie scene by scene. I won't compare Forsyth's earlier works with his best known or "finest" moments. I'm not even going to discuss any particular aspect of the film! Not the setting, the story, the dialogue, not even the individual performances! I'm simply going to say that I remember watching this movie (with my family) on TV back in the early eighties and laughing so hard it actually hurt! I have no idea if it has aged well or not because I haven't seen it in over 20 years but I will say this in it's favour/defence, "That Sinking Feeling" gave Glasgow a voice and a character that's rarely been heard before nor since! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Glaswegian so I have no personal axe to grind in that respect, I just feel that the human face of Glasgow (or Scotland for that matter) hasn't been depicted quite so sympathetically as in this movie. It seems to me that, when contemporary filmmakers try to present an "honest" depiction of the Glaswegian he tends to go for the "gritty realism" of the drunk or the druggie or the wife beating hard-man! That Sinking Feeling took a different tack and demonstrated the dry Scottish humour we all recognise (even more-so, we natives of Scotland) and perhaps that's why we seem to remember it so fondly. Anyway, if you can find a copy, watch it! Just don't expect any cool CG effects or Seinfeldesque banter, just good clean working class urban banality and the comedic observations you'd expect from a good clean working class director feeling his way!

Incidentally, sometime back in 1992/3 I met the redheaded actor (shamefully I can't recall his name right now) from "That Sinking Feeling" working in Stirling castle, conducting tours and the like! Not only does he star in one of my favourite productions, he is also an all round, really nice guy!

Bonus!


I actually love this film but perhaps thats because I grew up in Scotland in the 70's and it does have a lot of "in" jokes which foreign audiences could easily pass by. Sadly, this film was ruined by the completely hideous dubbing. It saddens me that the director allowed this to happen. I know that people say "but we cant understand the accent" well thats their fault, not the films. No one would have dreamed of dubbing Trainspotting so why ruin what is actually a charming and funny movie. Subtitles would have been insulting enough but at least you can turn them off. Yes, the editing is bad and the film quality is grainy but I think that represents the depressed times and the amateurish robbery plot. Perhaps I am over thinking that, maybe they were just being cheap. I don't care, I still love it. Do yourself a favour and watch the original.


I love this film, and it is such a shame that anything he did post local hero didn't capture any of this. How many films have a character trying to drown himself in a bowl of cornflakes, a police radio only used for ordering cream buns, a lad pretending to buy a television just to scav a ciggies. Lines like 'multiple social deprivation' actually make you laugh. Kids selling ciggies. A youngster boasting of his o-levels in front of a statue. A car which is not a car. It is funny without being patronising. Watch it, it is shown now and then on Channel five in the daytime.


Excellent! Some of the scenes/dialogue in this film are side-splitting! They are so ridiculous, pathetic and stupid - that it's comedy genius! - The 'Boss' trying to get the the gangs attention at a meeting ("Will ye shut-up and geez yer attention!"); one of the gang members is arguing with a young girl who's hanging up her washing ("Where's Australia?"); The Baker/Van Driver in the baker's shop picking up his order ("Cream Puffs?" - "Twelve." ...) etc. The film doesn't paint a very nice picture of Glasgow (dull, drab, raining), but the characters are full of colour. I 'think' the film wains a bit towards the end, but it's still brilliant viewing!!


Mistakenly lured by the cast listing of John Hughes who turned out not to be the one I was expecting, I'm glad I had an opportunity to see this forgotten, low budget British comedy.

This was a great absurdist comedy about a bunch of working class (and some unemployed) young British (and Scottish) lads who decide that a good way out of their persistent daily slump is to break into a warehouse and steal its stock of stainless steel sinks, for which they could make a killing on. The entire movie is pretty much introducing you to their misery (in a humorous manner, no less) and then the planning (which is quite amusing). For an extremely low budget with a sometimes difficult to discern dialog (poor audio, though there is some noticeable re-dubbing), I was pleasantly surprised, especially after being disappointed with director Bill Forsyth's American comedy, "Breaking In." Here, you have a pleasant cast of assorted (and somewhat clueless, but well-meaning) young guys and their rather innocuous, but desperate attempt, to make some money. Check it out if you can find it.


This debut film from Scottish film comedian Bill Forsyth is decent non-think entertainment. It has the low-budget charm of a student film, which can be its asset or liability, depending on how you look at it. Really, it's hard to envision this same low-key robbery story filmed in a bigger budget studio style. However, it's flaws are quite evident. It has a very choppy editing style, with each scene encompassing a different joke - similar to Monty Python short sketches. The storyline never really jells together, and unlike Forsyth's more polished later films, there's not much character development to speak of. The script has plenty of sharp one-liners, but few really great shakes.

As a gestation of the kind of stellar comedic talent Forsyth was to become in a few years, this movie is worth taking a look at. I did find myself laughing quite a few times, and am sure you will find some reasons to enjoy this, also.


Great comedy for those who like the Scottish spirit and sense of humor. Fairly low budget look doesn't hinder the film except for the sound track. Lot's of memorable scenes and quotes. I enjoyed it for the characters and not so much for the look or the sound.


I remember the Monday morning after THAT SINKING FEELING received its first broadcast on British television in 1982 , all my classmates were discussing it: " Did you see that bit where the guy said ... " and I remember thinking that my peers had been watching another film because I recalled distinctly hating it .

The problem I had was the very episodic nature of the movie . THAT SINKING FEELING feels like 90 minutes of self contained sketches rather than a feature length comedy , and maybe this is why everyone was discussing " That bit where .... " it's really not the most cohesive screenplay you'll see . Secondly as a comedy it's made the cardinal sin of being silly rather than funny . The plot revolves around a group of Glasgow teenagers wanting to commit a heist but we see them getting beaten up by children and not having enough money to buy a cup of tea in a cafe , the point is spelled out in far too bold letters that these are pathetic criminals as if we didn't know this . There's also a joke where two characters are discussing the robbery they're going to pull when one exclaims " Let's get out of here , it's like a public park " The camera then pulls away to indeed show the conversation was taking place in a public park . If the joke was lame it was rendered even lamer still by the fact the camera isn't locked on the actors close enough before the joke was revealed , we knew they were sitting on a park bench long before the punch line !

Maybe I shouldn't be too hard since Bill Forsyth has made a successful guerilla film , but I should point out to people reading this page before seeing the movie that Bill Forsyth is a very idiosyncratic film maker whose movies lack a universal appeal , that's probably why we hear so little from him these days


Struggling in the mid-seventies just before the blockbuster era settled in, Hollywood looked back to its history for material, and this was one of the results. Based on a pretty good book by Warren G. Harris, the problem with "Gable & Lombard" isn't so much the acting (Brolin does what he can in a no-win situation, and Clayburgh's halfway decent, though it's nearly impossible to suspend disbelief and believe she's Lombard), but the script. It's awful, and worse, historically inaccurate in so many ways (unlike the book).

First of all, Clark and Carole initially met filming "No Man Of Her Own" when Gable was loaned to Paramount in late 1932, while Lombard was married to William Powell; they got along well on the set, but no sparks flew and from all accounts they didn't keep in touch.

Second, Lombard was never a bigger star than Gable (although at the peak of her career, she was the highest-salaried star in the industry thanks to her shrewd business sense). Both elevated their rank in 1934, ironically through films at Columbia -- "It Happened One Night" for Clark, "Twentieth Century" for Carole. Her only film at MGM also came that year, but it wasn't with Gable; it was a gangster comedy called "The Gay Bride," sort of a thirties "Married To The Mob" (in fact, that phrase is actually used in the film). Carole always called it the worst film of her career (although, personally, I deem it far superior to her lone foray at Warners, "Fools For Scandal" in 1938).

Third, and perhaps most inexcusable to me, was having Gable in uniform at the time of Carole's death in a 1942 plane crash returning from a war bond rally in her native Indiana. Lombard was far more interested in world affairs than Gable, and many believe Clark enlisted out of guilt for what had happened to his wife -- something that would have been far more poignant than what was shown on screen. (There's also been conjecture that Gable and Lana Turner, who were making "Somewhere I'll Find You," were having an affair at the time of Carole's death, and that Lombard decided to fly home because of her suspicions. Since Turner was alive in 1976, one can understand why the script didn't touch this issue.) All in all, a mediocre film about two personalities who deserve far better treatment, especially since both were, by all accounts, generally good people and acknowledged as such by those who worked with them. Lombard in particular deserves a decent biopic, as her timeless, iconoclastic qualities still resonate today.


I just saw this film today and as an avid Gable worshipper, I was shocked that people even attempted to capture Gable and Lombard's chemistry on film. Even though James Brolin (who played Clark) was I suppose alright acting-wise, he was not the best. Jill Clayurgh (who played Carole) didn't even look like Lombard, but I also suppose she did mediocre acting-wise. Its hard, at least for me, to watch a film where actors and actresses are trying to play someone who's passed away and don't even look like them! I know the love story between Clark and Carole like the back of my hand, I KNOW it. I wish Sidney J. Furie, the director, should of done more background information about both Hollywood legends before trying to make a film about them. I mean, I know the film focused on their love, but still if you don't have the right information to play in front of the camera, other fans will dislike it. I wouldn't watch this movie again, but I suppose if you have a free afternoon, its not worth watching. for God's sakes, just pop in Gone with the Wind!


Somewhat of a plodder, but beautifully filmed, James Brolin is an unexpected and welcomed surprise in this "deco" period piece of late 30's, early 40's Hollywood. Jill Clayburgh's portrayal of Lombard is lively albeit somewhat over-acted and strained, though the entire production is first rate with a solid supporting cast. James Brolin definitely nailed Gable's character; that alone makes it worthwhile viewing.


This movie was quite maligned when it came out. Since I had been a big fan of both vivacious Jill Clayburgh and the manly James Brolin at the time I went to see it. Since I was a teen, I took a lot of what was portrayed as quite accurate. True it is a mostly fictionalized account of the two stars, but it has got some redeeming qualities. Namely, Brolin's dead on Gable. He is indeed very good, and I kept forgetting that it was not really Clark Gable. Clayburgh, as attractive as she is does not have Lombard's classic beauty or figure, but she's so gosh darn likable as Lombard one can overlook her shortcomings. Seeing it again recently, Jill Clayburgh as Lombard is a stretch, but I felt she put so much into the character, and a better script couldn't have hurt. Physical aspects aside, the two actors have great chemistry, and one gets the impression they are really crazy about each other. It's ashame that neither Brolin or Clayburgh got more to do...the story does meander at times and the film is a tad too long. Although it's not a great film, it's definitely worth checking out. Be on the lookout for Melanie Mayron as Dixie, before she went from frump to vixen.


It's amazing how I could not have seen this movie but once a few years ago considering how old it is. When Brolin first appeared on the screen, I had difficulty believing it wasn't Gable. As one other commenter put it, James Brolin IS Clark Gable. Yes, indeed, as much as Joaquim Phoenix IS Johnny Cash; it seemed he was born to play Cash, as it seems Brolin was born to play Gable. Not being a movie critic I cannot give a critique on the movie but when I watch a movie, I get INTO it; lost in the world that exists in the screen. This is only true of movies that really have an emotional effect on me, like Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago and the like. There are numerous others that weren't blockbusters but they definitely depict natural human experiences. That's from the perspective of a romantic, not a critic.


Not quite excellent but Both James Brolin and Jill Clayburgh give creditable performances in one of Hollywood's great love stories. This film was re;eased the same year as "WC Fields and Me" about another Hollywood couple, Fields and Carlotta Monti. "Gable and Lombard" captures the Hollywood scene of the 1930's a bit better than the other film does, and the two leads are more believable then in the other film. More than showing the screen side of these two, "Gable and Lombard" explores the off screen life of the pair. Anyone looking for dirt will be greatly disappointed. The life of Clark Gable and Carol Lombard as shown in this film is anything but boring. Thus, the emotion is genuine when we learn as does Gable that nothing is forever.

"Gable and Lombard" gives us an honest look into the lives of two people who just happened to be movie stars.


Have you ever heard a lie so supremely unbelievable (based upon what you know), you feel insulted and wish the teller were a better liar? That's how I felt suffering through the first 30 minutes of "Gable and Lombard". Historical inaccuracy upon historical inaccuracy tarnishes this telling of the love between two of Hollywood's brightest stars. There' nothing histrionically bad here (despite Clayburgh's terrible miscasting), production values are exceptional; yet movies such as "Gable and Lombard" can be career killers, and the producers deserved to lose every penny they invested. While no one's career was completely killed, James Brolin (who actually does a pretty good job) was never offered another major film role. Sidney J. Furie, who impressed so much with "The Ipcress File," "The Appaloosa" and "Lady Sings the Blues" found himself directing "Superman 4: The Quest for Peace" and the "Iron Eagle" series. Ironically, Jill Clayburgh, given her near inept performance as Carole Lombard, fared the best, snatching up hit roles in "Silver Streak," and Oscar nominations for "An Unmarried Woman" and "Starting Over." Clayburgh's problems playing Lombard are not entirely her fault; Clayburgh is simply not classy enough or pretty enough to play Lombard. Much of Lombard's appeal was her ability to handle vulgar material in a classy way. Coarse language can seem almost charming, depending upon how it's delivered. Lombard could pull it off for the same reasons Katherine Hepburn could do it, because she had the refinement.

Since I didn't finish the movie, I won't rate it. "Gable and Lombard" is okay as fiction, but I would have greatly preferred it had the writer stayed as closely as dramatically possible to the true story.


One of the best love stories ever told. I am looking for information to purchase this movie. Jill and James light up the screen. I always ask people if they have seen this movie and many have not. This is a classic movie and should be re-released.


Great film. This movie did not do as well as expected at the box office. But it was one helluva smash on Cable - back in the late 70's/early 80's. I hope to see a re-release of this film on video. Hopefully there will be a special edition DVD in the works soon. The chemistry between Brolin and Clayburgh is absolutely astounding.


I highly recommend everyone see it at least once. Probably the best performance of James Brolin & Jill Clayburgh EVER. They have a great on screen chemistry. I have loved this movie since the first day I saw it, at the drive-in theater. I looked for it on VHS, long ago, and was unable to find it, so I taped the censored version from TV. Now that it is on VHS...I can't find it on DVD. This is one of the few DVD's that I would be willing to pay "FULL PRICE".


This is a great film. I won't say that everyone would like it, because there is always someone who will hate it. But I love this movie and cannot imagine hating it. I watch it again and again, mostly for Jack who is wonderful in his personality and development. I can't rate this highly enough. The surfing scenes are spectacular, and watching the characters slowly mature and try to cope with life as an adult is always worth watching. Seeing Matt in particular struggle with his unwanted hero status and seeing his friends grow up, move away or die is really something to see. What he would have done without the capable, beautiful, indefatigable Peggy is anyone's guess. However, I must say that you either get it or you don't.


Gary Busey's career high as the insane "Masochist" with the irrisistable quote "More Beer!". Okay, this is a little patchy, but it's beautifully shot and has that old fashioned innocence that most modern teen films lack. The surfing rules and the leading trio is well played. Oh and I forgot to mention, the entire narration is by none other than Elm street's Fred Kreuger, a.k.a Robert Englund, which just makes it uber-cool in my minds eye; but I am biased. A great feel-good movie from when movies still felt pretty good.


Down the street from my house is a restaurant/bar called RT's Longboard grill, which was opened by family as a tribute to a brother lost at sea. Adorning the bamboo laden walls, amongst yesteryear photos, boards, posters, and memorabilia, are TV screens which endlessly show classic surfing movies. The feeling one gets in this environment is similar to what one gets watching Big Wednesday. This isn't a surf movie in the sense of the word. You see, the trendy, infantile children that drunkenly roam the streets of Pacific Beach (where I live in San Diego)for the most part don't have souls, sadly, living in the very town in which many surf legends have been born. Hard pressed to find are the light hearted conversations over a good burger, malt, and a good set of waves. Big Wednesday contains such an epic story. OK... I seem bitter. It's because I am. I know the word "dude" and a nose covered in sunscreen is an easy stereotype... but the spiritual life altering experience behind surfing is most often misunderstood. What is your passion? Do you have one? It may be your children. It may be horses. It may be hockey. But no matter what goes wrong in your life, or who dies or what happens, at the core is your passion (translated : spirituality)... something pure. At the heart of this movie is this purity... and after the draft, relationships, addictions, and just plain adolescent insanity, the characters find that their friendship is still alive because of a common love. Don't try and make too much sense of this review. This isn't a restaurant review. I can't explain the feeling nor would I expect the 95% of America that doesn't live near a surf-able wave to get it...just watch the movie.


A movie about surf, friendship and the hardness in growing up.

The movie has great surf pictures, great surfers (Gerry Lopez himself), it has a beautiful script and was very well directed.

I think this movie is already a classic for surfers and non-surfers... ;-)

I watch the movie in VHS long ago, and i´m waiting for the DVD (next month)


This is one of my favorite movies. The story is well told, the characters work very well in the film and it's beautifully shot.

It is also home to one of the funniest scenes of all time from a movie - the draft/registration for vietnam. I won't give it away, but it makes me laugh out loud everytime I see it.


This is a coming-of-age drama, complete with hokey voice-over intro in style of Stand by Me, about a group of lads growing up in a surfing town in the late 1950s into the 60s. I gave up after an hour, though it failed the 20 minute rule where at that point I realise it hadn't captured my imagination. My problem is the writing- it's very broad. In the first half hour there are two extended fistfights in the style of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, you half expect a fiddle to be playing in the background. Just one punch could kill someone, but no one has a broken nose, cut lip or anything. One fight takes place at a party, where it's already been established that the long-suffering mum is upstairs reading a book and rolling her eyes at the loud music. But when it all kicks off downstairs, and someone is thrown through a glass window, she's nowhere to be seen. The Yanks in it - I was gonna say they're too American, which sounds bad. But you know The Graduate, when Benji is trying to locate Elaine in the final reel, and meets some jocks in a shower, and struggles to relate to them a bit. It's like the characters are all like that. After an hour I gave up on this. My guess is that if you've lived it, this film would be a nostalgia trip for you, as you could fill in the details where the writing doesn't bother.


Despite a slow start, this movie gradually builds momentum as you become engrossed in the lives of its' characters. The leads Katt,Busey,and Vincent are all strong. They carry their roles of young surfer bums to mature adults very well. Bear's surfer guru and Vincent's veteran surfing legend are standouts. A good reflection of 60's and 70's moods and changes. Director Milius is a good storyteller.


I saw this movie when it came out. A great story about 3 surfers growing up in California. When it made the rounds on HBO back in the early 80's, I made it a point to watch it every time. There is nothing like sitting on your board waiting for the perfect wave.......A cult favorite of mine!


I saw this movie for the first time in an old small town movie house in Big Spring, Texas back in 1978. Seeing the film where I did is one reason I will never forget it . . . and there are at least 20 other reasons I will probably watch it once every few years until I'm gone. I have watched it at least a dozen times over the past 20 years. It's a great movie and I recommend it highly. I laughed and cried out loud. Few things in life are more important than surfing with your friends.


SPOIL ALERT! Big Wednesday is perhaps the most underrated film of all time-- it is simply an unbelievable film. It is a film that depends on each scene, each character and each line spoken to make the story work. I have never seen a film with such a great cast of characters and such a feeling of change. If this film were to be summarized briefly it would be rendered a film that showcases the effects of change. The beginning era in 1962 shows the era of innocence, partying, sex, and the era of Bear. In the early scenes, Bear is looked up to by all the surfers as a God... a man who knows all. Perhaps the greatest two scenes in the beginning come when Bear is making the "Big Wave board" and speaking of the day when "a swell so big will wipe everything that came before it". Of course, the board is ridden during the famous Big Wednesday of 1974, just as Bear had predicted. The other great scene is the party scene. Amongst my friends and myself, we now refer to awesome parties as "Big Wednesday parties", but of course none of them can compare. The second era shows Matt as the drunk, and Jack as the straight-laced lifeguard. Bear is prosperous as ever, running his huge store despite earlier being upset at "living like an inlander". A key scene comes when Matt the drunk goes to Bear for advice, and Bear again proves his wisdom. A major element of change can be seen when in 1974 it is Bear who is the drunk and Matt is attempting to give him advice. Perhaps the one line that Bear says which shows his major change is "I'm just a garbage man!" after being queried about his surfing. While everything changes, the only thing that remains constant is Matt, Leroy and Jack's intense friendship. I could go on forever, but I'd rather leave it to others to watch despite my spoils. This film will make you embrace youth and friendship like no other picture could ever do. 10/10


"Big Wednesday" (1978) is a film that was made for baby boomers. Writer/director John Milius was born in 1944 and the material draws on a ten year span of his life from the early 1960's to the early 1970's. Aside from needing a span of time to qualify as a coming-of-age saga, it was hoped that the long time span would enable it to connect with the entire range of boomers (birth dates from 1945-1963). Almost anyone born during those years will find things in the film they relate to-even shadow boomers with just the second-hand exposure provided by their older siblings. Younger viewers should enjoy the spectacular surfing sequences and might find the other stuff an interesting history lesson.

Milius is one of the so-called young auteur directors of the 70's (Coppola, Lucus, Spielberg, Scorsese, De Palma). Unlike the others he did very little after 1984, the year he released "Red Dawn", an embarrassingly moronic and histrionic right-wing propaganda film that alerted an unsuspecting world to his extremist political views. Hollywood insiders already knew about this and the Coen Brothers would use him as a model for John Goodman's character in "The Big Lebowski".

But "Big Wednesday" is his masterpiece and it is unlikely that any other writer/director could have brought this story to the screen this effectively. Unfortunately its surfer subject matter did not draw many non-enthusiasts to the theatre; even though the film is a lot more than surfing, containing a very original universal message about the process of living and changing. Low box office led to a re-edit for pay- television, with the more philosophical content was taken out. The current DVD and VHS are of this shorter version, so if you saw the "Big Wednesday" during its theatrical release you will be somewhat disappointed.

Structured like a four act play with each transition moving the action ahead a couple of years, "Big Wednesday" follows three young surfers in the LA area (Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt and Gary Busey). Each plays a talented surfer with Vincent's character approaching legendary status. Surfing plays a big part in their lives (Bruce Surtees' cinematography provides some of the most stunning views of the sport you are likely to ever see) but much of the film takes place away from the beach; with scenes of parties, the military induction center, Tijuana, family life, and romance (a full range of what growing up in southern California was all about).

Milius' treatment of surfing is reverential and sometimes even mystical, with a sweeping musical score and a local character (Bear) who is a kind of guru for the sport. In a scene cut from the television version Bear explains the origin and significance of the "Big Wednesday" title. Somehow Milius gets all this right and the film transcends what might have been a pretentious exercise in sport glorification.

The final scene is truly special as the three main characters manage a convergence for a final day of surfing together, a scene that recalls the freedom and awe of their teenage years, contrasting it with how removed they have gotten from this former way of life. Anyone who has had to choke back their emotions after a nostalgic rush reminds them of what they will never have again, will be moved my this wonderful sequence.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.


This is about youth and the sweet-bitter memories of a man, John Milius, that with Big Wednesday wide opened his heart to the public, touching down. Milius puts together many little truths that become a concentrate of life-lessons. The director found the perfect actors for the parts (not top actors, "simply" the right ones), wrote a perfect story, introduced a moving soundtrack. He draw the "sense" of youth inner life, with the fully emotional but logical understanding of an experienced man looking and feeling back the boy he was. A gentle touch, a lot of magnificent surf sequences, that's poetry in motion. This is also a film about Friendship. Close friends, that's what we need when we begin to be scared of life. Character Bear says something like "you need friends when you are in trouble". Who is more in trouble than a teenager? So this movie makes one feel strongly close to the characters, part of a growth process that is basically the same for boys and girls on this planet, despite generations, social conditions, culture or intellect. This is to me the proof that Big Wednesday was and still is a masterpiece.

Regards, Massimo


We used to have a video player in the navy and this was one of our favourites. Neat music, an easygoing dialogue and great surf scenes. Don't look to deep, and enjoy it for what it is.


This film is much more than another surfing flix. (But the surfing scenes are great!) It's a study of friends and how their relationship transcends time and distance. A little corny at times. Good soundtrack featuring songs of the late 60's.


John Milius's militant conservatism is somewhat subdued in this movie, though the movie was clearly made with a sense of nostalgia for a time when women and African-Americans knew their subjugated place and stayed there, and when going off to die pointlessly in an immoral war was seen as heroic and poignant. It's a film in which people who behave cruelly and stupidly are supposed to be viewed as charming. The script for the film is crude, predictable, and often unintentionally funny, especially in the portentous voice-over sections. The martial soundtrack, which tries to give the movie weight it otherwise lacks, is also unintentionally funny (I dare you not to laugh at the end when our three buddy-boy surfers march into the waves as to war, drums and trumpets blaring all up and down the beach). The performances are one-dimensional, though that's probably more the fault of the script than the actors. On the up side, the bodies are beautiful. Jan-Michael Vincent takes his shirt off as often as possible (as he tended to do in his younger days), and William Katt's youthful sculpted chest was a match for Vincent's. There's some great footage of water, and some fine surfing, though not enough for my taste. The climactic, final surf-scene is worth watching, despite the angsty bromance you have to endure to get there. It might be better with the sound off.


I expected more by this movie, and let's admit that after having watched Fandango, I was a little disappointed, although some good elements are to be appreciated. Especially the beginning is a little slow and probably indulges in insignificant details (the party at Leroy's is too long, we perfectly know what kind of mood dominated those guys). Moreover, the story covers twelve years, from 1962 to 1974, a time-length during which the three boys should have been touched by the events of their personal lives and by history as well, on the contrary they remain a little underdeveloped till the very end. Obviously, it is impossible not to sympathize with them, they are really cute, captivating, but I expected more psychological insight. As it approaches the end, the movie gains rhythm; the final, in every sense, encounter with the big wave is rendered greatly, surfing action is truly gripping, we perceive the strong emotion when facing and struggling against this force of nature, and we also get more intimate with the characters's inner emotional world, probably because the confrontation between man and nature, with the undeniable sense of human finiteness as compared to the greatness of nature, always reveals the real quality of human life. It is also in the end that we sense the strong friendship of these boys having now turned men, and we understand how real friendship surpasses the years and the comradeship of youth. There is also a sense of nostalgia for the past years, but with the perception that what we experienced will always remain in our future lives as a precious treasure. Undeniable that the movie delivers also funny moments, mainly when we see these guys pretending every kind of physical and mental distress, in order to avoid the spectre of Vietnam: really amusing. A movie I would advise to a cinemagoer interested in the American film-rendering of the 60's 70's, but warning that cult movies are something different.


This is one of my favourite films of all time. It has such a feel good factor that I get it out and watch it at least three times a year and have done since I was kid, surfing with my friends in Cornwall in the early eighties. Following the lives of three friends from 1962 to the "great swell" of 1974, this is a beautifully shot movie with warm characters that you grow to really care about. From the opening credits with, believe it or not, the wonderfully mellow voice-over provided by Robert England, to the final mega surfing scene the story pulls you in with it's glorious scenery, great acting and superbly shot surfing scenes. Based around Milius's own experiences this is a classic and in my opinion, the best surfing film ever made.


This movie is it all; everything; it has something for everyone, including a tanned and toned Young Michael Vincent. There is action, a romance, funny moments, some action, good script and stunning surfing footage, as well as plenty of action, but not too much. Yes, Big Wednesday is a classic 'coming out age' story set in Vietnam era America involving a group of school friends who love to surf. As is typical of these types of films we get a group of friends on the verge of growing up, setting off on their own path, possibly parting ways, and having one last kick ass summer. It reminds me of my own last kick ass summer with my friends. There was me, Neville, Bobert, Shawsy, Wee Scott, Bunter, Fitz, Simon, Murph, Stoat, Biggles, Rodger, as well as a few girls like Jem, Lee, Gree, Corky and of course my little brother Andy tried to tag along. That fool Brendan and his scumbag mates tried to spoil it on us, wherever we went, he was there to, looking at us with his eyes. Sure enough the exams were done, we knew that we would all be getting jobs or going off to university, or being mauled by bears, or moving away. None of us were going to fight in Vietnam (though Neville claimed he had already been and would have frequent flashbacks), and none of us were into surfing, but you can see the comparison.

Jan Michael and Co- they just wanted to ride one last big wave, but the real wave (the Tsunami of life) was washing towards them at an unstoppable rate, unavoidable and inevitable. Crazy Gary Busey also stars in this Milius film (Milius would go onto wide spread acclaim and fame with Knightriders, having already made a name writing The Godfather), and Vincent would go off to become TV's biggest star in Airwoof. The army comes to town to draft any young, fit men into the army- any injured or crazy types had to stay at home (this is based on actual events) so Busey stayed and got a job stealing motorcycles, all the smart guys could go to college or become a military strategist. The remainder of the gang, including Vincent go off to War and experience some terrifying events- being locked in cages filled with water and rats, but no surfboards, and being forced to play Vietnam Roulette with each other. The game is thus: 5 cups are presented, each filled with same coloured liquid. The treat is that one of the liquids is actually so disease filled that as soon as it is swallowed the drinker begins to convulse, blood pours from every orifice and they eventually melt. Later they escape and before they go home they ask one request of one of their friends (a young Freddy Kruegger) who has now become their commanding officer- will you surf before we go home. He has however succumbed to the madness of war, wishes to stay, and heart breakingly replies 'Charlie Don't Surf!' This proved to be one of the pivotal moments in 70s cinema, and indeed in American History, signifying loss of innocence, tainting The American Dream, and squirting out the final puff from the spliff of the Hippy Movement and Freedom.

I was fortunate enough to go off to University and subsequently get a 6 figure salary, some of my friends came along too, more went further afield, or stayed at home and began to fade away, losing the beautiful fire of youth that once burned ever so brightly. I sometimes wander through my home town now, and occasionally see one of the old gang across the street. I wave to them, but time and circumstance has been unkind to us, fate conspiring to gouge an impenetrable void between us. They don't wave; they barely look; in fact, they don't even recognise me. Who would have though that all those jokes we shared, all those lazy days walking through the forests together, all the sunsets we watched and the nights we hoped would never end, all those great times which would never come round again; who would have thought that now it is as if they have never happened at all? I refuse to give up though- I still chat with a few of them, those who made it. Some are married, heck- some even have kids! I know when we have a few drinks, I see the old glint in their eyes that our youth is still alive and well inside, it's just having a lie down. Sure I have new friends now, but it's our oldest ones that count most, those we shared our defining moments with. We don't say anything; we don't need to. We may have lost some along they way, but as long as there is at least one of us, we know we'll be okay.

Best Scene: The flashback to the group of friends hugging and laughing- when times were good. The slow motion, the smiles, the memories, the music. It is my life. I wish I could jump in, take off my shirt, and hug them too.


I can't say enough good things about this film. It's poignant, funny, intelligent, and beautifully filmed. It really captures the feeling of the California surf culture quite well. It makes you feel like you can hear the waves outside as soon as the movie ends. Perhaps the beginning surfer party goes on a bit long, and yes there is a Tijuana scene that's a bit pointless too, but the movie gets stronger as it goes along. There is an interesting Vietnam War crossover in a recruiting 'barracks' - the surf guys come up with all sorts of outrageous ways to get out of going to Vietnam. Some of their antics work (like a Nazi regalia outfit, or JMV's injured leg), and others don't (Waxer's failed 'homosexual'). The crux of the movie really relies on William Katt and Jan Michael Vincent. They seem to be the closest buddies in the film, and the movie revolves around their changing and sometimes turbulent relationship - the common thread being their love of surfing. William Katt (Jack) is more of a straight-arrow character, whereas Vincent's (Matt) is frighteningly like his true off screen persona (a drunk who ends up sleeping on the beach - which actually happened to him!). Jack goes off to war willingly - and Matt stays behind, uncomfortable with the strangeness of the 60's culture around him. Jack returns from the war in one piece - and the first thing he does is go out to the ocean to find Matt and surf. The film ends in the 70's with the 'Big Wednesday' moment - a gigantic swell on the coast. All three buddies (can't forget about the unforgettable Gary Busey in this!) all meet at their usual beach and surf better than ever. They part ways at the end. Jan Michael Vincent is very good in this film, but in a quiet way. He's a pensive character. He has a great emotional scene at a cemetery, mourning a lost friend in the war. His brooding eyes carry the film - and you are always watching him and his reactions throughout. He also actually does a lot of his own surfing in the film, as did Busey and Katt. Katt is excellent as well - I wish he'd done more films like this one!


Turn on your radio in the 1960s... you'll get deluged with Surfin' Music from your favorite station.

The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and a dozen other groups were singing about surfing.

Go to the movies... There's Bobby Darren, Annette Funicello, and Sally Fields on the beach, soakin' up some rays (we hadn't heard about sun block or skin cancer yet...) and riding the waves in some quickie production whipped out for the Saturday night drive-in movie crowd.

Like everyone else I was vicariously into the Surfer culture... it was irresistible. We knew all about Riding Pipeline, and The Green Cathedral dropping the lid on ya. We knew that wave sets came in cycles of seven, and that seventh wave was the most powerful... we learned everything there was to know about surfing from Jan and Dean when they sang RIDE THE WILD SURF...

...It takes a lotta skill and courage unknown, To catch the Last Wave and ride it in alone...

There was only one thing wrong with all of this. Most of us "surfers" were in places like Nebraska, and we'd never SEEN the ocean, let alone ridden the waves. We wouldn't have known the skeg of a surfboard from our own butts.

The mindless fun of the Surfin' Craze died as the world moved on.

The ugliness of a war in Southeast Asia grabbed our attention, and the Summer of Love urged everyone to wear flowers in their hair in Haight Asbury.

Whatever happened to the Surfer culture in California after the attention of the rest of the world turned away? That's the question Big Wednesday answers.

As one character in the film says, "NOBODY surfs FOREVER".

This isn't a film like BEACH BLANKET BINGO... the beach party eventually ends and everyone has to grow up sometime. That's what Big Wednesday is all about.

The film follows three friends... Matt (Jan Michael Vincent), Leroy the Masochist (Gary Busey), and Jack (William Katt). They're among the top surfers around, and as The Bear (Sam Melville) puts it... "...THEY can be the ones who draw the line. They can distinguish themselves".

This is a Coming of Age movie... it gently and lovingly examines all of the mileposts in these three lives... the weddings, the acceptance of the responsibilities of adulthood, the paths through life that cause the three friends to go their own separate ways, the deaths. But all this time there's one point of commonality; the sea. Everything relates to it in the end... once a Surfer, always a Surfer.

Not to be missed is the sequence where Matt, Jack and Leroy are ordered to report for their Army draft physicals! Anybody who had to go thru that craziness during the Vietnam era will immediately relate to the clash of bureaucratic insanity that tries to induct these guys, versus the creative insanity of the prospective inductees who desperately tried to escape the Army's dragnet... "Gentlemen, follow the yellow line on the floor. And Gentlemen, I assure you... it does NOT lead to the Land of Oz!".

The most interesting character in the film is The Bear (Sam Melville). He's sort of a surfer's guru, the Wise Old Man who represents the old school surfers and passes on the lore and traditions of the past to this new generation. He makes their boards, and imparts the essence of the surfer culture.

In Bear's shop we see framed black and white photos of Bear in his younger days, surfing Rincon on the early 1950s. We also see a velvet covered frame on the wall that contains a Bronze Star; presumably, The Bear was part of the generation that was taken from the beaches to serve in Korea.

Whenever there's a moral or ethical question, it's The Bear that has the answers. At Bear's wedding, everyone drinks to the bride and groom, except Jack, who is a nondrinker. Bear urges him to break with tradition just this once... he points out that the toast is to friendship, and your friends are the most valuable thing you'll ever have.

When Matt neglects his responsibilities to his wife and daughter and is well on the way to becoming an irresponsible, alcoholic bum, it's The Bear who sets him straight again.

In a world of craziness and acting on impulse, The Bear is an anchor for them all... a role model that never changes or fails them.

We see the clash of cultures as the three surfers grow older... they're becoming part of the past as the new wave of druggies and the psychedelic generation replaced the surfers in the public consciousness.

Even in surfing the new generation has no respect for the old; in a surfing movie, a sequence featuring Matt is ridiculed by the audience; the old timers have been replaced by Jerry Lopez, the new generation's champion surfer.

The world moves on.

In the end... we see the final triumph. Legend talks about a big surf, so powerful that it'll wipe everything before it clean. Bear talked about it... and it's finally come, on Big Wednesday.

The new generation is there to challenge the power of nature, lead by Lopez... and the three friends come together for one last ride.

The water photographic unit got some amazing stuff, probably the best surfing footage ever shot. Frankly, I'm amazed that nobody died to get it.

The film has the ring of reality to it, as it should... the director, John Milius, was part of the '60s Surfer generation, so the film is sort of autobiographical.

Big Wednesday is work of love, executed with skill and intelligence.

Thumbs Up all the way.


Big Wednesday & Endless Summer. There is no real way to compare the two however since Endless Summer is a documentary that follows a couple of California surfers as they search out the perfect waves around the world. Big Wednesday is the story of 3 guys as they come of age together and culminates in an actual big wave day that happened at Malibu. The characters are guys almost any surfer from the late 60's and early 70's can relate to because of the bonding that would take place on the water. Back then surfing wasn't about the big buck tournaments they have now it was time well spent with your compadres and the film reflected that time. Remake this movie...I hope not because it captured the essence of the California beach scene then and William Katt, Gary Busey and Jan Michael Vincent portrayed 3 very typical California surfers of the time, and it would be almost impossible to capture that spirit again.


I could be wrong but I think I saw the trailer for this when I saw The Swarm back in the 70s.I remember thinking "who is going to see this?" Now I know why adults think so little of teenagers' choices. The part of the film that I didn't like very much was the extended party/fight scene. But now I think the director was making a political statement about good/clean fighting and bad/dirty fighting--such as Vietnam. Well, maybe not. I read one criticism which stated that the third quarter of the movie (Jack's return and Matt's epiphany)was boring and slowed down the plot. I disagree. And in closing, any movie with a character named "Bear," played by the red-headed cop from the "Rookies," can share the beach with me any day. What did he say? I'm just a garbage man. Cowabonga!


This movie is one I always revert to when I need some California Dreaming, so much comment a great tribute to John Milius and his superb Direction. The Characters are totally believable, The surfing sequences are only now being surpassed, twenty years later. no one has come close with such an in depth surfing movie covering so many other aspects of that generation it is also interesting to spot actors who started their careers in this movie. John Milius went on to Direct The Wind and the Lion and assist in Apocalypse on the surfing sequence. Gary Busey also to great things.Can tou spot charlene Tilton of Dallas fame and her screen consort Steve kanaly. A must see for all surfing fans


THE Classic(so far)Surfers' Movie, is "Big Wednesday". It is indeed, total, but realistic Americana as well, transposed to the hallowed world of surfers, who we find out, must some day ALSO, "grow up"!

Yet two of the young men in the movie "Grow up," by serving in the Vietnam War, in which one of them dies as a U.S. Marine. Being that "Big Wednesday" chronicles the local California Surfing scene(is it, was it filmed at-around HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA.? If anyone knows they're welcome to inform us, in their review!) between the years 1962-1974.

It DOES have a GREAT and a POWERFUL, powerfully ALL-American ending I call it, and that's ALL I'll say, 'bout THAT!

(*John Milius is a "Conservative" Director to some, but to me as an albeit "Liberal/Progressive," "Ex" Marine{maybe THAT California Connection, through "University of" ah-hem, the USMC, maybe THAT is what attracts me the NORTHEASTERN Guy, was never much of a Swimmer OR SURFER{at all!! ex-Marine or not, I still do NOT WISH to try Surfing, either!!], but I the "Liberal" do so Appreciate MOST all, if not all of JOHN MILIUS' Film Works!! Well, "Art," which "FILM" IS at its BEST, and "Big Wednesday" is just THAT, "American ART," on Film, true Art can often SURPASS mere TRIVIALITIES, like "Politics," etcetera).


Quentin Tarantino rates this as the best movie of all time,and who am I to argue with him?I first saw this movie when I had first started surfing,and it really captured all that was great about the sport,and the way of life that surfing becomes.

As I have gotten older I can completely relate to the changes the characters go through,as even surfers have to grow up sometime,and its only then that you realize the significance of the more innocent times of youth when life really is a lot more simple and a whole lot of fun.

This movie is beautifully scripted,acted and directed.The on-board surfing shots are unreal and still hold up to the test of time.Surely the best surfing and coming of age movie ever made,and quite possibly just the best movie ever!10 out of 10.


I much prefer a movie that looks great to one with great dialogue. So with this movie I was pretty much satisfied. OK the acting can be a little iffy at times ("those kids do look up to you" said in a bit of an over the top way) but the story line, humour, and fights (very enjoyable at the party, not as much in Mexico because of the more serious tone) are all very good.

But this film really excels in the shots of the ocean and surfing. They are quite simply beautiful.

I don't really understand why this film did so badly but heh it seems to be more accepted now.


I first viewed this movie in my teens and have watched it on countless occasions since, it never tires, a fantastic movie that gives a great insight into the world of surfing, as well as making you want to learn to surf the moment it ends.

Set in california in the 60's Big Wednesday follows the lives of three surf buddies Matt, Leroy and Jack, from surfing their local beach, call ups to Vietnam, parties, gatecrashers, vacations in mexico and some amazing surf.

This is the best surfing movie i have come across, and definately one of my favourite films of all time - even if you have never surfed or live in the middle of a city miles from the sea this is a must see!!!

This is the closest most of us will ever come to, or dare to face, the likes of Killers or Mavericks (which i believe the movie is based around)

10 out of 10


The first thing which I should probably say is that, being a surfer, I am probably biased in favor of the movie. Anyway, this masterpiece of John Milius is not merely about surf, and whoever disregards this film as a surf movie has not understood it entirely . I consider Big Wednesday a masterpiece for three reasons. First of all, because the camera work is amazing, especially in light of the fact that the film was shot in 1978. If you have seen the movie on TV you have missed out a lot , because the quality of the images deteriorates considerably, so I suggest you watch it in a cinema, although this could prove hard. Secondly, Big Wednesday successfully portrays a generation, with its conflicts and dreams which would eventually become disillusionments. This very fact contributes to elevate the value of the movie, which becomes ( like Easy Rider, for example) an ambassador of an extinct generation to the future generations. Big Wednesday does this in a very elaborate way, since it not only portrays the external behaviour of such generation (hair-style, surfing, music and so forth), but it also displays the internal values of such generation. I believe that every one of you has been, at least to a certain extent, sentimentally touched by the element of cameraderie and male bondage existing in the movie. Finally, I really appreciate the way in which john Milius criticizes the Vietnam War. You have to take into account that John Milius is an all-American director, who-for example- shot Red Dawn, an example of American paranoia of the Red danger. Therefore you cannot expect him to criticize the Vietnam war as vividly as Francis Ford Coppola in Apocalypse Now , or as Stanley Kubrick in Full Metal Jacket. However, John Milius is honest with us, and does tell us that there was a lot of disillusionment with the Vietnam War, especially among the younger generations. He neither criticizes the behavior of who tried with any means not to be conscripted, nor of who voluntarily enrolled, but he does tell us that the Vietnam war separated friends and families, and disrupted the utopian dreams of a generation. And, at the end of the day, this is the only thing on which everyone, regardless of his or her political beliefs, would agree about a topic as controversial as the Vietnam War.


The surfing sequences are what make this movie, some of the waves on Big Wednesday at the end look too huge and powerful to be real, and the sight of these men standing at the foot of them on their puny little boards, battling to outrun the awesome power of the water crashing down, is real heart-gripping stuff. The tale of a group of friends drifting through the sixties and seventies, getting into scrapes, having parties, trying to avoid Vietnam and doing all that stuff sixties movies live for, is well enough done, though the script gets a bit cliche-heavy at some points. The episodic format, a series of brief snapshots taken from various moments over a spread of ten years or so, helps capture the rambling nature of these people's lives, and gives an insight on how much things change and yet stay the same between a gang of old friends as the times move on and the world turns. Katt fares well as the narrator and core, as is Stringfellow Hawk as the former champ surfer, and Busey gives his normal crazy shouty brilliance, but the surf takes the honours.


One of my friends (Alex Harkin) showed me this film and throughout the whole feature, it lacked story and entertainment. When going to see a film you always have a set expectation in mind and in this case I was expecting to be viewing a film about surfing. (The film was about a group of 3 guys who face different problems involving army enrollment, etc.)Therefore the feature "did not" define a genre. For people to be able to define "big Wednesday" as a "classic", i found hard to believe. To be a viewing a film that receives high ratings worldwide. Even thought the film had its moments of shining light, it was clearly evident that the majority of crap I saw over wrote it. When there was a surfing scene it was good, and I commend the film on that behalf. Though...NOT RECOMMENDED!!!


I decided this fall season that I would give every show one chance. So far they've all been bust. But, last night I TiVO'd Reaper (thinking I wouldn't enjoy it at all) and to my much delighted surprise found myself really enjoying it. It has comedy throughout, action, drama, and could have some cool special effects down the line (if it gets picked up for a second season and has a bigger budget). I recommend people give this show a shot because it's a keeper this new Fall season. It has likable characters, a great story (whether you believe in the Devil or not), and it has all the elements to be a fantastic show. I hope America doesn't let this one slip by. And so far, this is the only new show on the CW I will be watching every week.


I have seen the pilot and I must say Here Comes The DEVIL. In the first episode Sam Oliver learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil he must now serve as a bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls that have escaped and returning them to hell. Despite saying no he has no choice and uses the help of his goofball friend (Bert)"SOCK" Wysocki (who complains (sort of) that HE wasn't sold to the DEVIL). Its one of the best shows and has great amounts of laughs and after an hour of jokes that don't bore you down I must say Reaper is here to stay AND the CW has got a winner in this one. I think it might even pass House and The Unit and lots of ordinary humans (the ones that don't have a DEVIL for a boss) will check out the Show If they didn't already. CHECK IT OUT ITS A MUST SEE


Reaper was much much better than I thought it was going to be; consistently funny and not predictable in the way that most sitcoms are. It is a regular on my TiVo list now, I can only hope that the network doesn't kill it off for some lame reality show replacement. If you get a chance, watch it, it is the rare network show that is funny without resorting to being dumb. It's so strange to actually have something decent to watch on regular TV! Excellent casting, especially for the Devil.

Oh, and the person who was reminded of Shaun of the Dead - the unlikely loser hero with the fat maladjusted buddy is a comedy standby. Shaun of the Dead borrows from some of the best as well - Ghostbusters, Army of Darkness, etc....But the comparison to Shaun of the dead is really a compliment - watch Reaper folks, you won't regret it, and you will actually laugh for a change.

Still can't believe that this is on Network TV.....it's too good, someone must have made a mistake.


I came over to this show from The Loop - one of the best Fox shows of the Y2K era that was dumped on the public this summer and never to be seen again. That show starred Bret Harrison as Sam - the youngest exec at an airline.

Bret was the MAN on The Loop so of course I followed him over to Reaper where he plays another character named Sam but this one's a college dropout who works at a Home Depot clone. Sam turns 21 and suddenly he finds out that his parents has sold his soul to The Devil many, many years ago. The Devil (Ray Wise) comes to collect by making Sam become the 'devil's bounty hunter' by re-reaping souls that have escaped from Hell and now are killing people back on Earth. It's really a win-win...the devil gets his soul back and the town has less murders. Sam, however, thinks the situation ...well...SUCKS! The show is pure genius. It is set up like Smallville or Buffy where there's a 'monster of the week' to beat up but here it is always secondary to Sam just trying to live his life normally. He has two friends which are INCREDIBLE: Sock (Tyler Labine) who is the overweight, quick witted buddy that everyone prays they have in their life and Ben (Rick Gonzalez) who rounds out the trio and usually is the one who ends up getting hurt...quite hysterically. It's a show about GREAT FRIENDSHIP and this show has it...you really believe these guys are friends. The show is rounded out with super hottie Andi (Missy Peregrym) who likes Sam but isn't in 'the know' of what's up with him and is therefore blown off a lot and the BRILLIANT Ted (Donovan Stinson) who is the young arrogant jerkie boss who is more akin to be a young David Brent from the office - he wants to be cool...but he's the boss.

The show SHINES with Harrison and gives 'Devil' Ray Wise the biggest and best performance of his career. The man shines in every single scene he has on the show. You see him as he tries to help Sam and when he is angry that smile disappears in a moment and you truly believe that there is Satan behind Ray Wise's eyes.

A top notch cast, amazing scripts, great direction...I was sad to see The Loop get cancelled and now I wouldn't have it any other way. Reaper is brilliant and I only hope it lasts for many seasons to come.

Ryan McLelland Latino Review/Newsarama