Pickin' & Grinnin'

I saw this little GEM of a movie on a rainy night in Los Angeles, at the Hollywood Film Festival. A friend of mine had an extra ticket, so I figured, "what could it hurt?" If the movie was terrible, I could always hit the bar at the Arclight.

Fortunately for my liver, there was no hitting the bar, as this movie delivered something that Hollywood rarely provides anymore - originality. After sitting through an almost comically long opening credit sequence (and not funny in a good way), I found myself immediately taken in by the film's two lead characters - Milo and Johnny Jake Johnson. If ever the term "loveable Loser" fit, it would be with these two guys.

I'm not going to write a synopsis of the film, as I'm not a film reviewer and I will leave that to the professionals. I will take a moment to write that director Jon Gries (Uncle Rico in Napolean Dynamite) is fighting the good fight, by bringing an old school road comedy like this to the big screen. Kudos to you Mr. Gries for rolling up your sleeves and making a film that the studios would never touch!

There are so many consistently funny moments and just a great ensemble performance, with several of my favorite character actors sprinkled throughout. I'm not sure how Gries and the producers got some of these well traveled character actors (Geoffrey Lewis and Garrett Morris to name a couple), but I was really won over by the heart of this movie.

Great direction, story, music and performances make up this indie sleeper. One of the better experiences I've had at the movies in a long, long time...and not just because it was free.

I wanted to adopt the Johnson brothers by the time this movie ended. The main characters were well meaning misfits you have to love and the villains were the bullies you've always hated. The clever cameos make you feel like you are part of the "inside joke" especially the campy devotion to Kenny Loggins. Although this story has been told a million times, the acting, direction, hilarious original score and production nuances made this one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in awhile. Kudos, to all involved and can't wait to see this again. Can't wait for it's release and I'm dying to purchase the soundtrack, the lyrics still make me giggle.

Funny adventurous movie that takes you on a ride with interesting characters and a few surprise celebrities and cameos,it has a good soundtrack,must see this film.

The characters are likable beer drinking red neck types many can relate to but they are original.

Lots of eye candy especially the blonde in the bikini in the beginning scenes.

I would go see this movie a second time.

You will see why its done well on the independent film showings after watching it.

Cant wait for the sequel to see what happens next!

I seriously can't wait for this on DVD. I laughed so hard the people in front of me in the theater moved rows away. The entire cast is just amazing. The story is a true testament to slack jawed yokels everywhere. When directors and producers have a vision as true to life,as pathetic as it may be, only good can come from it. Cheers, no jeers.

Great music, phenomenal story and script. I seriously love this cast. I can only pray to Uncle Rico that he uses Johnny and Garret in a Smokey and the Bandit remake....I will die happy if this happens. MUST SEE Pickin' and Grinnin'.

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in many years. Gritty and simple it still brings to life the complexity of love and the pursuit of one's dreams. Unlike many comedies that bring you to laughter in the first half of the movie and then taper off...this movie will make you laugh from start to finish. The two male stars are the perfect casting in what is a very well written and directed picture. There are cameos from several stars that just add to the laughter and entertainment of this picture. I recommend for anyone who has grown tired of CGI films with characters you don't care about and action sequences that could never happen. Could be the funniest movie I have seen since Caddy Shack or Airplane.