The Gong Show Movie

Having searched for this movie high and low, I actually found it when I least expected, playing on the Sundance Channel very early in the morning one day. Why I searched endlessly for a small vanity project that Chuck Barris that was made during the last waning years of the TV show, I haven't a clue. The film is simply put horrible. The scripted part that deals with a week that is. Of course the highlight of the film is seeing the real performers that were "too hot for TV" or rejected for some reason or other. That part is still horrid, but campy bad which was enjoyable in it's own way. Now that I saw what I sought after for so long will I watch it again in my lifetime? Resoundingly NO!! Do yourself a favor and just watch the MUCH MUCH better "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" or find old copies of the actual show. The girl act where there just lick popsicles provocatively was fun, but having to endure seeing Jay P. Morgon flash the audience has in all likelihood made me sterile. In hindsight, I'm so very happy that this was massive flop, for if it was a massive hit, there could have been a "The $1.98 Beauty Show Movie" and THAT my friends would surely have brought upon the Apocalypse.

My Grade: D

The Gong Show Movie, is about The Gong Show's creator Chuck Barris (who also co-wrote and directed this film) who after several auditions for the show and taping it is getting exhausted. For those who have never seen The Gong Show, it was a game show hosted by Chuck Barris, where they would get people to perform on stage showcasing a talent of theirs and they are judged my several celebrity judges and if they are not liked then a huge gong would be banged. Several of the people on the show had some very unusual and unique talents which would make the television show funny. In the movie Chuck, is getting fed up with the show and trying to keep the ratings for the show up as well as making sure the show isn't offensive and doesn't offend the audience. Everywhere he goes people seem to recognize Chuck and show him their own talents which they hope can be showcased on the television show and eventually Chuck as a breakdown and it is up to the staff and crew of The Gong Show to bring him back. I have never actually seen an episode of The Gong Show, but I have read about it and seen clips of it and it looks like it was a fun show. The show was a hit for several years but when this movie came out to theaters it did very poorly and it currently isn't available on video or DVD. The film isn't very well made and at times it looks like a made for TV movie. The acting also isn't that great and the film tries to make us laugh with several different jokes and sketches but the jokes and sketches just did not work and they did not work and they did not make me laugh. There also really isn't much of a story to this film either other than showing different people auditioning for the show and Chuck's run ins with bizarre fans of the show and spending time with his girlfriend Red. Despite these flaws there was still something I liked about this movie. It was entertaining enough and in some ways the film was so flawed that it almost gave it a campy charm making it fun to watch. The film is entertaining and there are some catchy musical numbers so I'm recommending it for those who will appreciate this film more for it's camp value then anything else because the sheer fact that this film doesn't work on a lot of levels coincidentally does make it work as a B film.

I always wanted to see The Gong Show Movie. As a kid, I was a big fan of Mr. Barris. I wanted to grow up to be just like him. He represented the ultimate in manhood.

Made near the end of the Gong Show's run in 1980, Chuck Barris made a critically lambasted vanity project about how much "fun" it was being the host of the program. Unlike Mariah Carey's "Glitter", Chuck Barris wasn't trying to make a masterpiece. He pretty much portrays a week in the life of himself. You get to see the "talented" contestants attempts to impress him to get a chance to appear on T.V. (some of whom were deemed too racy for the 1970's so this R-rated movie showcases performances that never aired). Wherever he goes, he runs into people who were smart enough to know that having zero talent was good enough to appear on The Gong Show; everyone is trying to audition for him on the spot with some zany numbers. Cameos by just about all his favorite judges appear (I liked Rip Taylor's hilarious role as a waiter) and there are some amusing numbers; especially the showstopper "Don't Get Up For Me". Although it's not a very good film, it's great to finally be able to see a time capsule of one of the most off-beat programs ever aired on the boob tube. My next wish: I want too see the "Best Of The Gong Show" on DVD. Now!

BTW, it was great to see "The Unknown Comic" again. The idea of putting a paper bag on your head while cracking horrid jokes was pure genius. I think he even had his own movie made in the mid-80's, too.

To be perfectly honest, I have never seen "The Gong Show Movie." However, my aunt went to see it on its opening weekend.

She said prior to the film, there was a coming attractions trailer for some movie nobody had ever heard of --- "Airplane!" According to my aunt, there was ten times more laughter during that 3-and-a-half-minute trailer than there was during the whole 90-minute "Gong Show Movie."

I have to admit that I, myself, have never seen this film (which is odd, since I never miss a Gary Mule Deer movie). It's no wonder I've never seen it --- it was reportedly pulled from movie theaters within a week of its nationwide opening in May of 1980 and was never released on VHS home video during the '80s, '90s, or 2000s! It finally received a DVD/Blu-ray release in 2016.

A much underrated (and sadly, widely unavailable) film about an egomaniacal talent show host starring the co-writer and director of the film who also just happened to be the host of the real Gong Show. Although at times self-indulgent (the film ends with most of the Gong Show regulars trying to woo Barris out of the desert), the film is on the whole truly bizarre and should appeal to fans of "out" cinema of the 60's and early 70's. No surprise, then, that the film was co-written by underground legend Robert Downey Sr. whose presence is strongly felt; fans of his work should not be taken aback by Barris's role in the spotlight as Downey clearly had some significant input here. Don't miss it if opportunity arises, and what with Spike Jonze working on a Barris related project, hopefully opportunity will be more available soon.