Cloud 9

i laughed so much with this movie that i haven't laughed in a while. The reason is i don't find most modern actors funny,i think its not their fault its just that these times are not funny.Reynolds is from another era of different people ,he was a guy who knew what fun is supposed to be,in those days when he was king of Hollywood it was easier to have fun.As a movie star he never took himself seriously and that was the secret of his appeal.He was too good-looking,had too many women and too much success. In this movie he plays a guy who is a has-been,an older guy who still chases women and tries to make a fast score.Considering at one point some years back Reynolds was almost broke himself,this character is as close as you can get to the real Burt or at least the Burt persona. Burt plays this role knowing perfectly well thats how most people perceive him.He also has some of his friends do walk ons,there's a hilarious bit with Gary Busey. If you ever laughed with Reynolds and his particular humor,you'll enjoy this silly movie.If his style leaves you cold ,forget about this movie.I have always enjoyed Burt even in his older silly movies like Cannonball and such,so i also enjoyed this.In,fact i think he is funnier in this role making fun of his persona than he was in some of his hits.Definitely a silly movie but Reynolds is funny in it.

Over the last ten years, Burt Reynolds has straddled the line between being an A-lister and a B-lister. His best known comeback was in 1997, when he re-emerged into the A-list spotlight with "Boogie Nights". Ten years later, he was still making good movies along the likes of "Mystery, Alaska" and the decent remake of "The Longest Yard". If he keeps doing movies like "Cloud 9", he may have to kiss those A-list parts goodbye again.

The problem with "Cloud 9" is not that Burt Reynolds is bad in it. In fact, the movie starts out really well with Reynolds playing a lovable loser. It's not the first time he plays one of these characters, and he usually plays it very well. It's just that the movie is boggled down with so many sports and rags-to-riches movie clichés that by the end, the movie seems far from original even though the premise is.

The premise is another great thing about this movie, and the movie had the right idea about where to go with it until the very end. The problems occur with the lack of character development. Burt Reynolds' and D.L. Hughley's characters are pretty well developed, but the strippers could have been made into more interesting characters. Instead, they are just one-dimensional stereotypes borrowed from other movies. There's the jive-talking black woman, the blond stripper with a heart of gold, the angry Latino stripper, and the Russian bombshell that no speak English good. Oh yeah, and although Angie Everheart does a better-than-expected acting job in this movie, her character has been done before. If I had a nickel for every movie where there was a smart, single mother who was forced to strip to support their only child, I'd be a millionaire. In fact, wasn't Burt Reynolds himself in a big budget film with one of those characters? The name "Striptease" rings a bell, as does the name "Demi Moore". And as I remember, that movie didn't get stellar reviews either.

Last but not least, Gabrielle Reese could have been utilized better in this movie. Sure, she's a natural fit for playing a professional volleyball athlete, since she is one in real life. But the problem comes when she expresses her objection to strippers playing volleyball, since that would bring the wrong kind of exposure to the sport. Of course she is correct and has a valid point, but the movie unevenly makes her out to be the villain of the story because of that viewpoint. Plus, the guys in the movie make fun of the fact that she's built like an athlete, which doesn't send a good message to young women who see this movie. They appear to completely forget the fact that Gaby Reese is one of the most beautiful women in the world, let alone the most gorgeous athlete. In fact, I found myself rooting for her side at the end of the film, and really not caring either way if the heroines won.

This movie was very promising. In fact, the movie started out great, and even Paul Rodriguez was funny as Juan a.k.a. Wong. However, the really important characters in this story were underdeveloped, and so many movie clichés, tired archetypes, and male posturing made this movie unenjoyable. I reiterate when I say that Burt Reynolds should probably get a new agent, because he has been in and can be in better movies.

I saw this movie and it was terrible. Not only does it not show any skin from the female volleyball players (which it should) but the acting is horrible. I expected a train wreck with some skin but what I got was a train wreck with no skin. Picture a script from Skinamaxs (Cinemax) which has horrible storyline but with no skin. Burt does a horrible job acting in this film and the girls can't act to save their lives!! Angie Everhart playing an uptight stripper seems kind of crazy to me and Hugley was H O R R I B L E in this film then again he's pretty much horrible in all the movies he's in. My advice , unless u get a free view of this film stay away.

Do not watch this movie. There are 2 reasons for that:

1. It is so boring that it tops the list of the most boring films ever made. It felt at some points that is is a porno film, but when any girl got half naked the scene ended. The level of the dialogs remain though at the level of porno films.

2. Strippers are couched to be volleyball players. I really feel that it undermines the dedication and the amount of work needed to be a professional athlete.

This is a porn movie with a lame plot that characterizes porn movies in general, but with all the "skin parts" removed. It's a huge waste of time! They should pay me for the time I spent watching this (even so I wouldn't do it again).

White trash beach volleyball extravaganza. Definitely a straight-to-video kind of thing, with many, many dodgy characters. The one dodgier than the next. Starts off in a way that I cringe at the sight of this amateur-looking thing posing as the afternoon's entertainment. But it does get better, the girls carry it. No credit to Burt. But it does get a whole lot better, they do manage to carry this off, against all odds, just like the volleyball team in the movie.

Forget about Burt Reynolds. Forget about Gabrielle Reece. Forget about the volleyball too. The poster should have been of Marnette and Katheryn. I didn't buy this DVD for any other reason. I knew the movie was going to be stupid, I downloaded that first stretch, and with aging Burt Reynolds in it, I didn't even need the clue. I just checked up on the girls before buying, and by the time the downloaded bit hit that leggy dressing room scene, that was all I needed to see. I am possibly one of Marnette Patterson's craziest nuts-about- her fans, and I collect all her movies, ever since stumbling across her (oh, I wish) in the final season of otherwise off-putting CHARMED, and Katheryn, a hot fiery chick with cute attitude, was magnificent in her one-off appearance as Kelly in "Partners", an episode of NIKITA, also LOVE & OTHER DRUGS in which she had a small but attractive part.

Needless to regale, they appear in this movie as strippers- turned-show-volleyball-players. Both of them do not only look good in a bikini, they are out-of-this-world drop dead gorgeous with toned and not tanned bodies, sculpted to perfection, I mean, not an iota of fat on those two, sleeker tummies than those are impossible. They are so beautiful they hurt to look at, but in a good way. They also do a fine job portraying their loopy characters. Katheryn is Russian import Olga messing with the English language ('wally ball'), and Marnette is sweet Crystal, you know, in the Pamela Anderson mold.

If you're terminally into pretty actresses, like me, this is for you. Otherwise stay away. Movie has D-U-M-B written all over it. Especially as you wade in, reluctantly, 'cause the thing's off-putting the way it starts. Infuriatingly thick-headed and dense guy alert, the movie teems with them. Oh, and Burt is here because he's a big name, he isn't even remotely the slick wily old rogue character he is supposed to be portraying.

But it does get better. Like a loser team managing to score. Come on, it's a train-wreck, but there are some damn fine moments. They all involve Grade A flesh.

Okay, and finally, no longer ignoring Gabrielle Reece. I am not qualified to comment, I know too little, but I wonder how much of the acting was the for-real person? I'll bet that's Gabrielle in real life! Come on, in real life, those girls are neither prostitutes nor strippers, only cute actresses, but Gabrielle is definitely the product of steroids. Definitely. Okayyyy, perhaps not, but from her looks... And volleyball appears to be a spectator fun sport. Do we need a...??? Don't we rather need bikini beauties?

My review seems to be wandering between like and dislike. While there are loads to dislike, there is more to like. Let me try once more:

Movie summed up: You'll end up cheering for them! And that says a whole lot!