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Oh, what an incredible trashy bad movie from the '70's this is, starring none other than Evel Knievel himself and Hollywood celebs from the 'old' days Gene Kelly, Red Buttons and Leslie Nielsen as a villain.

The movie has a real shaky plot that doesn't make an awful lot of sense. I don't know it has something to do with an evil Leslie Nielsen wanting Knievel death so he can smuggle drugs with Knievel's death body as a cover. Meanwhile there are also several side-plots that makes you wonder why they are even in there. It makes the movie often disjointed to watch and halve of the time you don't know what is going on, also because there is often very little actually happening in the story.

The movie was an obvious attempt to launch Evel Knievel a movie career. He was known for his daring motorcycle jumps stunts but he is perhaps even better known because of his inability to land. He crashed- and broken more bones during his stunts than a regular race-car driver would in his entire career.

Evel Knievel is in this movie presented as an all American hero. He is loved everywhere, he gets the girl and also does charity. Meanwhile he also gives important life lesson's to kids. by telling them they will eventually blow up once they start using drugs. He gets a standing ovation as well from the crowd after this inspiring speech.

The only last month deceased Evel Knievel just wasn't much good as an actor. It also didn't really helped him that he had Hollywood-cannon's Gene Kelly and Red Buttons opposite him. He turns all the more pale in comparisons to them. It's true that Kelly's and Buttons' careers already had their best time and the same goes for Leslie Nielsen, who in this movie plays one of his last 'serious'. This is basically also the only reason why those three appear in this movie. It was a bit weird to see Kelly as an 'old' man, mainly of course since I'm used to seeing him in only just '40's and '50's movies.

I can name at least a dozen movies out of the top of my head that are way worse than this one. So perhaps this movie is not entirely deserving it's title of 'one of the worst movies ever made' but nevertheless, this is a great example of bad movie making, which at the same time also makes this movie some delicious bad trash from the '70's to watch. Viva Knievel!

3/10

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Evel was a great showman, and was incredibly popular in the 1970's. For those who missed that era, or chose to forget it, at least Evel had the skill to back up the hype. There are a few stunt scenes that bear this out, including a great two-person tour around and through a small stadium on Evel's bike.

But that's about it; the plot is pretty simple, and the criminals are as stereotyped as they come. Sit back, enjoy the stunts and flashback to the 70's for a while.

No one noticed the influence of Irwin Allen in this wretched production? The "Poseidon Alumni" of Red Buttons and Leslie Nielsen? The casting of Eric Olsen and Cameron Mitchell (two holdovers from Allen's poorly received "Swiss Family Robinson" series)? And the "Allen Tradmark" of casting over-the-hill has-beens -- in this case Gene Kelly -- in a 'throw away' role? Allen even threw in one of his old 'stand-bys', Albert Salmi (Captain Tucker, the space pirate from two episodes of "Lost In Space").

Almost the entire production crew is from the Irwin Allen camp including legendary special effects man L.B. Abbott (what for you ask -- I didn't see any 'special effects?). Even Allen's costume designer, Paul Zastupnevich, is along for the ride. Allen's wife played the Mother Superior in the famed scene where the orphan throws his crutches away at the sight of seeing Evel as he sneaks into the orphanage in the middle of the night(!).

The story behind this film is that producer Sherrill Corwin (who was the head of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences during the '70s), was a major financial contributor to Irwin Allen's "Poseidon Adventure" and "Towering inferno." Allen needed backing because the studios baulked at the high production costs. But, by the mid-70s Irwin was 'The Man' and now it was 'pay back time' for Corwin when he wanted to hype Knievel, who by that time was a superstar among the teen-set. True, Evel Knievel WAS bankable when it came to packing arenas, selling lunch boxes, action figures and toy motorcycles. Problem was that in the acting department Evel was as wooden as a tree trunk and this movie shows it.

Not helping matters was the horrendous screenplay by Norman Katkov and Antonio Santillian (whoever he is), and the ingredients for a GRADE A Turkey were assured. It is surprising that Katkov co-penned such a bad script since he was also responsible for the famous "Blood and Orchids" mini-series of the early '80s. But then again, he was also one of the primary contributors to the screenplay for another Irwin Allen travesty: "The Return of Captain Nemo" (aka "Amazing Captain Nemo"), a mini-series produced or should I say released the following year.

"Viva Knievel" is best enjoyed by those suffering from insomnia or otherwise get their kicks from bad-movie marathons.

I LOVE this movie!! Ok, it is a terrible, terrible film, but that's what makes it so great! Back in high school, I can't begin to tell you how many beers my buddies & I downed whilst laughing our tails off at this movie. We would rewind scenes so many times that even years later, when we reunite, we can still recite some of these scenes verbatim. It's a classic. First of all, just consider this plot: a mob boss, played straight by Leslie Nielson of all people, wants to assassinate good ol' Evel in Mexico so he can use his stunt trucks to smuggle drugs back to the U.S., because no one is going to stop a "funeral procession for a hero." Try to follow THAT logic!! Another priceless moment comes when Evel delivers an anti-drug speech warning kids that if they use dope - just like race car drivers who use nitro in their cars - they too, will "blow all to hell!" (well, at least after "5 or 10 years" by his estimation anyway). I've never seen Gene Kelly looking so disgruntled and tired, and what would be complete without a way-over-the-top Red Buttons (classic line delivered to a groggy Evel: "What is this, Judgement Day!?). Where's Charro when you need her? And let's not forget that kid at the orphanage who literally throws his crutches to the floor and says, I kid you not, "you're the reason Evel! You're the reason I'm walkin'!" Evel Knievel: miracle man...ordained healer. And then of course there's that catchy theme song. I can't figure out why it was never a hit.

In VIVA KNIEVEL, the daredevil foils a drug shipment, charms a Mother Superior, reunites a long-estranged father and son, inspires crippled children to walk, woos a feminist news photographer and makes a 150-foot jump over a cage full of lions. Not all at once, however.

Robert Craig Knievel was one of his era's most singular pop culture figures, an endless self-promoter whose failures (e.g. his aborted 1974 Snake River Canyon jump) drew more media hype than almost anyone else's successes. A well-marketed, low-budget Knievel biopic starring George Hamilton did great at the box office in the early 1970s, so it was assumed the real Evel would also pack them into the theaters. But Knievel, unlike a Babe Ruth or Muhammad Ali, has no genuine on-camera magnetism and many of his line readings are horrid; trying to get Red Buttons to pay up on a debt, Evel says flatly, "You stole from me (long, long pause)... PROMOTER."

A quintessential 1970s cast (in fact, three POSEIDON ADVENTURE survivors appear here) includes a poorly-wigged Gene Kelly as Evel's alcoholic mechanic, a pre-AIRPLANE! Leslie Nielsen as the drug kingpin, Marjoe Gortner (take my word for it, kids, he was big in the 1970s) as Evel's protégé-turned-druggie and Lauren Hutton as the women's lib photographer who F-stops her way into Evel's heart.

Viva Knievel has to be one of the worst movies ever made. But like like Plan 9 From Outer Space, it is so bad that it makes for a hilarious night. If you like bad movies, this is a must see. In the film Knievel is presented as some sort of cross between Elvis and Jesus. One scene at the front of the film even has Evel seeming to heal crippled children by presenting them with Evel Knievel model kits. He's shown as being a beacon of hope in a dark world, yet he's also shown nearly threatening the life of Red Button's character because Red hasn't paid him his money yet. By the way, how on Earth did people like Red Buttons, Gene Kelly, Lauren Hutton, and Leslie Nielson end up in this turkey?!? If you can't appreciate an incredibly bad movie, stay as far away as you can!

Oooh... Leslie Nielsen is trying to sabotage Evel's bike. Will Lauren Hutton discover the plot in time?

And can Evel convince his mechanic to give up the bottle, and be a good father to the son he has heretofore ignored?

Will Evel and Lauren give up their adversarial flirting and get together?

DOES ANYBODY CARE?!?!

I am a fan of bad, cheesy movies. And even this one had me snoozing. Although I do give it thumbs up on the marvelous transition from the final jump to the closing credits.

Evel Knievel delivers toys to orphans one day and makes a death defying jump the next. Will Atkins (Gene Kelly) is his drunk manager. Kate Morgan (Lauren Hutton) is a photojournalist. Ben Andrews (Red Buttons) is a greedy crooked promoter. Stanley Millard (Leslie Nielsen) has an evil plan luring Evel to Mexico.

Evel, the character, does not come off that appealing. He's a bit misogynist towards Kate. He's a bit callous towards Will. If he's really worried about his drinking, he would keep all booze away from him. He needs to make small calibrations to his character which he already does with the orphans. He stops the momentum when he makes the anti-drug speech. He's trying to project machismo which doesn't look good like a middle age salesman with a fast sports car. He would be better off being humbled since his real life stunts already speak for his manhood. He may not be capable of projecting much else as an actor. His acting needs to round out the rest of him and I doubt he has it. He is self-righteous when he doesn't deserves it. As for the evil scheme, it's mostly non-sense and meaningless. It's bad writing and it needs to be explained well ahead of time. The flash photography premise is silly. Overall, Evel is a limited actor even if he is not the worst. His character has unappealing flaws. The story has unappealing flaws. It is bad but it could be worst.

Never mind the fact that Evel can't act, the preposterous plot, or the lack of any really cool jumps (though there are a couple of okay ones), this movie dies on just being slow and tedious. You take a famous stunt jumper and make him deal with Gene Kelly's family troubles? Give him a love interest reporter gal? Make him the target of drug dealers? Such a missed opportunity to exploit a real character by putting him in a dumb situation.

I recently bought a video tape of this film expecting it to be somewhat funny...it turned out to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. And that's saying alot since it was made as a dramatic vehicle for the one, the only, EVEL KNIEVEL.

I can't believe all of the negative comments that have been posted for this film. Sure the acting is bad and the plot is subpar, but overall, this movie is destined for cult status!

This 1 hour and 40 minute film turned into a three hour viewing experience for me since I was laughing so hard at everything, and I knew I was missing more great dialogue and acting...I'd have to stop the video, rewind it, and watch again...and I'd laugh just as hard the second time. Even now, while writing this review, I'm laughing to myself just thinking of certain scenes...especially the "drug speech."

I won't spoil anything for those reading this...Just pop this baby in your VCR and "sit down and take a load off!"

And who the hell did Frank Gifford have to sleep with to get his name mentioned so many times in this film?

PUT THIS FILM ON DVD in WIDESCREEN!!

What's not to like about about motorcycles, stuntmen, drugs, Gene Kelly and Leslie Nielsen and the beautiful Laren Hutton. It's got a corny plot and the acting from Evel is pretty wooden but I actually enjoyed it, worth a look.

Evel Knievel, the greatest thing on two wheels (despite the fact that he had immense trouble with actually landing!) is on the attack! Truth, justice & the American way are under threat from some nefarious drug dealers out to use Evels fame as a way to smuggle drugs into the U S of A & then into the innocent hands of the nations youth no doubt!

From the opening bars of the theme tune to the closing credits this is non-stop-two-wheeled-high-octane-death-defying-cinema! You will witness the sheer power of Evel as his mere presence causes crippled children to walk - "You're the reason I'm walking, Evel! YOU'RE THE REASON!" Feel the love as he woos a captivating female reporter, what a dame! See the horror as his best friend is turned into a drug crazed dope-fiend by the bad guys, then rejoice as he is saved & reunited with his estranged son by the one & only Knievel!

In the grand, suspense filled rubber burning finale let out a mighty Huzzah as Evel foils the bad guys & saves the day for all the innocent children of the free world! Viva Knievel indeed!!

Ill-advised starring vehicle for the king of motorcycle jumping, Evel Knievel. It's pretty campy, and can occasionally be amusing. But overall it's quite the bore. Evel Knievel is hired to do a jump in Mexico, and his promoter, Leslie Nielsen, plans on getting him killed so he can smuggle a boatload of cocaine into the US in Evel's coffin (which he assumes the border guards will be too respectful to ransack). There's almost no action until the last 20 minutes. At least the action at that point is decent (though apparently Evel was forced to use a stuntman to perform most of the riding). To classics fans, the film is probably more notable because it contains the penultimate performance by Gene Kelly (Red Buttons is also in it). His final performance was in Xanadu. Viva Knievel! is the only film Kelly appeared in which is even more lowly rated than Xanadu. Actually, much of the plot revolves around Kelly, as the son whom he sent off to be raised elsewhere is reunited with him. Kelly kind of ignores the boy because his wife died in childbirth, but Evel eventually sets him straight. There's also a romantic subplot involving a feminist photographer, Lauren Hutton, who is sent to photograph Evel's "last jump". Of course she ends up falling for the uber-masculine motorcyclist.

This is one of numerous movies that were featured on Video On Demand from Rifftrax and it's easy to tell why. I didn't even know that was the real Evel Knievel. I was probably just so taken back by how dumb and boring this movie was, I didn't notice. This film features guys who want to take Knievel's body to smuggle cocaine. I couldn't even comprehend this plot. I was able to understand the jokes as he really did attack someone with a baseball bat before this film was released.

The riffing was great with some of my favorite bits being, "We were told there'd be Christians to eat!". An easy one was "Evel!" with "I'm not referring to your name. It's just evil that you're here!". I loved, "I'm going to sit here and regret "Dracula: Dead And Loving It"." I also liked, "It was easy" followed by, "And hugely wasteful of helicopter fuel". You really have to find the Rifftrax version. *1/2

This festering heap of manure has lots of familiar faces that had or eventually had some measure of success. This movie did absolutely nothing to help them in their careers. I can't believe how stinking awful this was. From the acting to the dialogue to the ridiculous plot contrivances you will be rolling your eyes from start to finish. Evel is the most uninteresting, uncharismatic and talentless one in this movie. He's as bland as bland gets, and manages to redefine awkward and stupid at the same time. Even the 3.5 rating here seems insanely high, as there's nothing remotely entertaining in this film.

"Viva Knievel!" is a vanity project that really seems odd and wrong-headed in hindsight. After all, Evel wasn't exactly a saint and yet here he's portrayed as the ultimate nice-guy...a guy who (creepily) sneaks into an orphanage at night to bring toys to all the kids! And, he's also a crime fighter and social worker, too! Considering what he was like in real life, this is ridiculous....but it also would have been ridiculous for anyone!

Another interesting aspect of this film is the cast. It's hard to imagine that the studio could secure Gene Kelly, Red Buttons, Lauren Hutten, Leslie Nielsen and Cameron Mitchell for the movie...but they did! Obviously someone thought this film had a lot of promise...too bad the film was a flop..mostly because of Knievel's off-screen behaviors which were NOT very Santa-like! If you are confused, read up on his attack with a baseball bat he made on a guy around the same time the movie debuted...which effectively killed the distribution of the picture!

The picture purports to be a behind the scenes look at Evel and his life doing crazy stunts. Of course, while it's played by Knievel and he's called Evel by everyone, it really is a highly fictionalized version of him...to the point of being ridiculous. I mentioned above his breaking into an orphanage but it got worse when he went to practice for a jump the next day and some cute kid came up to him. Evel was surprised becasue the kid had been in a wheelchair but the kids proudly announced "You're the reason I'm walking, Evel!!"....at which point I could help but to laugh out loud!

So is the film any good? Good grief, no....at least not in the traditional sense! But it is good for two things....as a strange time capsule in which we see one of the stanger celebrities of the 1970s AND it's good for a few laughs.

One of the least realistic portrayals of a real life celebrity with the POSSIBLE exception of KISS in "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" and William Bendix in "The Babe Ruth Story"...two other unintentionally bad and hilarious films!

All the big name actors and actresses must have been really, really good friends of Mr. Kneival. And yes, awful though it is, I watched every stinkin' minute of it and had a blast

I was a big fan of Evel Knievel when I was growing up. We all were. My fandom began to wear off after the Snake River Canyon jump. I didn't see "Viva Knievel!" when it was in the theater. If I had, I would have loved it. I watched it yesterday and I had a good time. It's totally ridiculous. Evel Knievel locks horns with drug smuggling villain Leslie Nielsen. It's can't miss stuff. Non-actor does gives a pretty nice performance. He's definitely comfortable in front of the camera. He certainly does a better job than Gene Kelly does. The are a lot of motorcycle stunts in "Viva Knievel!" but I have the feeling Evel wasn't doing any of them.

Daredevil Evel Kneivel (just say his name out loud - ridiculous) stars as himself. The movie seems to portray Kneivel as some sort of wheelie-popping Christ figure.

You can't see it enough to fathom how truly bizarre it is. Kneivel says he's never taken a drug in his life, which is good so there was plenty enough to go around for the writer, the director and love interest Lauren Hutton.

And Kneivel's not even the weirdest guy in the movie! That honor goes to poor old Gene Kelly who plays Evel's sad excuse for a mechanic. His performance is quite possibly the worst captured on film; Kelly was playing this either as senile or retarded, though I suppose it doesn't matter which.

It's rough when the most convincing actor in the film is from Frank Gifford.

Bigger than Elvis! Faster than Bruce Lee! Cooler than Coltrane! This luridly leather-clad Liberace on two lightning-loaded wheels is a chrome-guilded, star spangled, sky soaring 70s legend! More myth than man! Three parts eagle, two parts deathless daredevil! This Gravity mocking, Big Cat jumpin', Snake River defying demi-god of the piston rod is a poon-pounding motorcycle satyr, turned big screen movie star! Evel Knievel is the golden cream of the stunt cycle scene! Deservedly regarded as B-Movie royalty, you don't need to take a leap of faith to worship, Gordon Douglas's freewheeling cult classic! And remember kids, mainline your revs, NOT your brain!!! As the turbocharged Viva Knievel! Is the only drug y'all ever need! As the devil's weed ain't nothin to Toke about, maaan!!! Evel is pure white bread wholesome, gooey centred with sugar sprinkles on top, the sinisterly scheming, Leslie Nielson & Cameron Mitchell are Anthill Mob bad, sleekly glamorous shutterbug, Lauren Hutton is easy on the eyes, grouchy Gene Kelly's permanently pie-eyed, sky-high Motorhead Marjoe's one wacky racer and the whole corn pone shebang is groovily gussied up with a funking great score by, Charles Bernstein!