Big Bad John

Can't find this on DVD yet, still got old VHS tape. Love Jack Elam, can tolerate Dean, and Bo Hopkins is great. He tells that punk; "Don't mess with me boy i've had a very rough day i'll jerk them lips off your head and whistle Dixie." Best line. When they are driving the truck and Elam flips a switch - hilarious. Is good all in all. The song, somehow you never forget it.

All in all, Big Bad John was a hilarious, and touching movie. If you want romance, tragedy, and humor, this movie's got it. If you're a fan of the song (like I am) you pretty much know how it ends. But if you don't, or do and want to watch it anyway, I strongly recommend this movie. Jack Elam and Jimmy Dean are a hilarious pair with great chemistry. However, I wouldn't recommend this movie to strict urban folk. You have to understand where these people are supposed to be coming from, and only a handful of us are left. But even a few urban folk might understand it, and appreciate it for what it is: a good, down home movie that'll make you laugh, cry, and be inspired.

The cast is game for a good old country boy tale. It actually has very little to do with Jimmy Dean's title song. "Big Bad John" is more like "Big Good John.", who runs off with Ned Beatty's step daughter to save her from evil Ned. In Pursuit are Jimmy Dean and his friend Jack Elam. They are being followed by Bo Hopkins, who Beatty has hired to bring home the fleeing step daughter. The plot is thin, Dean's dog is great, and the Colorado scenery is another plus. So if you like these hixsploitation movies, you could do a lot worse than "Big Bad John." Recommended for the cast, the song, the scenery, and if you can get passed the simplistic road movie script, the movie is entertaining. Good of it's type. - MERK

The popular song by Jimmy Dean in the 1950s leads to this really terrible motion picture that never does make a whole lot of sense. Two young people decide to elope to escape her abusive step-father in this cut-and-paste mess that looks like it was thrown together on a boring weekend for the film-makers. The film includes the likes of Doug English (in the titled role), the usually dependable Ned Beatty (I don't know what he is doing in this film) and of course Jimmy Dean himself. Do anything other than sit and watch this. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

I was expecting the plot to follow the song, but it didn't. Decent cast, but they did not deliver. The plot was thin, weak, slow, and the acting was mediocre at best. If you are not expecting much it is passable, but, in my opinion, it is a waste your time. It had potential but did not deliver. It may have gotten better after the halfway point, but I don't know because that was all I could take. If you have not heard the song, it might be watchable, but I was expecting a movie that followed the song. Even for a "red neck" movie, it was bad. There are many movies of this genera that I like, but this is not one of them. Do not waste your time.