As Incríveis Peripécias do Ônibus Atômico

I probably shouldn't like this film, but sweet damn, I do. Very much.

By way of synopsis: this is the story of the inaugural non-stop atomic bus service from New York to Denver. Cyclops, an articulated twin deck bus (with a swimming pool and a bowling alley on board of course), is beset by various unlikely perils en route.

This venerable spoof predates "Airplane!" by four years, and is at least its equal in cheesy quality. This film is cheese, and it's matured for 28 years. With no word of a lie, it is THE cheesiest film I have ever seen, and I've witnessed some fine acts of cheese.

And there are some pretty bad moments to be sure, the sort of moments where you cringe so violently that ligaments tear, but there's comedy of fine calibre in this too: both by way of deadpan "throwaway" lines, and the overall situation (sublimely funny).

The grandfather of a genre (and I'd argue, an exemplar), The Big Bus deserves far more recognition than it presently receives. A fine spoof with no high ideas of itself, which doesn't need to stoop low... by virtue of starting low. Perhaps that's my favourite thing about this film: it was written, acted, and produced without shame. And for that, it's the best quality low quality you'll ever see.

Technology has brought us many wonderful things – but at what risks? One such advancement is the creation of a nuclear bus that runs direct from New York to Denver. However the sinister Oil Lobby are out to stop the bus from succeeding (wouldn't they!). When the driver is injured washed up driver Dan Torrance is brought in despite his history with the inventor's daughter. Can they survive the dangerous maiden journey?

Disaster spoofs were big business around this time – mainly because the genre had been done to death and it was a very easy target to lampoon. However not all worked because they weren't funny. Airplane will always be the best but this little jewel is still pretty funny. It doesn't feel as funny as Airplane simply because it's taken the action and put it in a spoof location rather than spoofing a normal location. However it still allows plenty of laughs and manages to be really funny.

Bologna is a good lead, but Beck steals a lot of it with his role as shoulders. It's funny seeing Stockard Channing drowning in soft drinks and the rest of the cats is filled out with some names – Hagman, Kellerman, Beatty etc.

Overall it may not have the fame of Airplane, and many of the jokes just aren't fresh 20 years on but it's still worth a look if you like spoofs.

"The Big Bus" is beyond absurd, rekindling the same sense of humor in "Airplane!" and flooring it into complete childishness. Both movies are so close, you'd call this a template; and while it doesn't achieve the same classic status, it kept that silly smile on my face for damn near the entire movie.

But it's not fair to make this a strict comparison between the two. Suffice it to say, it feels appropriate that it shares the same director with "The Muppet Movie". It's got a cast that's willing to sell the material - hard - and standouts include Rene Auberjonois as an unruly priest and Joseph Bologna (seriously, with a name like that) as the tormented captain at the wheel. And then there's the actual bus, comically oversized and always a visual gag.

It's a fun ride.

7/10

This film was a great way to spend an hour and a half winding up the day. I went to bed with a smile on my face!

It is not quite a "it's so bad it's good " type of film but it came close.

Don't take it seriously, let them off with a few flat jokes, and you'll have a giggle!

How marvelous that this has just come out on DVD! This movie has been a fave since I was but a lad. It predates "Airplane" by about 4 years, and is about 4 times funnier, but inexplicably bombed at the box office. Guess it was ahead of its time.

The funniest bit is the lounge piano player with his "Six months to live" and "Doggy doctor" improvisations, and how he welcomes new patrons into the bar with "Hey, welcome to the Oriental Lounge!" accompanied by a little piano twinkle.

So it isn't "Citizen Kane" ... but the laughs are bigger!