Take This Job and Shove It

I just watched this film not too long ago, mainly because I am a fan of Johnny Paycheck and David Allen Coe, but also because I heard it was a pretty good comedy from the 1980s. The acting is not very memorable at all, even Robert Hays didn't seem like he wanted to be there.

The writing must have been good enough, because I remember seeing a similar film from a few years later called Gung Ho with Michael Keaton and directed by Ron Howard. There's just a lot of similarities and story parallels for that not to be a coincidence, and just outright rewritten as a car plant instead of a beer plant.

The most memorable part of the whole film was the truck race with the Monster Truck called Bigfoot featured. That is a good reason to watch this movie, and the music, if you're into country music.

Witless film that doesn't live up to its title about tensions between labor and management. An embarrassing film for folks like Hershey, who went on to bigger and more respectable territory.

When one looks at the cast of this incredibly bad film, one wonders who it could be so bad. There are good actors in this waste of celluloid...Art Carney, Royal Dano, David Keith,and Barbara Hershey, among others. In addition, the Johnny Paycheck song is a minor Country classic. There are also two genuinely funny, touching Bobby Bare/Lacy J. Dalton duets, " Beer Drinkin'Christians"(its far, far better-and even more profound- than the title makes it sound), and "Its a Dirty Job, but Someone's Got to do It." The latter song, about the collapse of a blue collar marriage, comes during one of the few moments of sociological -and human- insight in the whole mess, when David Keith and his wife are arguing about family finances and their kids futures over dinner.In the background, we see a statue of The Sacred Heart, and we realize that these people are, indeed, "beer-drinkin' Christians". The culprits are a moronic script that mixes crass., occasionally amusing slapstick with "biting' social criticism, and the flat-footed direction of Gus Trikonis, a true hack. To adapt a phrase from Ms. Dalton's song ( that sadly underused talent has a brief appearance as a bar-maid), the unfortunate soul that sits through this film will feel "..like a lame armadillo , dodging fast Chrysler's on interstate 10"...a 4. ( And that only because we get to see Ms. Hershey mud -wrestle, and because the songs are pretty good)

I was surprised to see the low ratings from the few people that had written reviews of this movie. I remember Siskel and Ebert giving this film a glowing review when it came out. They were absolutely right, it was perfectly cast, and it captured a moment in time perfectly. The cast was stellar, especially Eddie Albert. I think since the title of the movie comes from a goofy song, people expect somekind of lighthearted romp. The movie is funny, but not in a cheap, obvious way. It's a very thoughtful film, sort of a dramady.

If you're looking for something to watch where you can just turn you brain off and laugh at fart jokes, leave this one on the shelf and rent Dumb and Dumber. But if you want to see a witty and intelligent comedic film, then check this one out.

This movie is much ado about nothing. But, then, what could you expect out of Dubuque, Iowa, where nothing ever happened except the filming of F.I.S.T.? The early 1980s was a big beer-drinking time, though, with everyone partying and being an urban cowboy. This movie is basically a chance to see an early version of Bob Chandler's Bigfoot (before he was such a monster) and hear some country music. It's kind of a lighthearted, fun, partying romp. In fact, the writer very well could have written this movie in a state of intoxication. There's a scene where Robert Hays's character is supposed to throw a beer can into a trash can. Duh! Iowa beverage cans had a 5 cent deposit on them. This must have been written by someone from out of state!