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 liked it. It could have been much worse and turned into an unexpected drama. It could have dropped the nudity and went for more laughs.

Let's see. It has gratuitous nudity since the girls were strippers before becoming volleyball players. Famous/Infamous actors to grab your attention. The movie even has a moral.

"Never judge a book by it's cover." I think it applied that at least twice.

1) The strippers weren't really appreciated as volleyball players until they buckled down and learned to play. Then, people had to acknowledge skills and talent above previous job history and beauty.

2) Burt's character seemed completely money-oriented and somewhat heartless but his conscience was in there, hiding. After humiliating the girls in a muddy volleyball game, he realized how much suffering they were willing to go through to be "real" volleyball players.

Overall, it was a little better than average and a fun movie to pass an evening by. Yes, there are much better movies BUT there are also much worse ones out there.

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).

Bought the movie from Barnes and Noble and it arrived yesterday....i couldn't find it anywhere online to just watch for free but the buy was definitely worth it!

I laughed so hard I rolled out of my bed. Its not a bad movie at all.

I will admit that some speeches were a little corny but come on you can sooooo let that slide.

Angie Everhart will and always will be my favorite actor and it was nice to now that she had the most sense in the movie!

And Burt Reynolds and D.L. Hughley was a awesome duo!!!

all and all I give it between a 8.5 and a 9! don't let bad reviews stop you from trying this movie out!