Tunnelvision

1976 saw the release of this movie and the Oscar-winning classic Network. There really is no argument as to which is the better film, but the idea of American viewers becoming glued to their TV sets because of an "anything goes" TV station doesn't seem too far-fetched today. Of the skit comedies of the '70s (Kentucky Fried Movie and Groove Tube being the others), this is the weakest. But it has some moments. The competing California candidates is a funny running gag, but the French chef is definitely not and unfortunately shows up throughout the movie. If you want to compare the success of these three films, you can use the filmmakers' later work as a gauge: The makers of Kentucky Fried Movie went on to Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Airplane, Police Squad and Top Secret. The makers of The Groove Tube went on to Modern Problems (and Richard Belzer went on to radio). The makers of Tunnel Vision went on to Bachelor Party and Moving Violations. You do the math.

This movie is a prime example of squandering great resources in a film. You've got future SNL and SCTV stars in their prime, such as John Candy, Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Al Franken,Tom Davis and Joe Flaherty essentially making 70 minutes of coarse, uninspired fart and racist jokes. The concept of a network from the future subverting society could have really been taken to some interesting extremes, but instead right out the gate, makes a lame, juvenile proctology joke and stays in that vein of humor the whole way.Seek out the earlier and much more subversive and witty Groove Tube or the later, hilarious Kentucky Fried Movie. This movie is only for those who want to see a time capsule of bad 70's sketch comedy movies.

Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon, and SCTV alumnus are all together in a sometimes funny sketch film.

However, it is very interesting to watch now, at the start of 2005. Twenty years after this movie is supposed to take place, look at how many of their gags have become absolutely true: There is a mock movie trailer, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, for something called "The Pregnant Man" which came true with Arnold Schwarzenegger's dumb movie "Junior" There is a commercial spoof, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, for something featuring Sammy Davis Jr. and Jackie Onasis called "Celebrity Wrestling" which has now come true with a popular show called "Celebrity Boxing" There is a mock movie trailer, that probably wasn't even clever at the time, that features John Candy in a movie about a severed head. Watch this trailer and look how similar it's shots and plot are to Frank Hellenlotter's Basket Case!! And finally there is an ad for a late late show documentary about "a dead dream, the only two left ..." The name of the documentary is ... THE LAST HIPPIES! LOL.

Four prophecies come true!

Tunnel Vision is a unique sort of grindhouse film. It is a feature-length collage of comedy sketches, loosely tied together by a simple (and not terribly important) framing mechanism. The production values are rather low, very rough around the edges in the same way the Python TV show was, but the humor here comes across nonetheless. Those of you with delicate taste, beware. The comedy in this film is extremely dark, savage, and mercilessly satirical. It takes on the the TV-junkie generation, ripping into network television with energy and vehemence. If you like dark humor and satire, like Terry Southern or Robert Downey, Sr., you will probably like this film. Just don't expect glossy visuals or a strong central narrative.

I really wanted to like this movie. With a cast like this, I expected better. Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Howard Hesseman and more. The reason I picked it up was because Ernie Anderson plays Quant O'Neil, Tunnel Vision anchorman. He only appears a few times but he narrates throughout the movie.

This movie suffers due to bad writing. I can't imagine that I would've thought this movie was funny even back in 1976 and stoned. I think I chuckled once, not sure when. It's really only worth watching to see these folks in their youth, before they became big and famous.