Wacky Taxi

Sometimes in the course of movie fandom you manage to find a film that is life changing. Awe inspiring. A film that touches you on a deep and emotional level. "Wacky Taxi", however, is not such a film. This globule of cinematic wonder came to me in a box set of 100 films which cost me $17. That makes this a 17¢ movie. I was overcharged.

A short plot summary: Watch John Astin Run! Watch John Astin Purchase A Car! Watch John Astin Shave! Watch John Astin Buy Fast Food! Watch John Astin Wash A Car! Watch John Astin Emote! Watch John Astin play an immigrant from South America with no discernible trace of a Latin accent! And that is just the first 15 minutes. I...just...couldn't go any further.

I would like to take a moment to recognize robertfranz, the other reviewer of this "film" for finding the strength of will to voluntarily watch the entire thing. Sir, you are a better man than I.

If you idea of a good time is watching Gomez Addams doing mundane things then you will LOVE this film. If find yourself SANE instead, you probably will not enjoy it.

This movie premiered as "Pepper" at The Lakewood Center Theater, Lakewood is a suburb 25 miles outside of Hollywood, which should have been indicative of the low expectations the studio had for this film. The meandering plot was impossible to stay involved with. And it simply wasn't funny. I did get to meet John Astin, so I give it an extra star.

A man buys a taxi to change his monotonous existence. A mediocre movie with an ending that doesn't belong to him. The only scene I liked was the loss of the taxi. I could feel the feeling of abandonment and emptiness that captured the poor taxi driver's heart. Only decent scene from the movie or at least the only one I remember.

I bought this for £3 at a fleamarket as I collect old obscure films. The cover said, 'Family Comedy Colour' one of these didn't fit. Sure it is a family film and it's in colour, but there isn't much comedy in it except for the little bits where they really tried to inject some in. Actually it is quite a entertaining story of a poor man with kids who dreams of leaving his job at the canning factory and start up his own business. And he does, by buying an old junk heap car and painting taxi on the side he ferries people around town. But many things go wrong and he's discouraged from trying all the way by his brother in law but he carries on. It's a little strange in parts but this helps to keep you interested. Overall it's a nice family film with a bit of a grimy touch it manages to be a better than average tale of a man and his dream. 7 / 10

Pepper (John Astin) is a guy who's never happy on a job. He quits his latest job and decides, spur of the moment, to open up a cab business. Sadly, he's never considered any of the details--insurance, a reliable car, licensing and much more. Not surprisingly, his dreams of riches and steady work come to nothing through most of the movie...and it's all a bit painful to watch....especially as he tries to make it work with a broken down old 1959 Cadillac.

With a title like "Wacky Taxi", you would expect the film to be a comedy. Sadly, however, there really isn't much about this picture that would make anyone laugh...in fact, it's a bit dull. No....it's a LOT dull. Considering how dull the film is I am not surprised that it's a title few have heard of and it's rarely seen. I found it on YouTube...and wish I'd just kept looking.