User reviews

After so many years of only reading about this movie, I finally watched Car Wash on Netflix Streaming. Richard Pryor has an amusing cameo as a reverend with The Pointer Sisters providing accompaniment and George Carlin is a taxi driver looking for the hooker who stiffed him but the real stars are the ensemble employed at the title place. Among them are: Franklyn Ajaye, Garrett Morris, Melanie Mayron, Antonio Fargas, Clarence Muse, Bill Duke, and Ivan Dixon in a rare acting role during this decade since he was busy as a director of such films like Trouble Man and The Spook Who Sat by the Door. Joel Schumacher's script isn't always hilarious but there are moments that do provide genuine laughs. Michael Schultz' direction keeps things on an even keel. And don't you just dig the cool songs written by Norman Whitfield and sung by Rose Royce especially the title tune? So on that note, I recommend Car Wash.

If you like funny....pointless.....sophomoric humour, then this is the film for YOU! I have to admit I saw it when I was 11 years old and just fell in love with it! So, if you have a young child's memory of the film...see it...if you are over the age of 13 seeing it for the first time.....then it is what it is.

Given the fact it was even made in 1976 with a largely African-American cast says volumes. Yes, it has some buffoonery and a little step-and-fetchit, but then....these people were STILL working! Whose working now? And, as what? Final Word. It is light-hearted family entertainment and it could begin a dialogue in the family...something to which many of today's films won't ever aspire.

"Car Wash" is about a close-knit group of employees who one day have all manner of strange visitors coming onto their forecourt, including Richard Pryor as a preaching 'wonder-man' who is loved by most but loathed by one, and a man who looks like a bomber by the way he is holding his bottle.

Dear children of the 1990s, before there was "Empire Records" or "Clerks", there was "Car Wash". If you like watching a group of slackers who run into interesting situations without having to leave their work place, this is the film for you.

You should probably be sold on it just because Richard Pryor and George Carlin are in it. But if that is not enough, it is just a fun and funny little picture. Perhaps the theme song is played one too many times, but at least it is one of the better disco songs of the era.

A great ensemble cast, a loose, funky script that left room for improvisation and a great (nonstop) pulsating disco/soul soundtrack make this film a pleasant diversion and definitely a document of its' era. It also served as a blueprint for many other primarily black-cast comedies to come. When writing 1997's "Friday," Ice Cube was quoted as saying he wanted to create a fun film just like "Car Wash." Many funny scenes, some in questionable taste, but still harmless enough. For those who lived through the period, it'll bring back some memories.

I'm not sure why, but I loved this movie. I saw it as a young teenager, and I saw it many times. A day-in-the-life of the Dee-luxe Car Wash and the employees is very funny. There is no plot, but the ensemble cast is excellent, and the chemistry between the characters is great! They are believable as co-workers/friends, and you get to know each character (a bit) by the end of the movie. Franklin Ajaye is great as TJ. The soundtrack is awesome! The slice-of-life format is interesting, and keeps you involved with each character fairly equally. George Carlin's cameo is good, and Richard Pryor in a cameo with the Pointer Sisters is great! This is a movie you'll either love or hate.....I loved it!

Car Wash (1976) is a movie that I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of car wash employees; some of which have dreams of a brighter future, new opportunities, chick chasing or they're just happy with where they are. Meanwhile, some unique customers come through the car wash for their services - pimps, spoiled brats, kids from the area and customers from out of the area. As the car wash employee's worlds collide with customers, so does their direction.

This movie is directed by Michael Schultz (Cooley High) and stars Richard Pryor (Harlem Nights), Sully Boyar (Dog Day Afternoon), Richard Brestoff (The Man with Two Brains), George Carlin (Dogma), Otis Day (Animal House) and Bill Duke (The Predator).

This movie is great mainly due to its ability to capture the 70s in such a fun and entertaining way. The soundtrack, dialogue and jive are so entertaining. The skits are fun, even if the comedic content is inconsistent. The situations really capture the imagination and leave you wondering if all those events could really happen at the car wash. The radio narrator was a great touch and the throw-up sequence was legendary. I laugh every time I see it. Even the closing credits in this is entertaining.

Overall, this isn't my favorite 70s Blaxploitation film, but it is a fun one. I would score this a solid 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

It's a day in the life of Dee-Luxe Car Wash in L.A. It's a group fun loving wacky employees. There's Lonnie in charge, angry Duane actually Muslim Abdullah, T.C. trying to win a radio contest and others. The boss Mr. B is having a fling with the receptionist Marsha. His son is a Maoist who wants to work with the proletariat. There are others like George Carlin as a cabbie, Richard Pryor as the slick Daddy Rich and The Pointer Sisters as his backup singers The Wilson Sisters.

The movie struggles to have a plot for 90% of the time. It's just a bunch of guys running around, talking trash and working. There isn't actually a plot. The movie is a mile wide and an inch deep. It's hard to connect with the characters when there are so many of them and none of them is the lead. Everybody is a bit wacky. There are some interesting possibilities like Lonnie, Abdullah and T.C. but they don't expand on their stories. That's why the ending is so abrupt. It turns dark and completely different from the rest of the movie. Richard Pryor often gets headline billing but he only has an unfunny ten minute cameo. The writer needs to cut out a few employees and add an actual plot. The song is really cool though. It's noteworthy that Joel Schumacher is the writer. He's not most noted as a good writer.

Richard Pryor's recent death brings to mind all his work, including "Car Wash". This movie portrays one day in the life of several car wash employees in LA. They get a gaggle of wacky customers (including Pryor as cool dude Daddy Rich). Also, some people are trying to develop relationships with each other and such things. Among the other people in the movie are George Carlin as a taxi driver, DeWayne Jessie (aka Otis Day in "Animal House") as one of the employees, and also Antonio Fargas (who apparently played Huggy Bear on "Starsky and Hutch"). Maybe the movie is very much a product of the '70s, but that's part of what makes it so great. A true comedy gem.

This film is such a time capsule - the clothes, the music, the cars. It really takes me back to 1976 - I graduated high school that year. It was probably considered innovative for its time with its mainly African American cast and even -possibly - a trans character.

It's all about a single day at Leon Barrow's Car Wash in LA, where the cars are still largely washed by hand. There are a few character driven threads running through it, but it's largely an excuse for some sophomoric humor and some good disco-adjacent music from Rose Royce including the joyous titular theme song "Car Wash". Comics who make appearances include George Carlin as a taxi driver who gets stiffed by a mute prostitute and Richard Pryor as a money obsessed preacher whose character is oddly prescient. It does have something to say about the exuberance of youth, who feel like there is always tomorrow, always plenty of time. In contrast to that is Ivan Dixon, of Hogan's Heroes fame, in a more serious role as an ex-convict trying to support two children on what he makes at the car wash while dealing with his parole officer constantly appearing to check up on him.

If you watch this today you may be missing various scenes you know that you remember, such as the not so happy ending for Melanie Mayron's character. Also, for some reason, Danny DeVito's minor scene with Brooke Adams, which has nothing to do with the plot, may or may not appear.

Either you are going to feel this one or you're not. If you do feel it, more than likely it is because you have a fondness for the 70s.

In a somewhat morbid coincidence, Channel 5 in the UK managed to have this scheduled for the day after Richard's Pryor's death. And to be sure - even though he only has a 2-minute cameo - it is a harmless, lightweight affair, and the sort of material that would attempt to be a tribute to a very entertaining career.

Although in truth, this is NOT a great film. A huge cast of characters all seemingly singing from the same hymn sheet, you'll struggle to distinguish between most of them given that they're all playing the same role. Each even mildly humorous wisecrack is greeted with a chorus of "YEAH, WOOHOO, YEAH"'s from the entire workforce. Very annoying. And the 'Car Wash' tune will be imprinted on your brain for a couple of days after you watch it, seeing as they play it close to 400 times throughout.

Nothing to write home about, but not altogether without its moment's. 5/10

Ah, "Car Wash," the 1976 ensemble comedic drama, a psychedelic tapestry woven with the threads of a day-in-the-life narrative at a bustling Los Angeles car wash. The dawn bestows upon us a cavalcade of characters, each an eccentric petal in a blooming flower of urban existentialism. The music-oh, the music-Rose Royce's soundtrack is a rhythm-infused heartbeat that pulses through the veins of this cinematic organism, an aural concoction that marries funk with the gritty asphalt of LA's sprawling jungle.

As the sun traipses across the sky, the story unfolds, a kaleidoscope of lives intertwining amidst soap suds and the hum of the city. The overarching theme of unity amidst diversity, of finding laughter and camaraderie in the mundane, dances across the screen. The director, Michael Schultz, orchestrates this carnival of souls with a deft hand, blending humor with poignancy, the comedic with the tragic, all while maintaining a pace as rhythmic and flowing as the jazz-infused beats that serenade the narrative.

The mood is a melange of hope, despair, and the indefatigable spirit of camaraderie that binds the misfit tribe of car wash employees. The performances are as varied as they are vibrant; Franklin Ajaye's philosophical poet, the flamboyant Lindy played by Antonio Fargas, and the stoic ex-con Lonnie, portrayed by Ivan Dixon, breathe life into this urban tableau. Their dialogues, a mixture of the whimsical and the profound, resonate with the beat of humanity that courses through the car wash.

Visually, the film is a time capsule, a celluloid mural capturing the essence of a bygone era, the 70's aesthetics lending an authentic touch to the narrative. The sets, the costumes, every frame is drenched in the hues of the decade, a visual feast that transports one back in time.

Yet, amidst the laughter and rhythm, there's a tinge of melancholy, a reflection of the social issues of the time. The directorial vision, while engaging, sometimes skates on the surface, leaving one yearning for a deeper dive into the souls of these everyday philosophers.

The emotional impact is akin to a warm embrace intertwined with a soft whisper of the harsh realities that lurk just beyond the car wash. The juxtaposition of hope and reality, of dreams and the daily grind, leaves a bittersweet aftertaste.

"Car Wash" is a rhythmic exploration of life's mundane yet profound moments, an ode to the everyday heroes whose stories are often lost in the cacophony of existence. Through humor and heart, it delves into the essence of community and the indomitable spirit of humanity, even in the face of adversity.

Car Wash seems to have been an idea for a hit soundtrack first, the movie was an after-thought. The story concerns a bunch of different characters who work at an LA car wash. The problem is there are way too many characters. By the time you can finally remember all of their names, the movie is over. And, unfortunately, most of the "comic" situations they encounter aren't at all funny. Richard Pryor appears in a glorified cameo but his comic talents aren't used at all. Only the final scene of the film in which Lonnie tries to stop Abdula from robbing the shop had me interested. Otherwise the film is as cluttered and messy as dead flies on a windshield.

My favorite part of this movie is the opening, early morning in L.A. as the d.j. talks. There is something so exciting about that. This movie is so outlandish and so cleverly done, my friends and I have watched it many a time and chuckled. In fact, most of my friends love this movie and could watch it many times over, and they are pretty intellectual. The laughing never stops. I think the secret of the appeal is that the actors are a fine group of actors. They play the parts in a run down (I think it's supposed to be run down, or at least economically depressed area) car wash, but they are fine actors with fine comedic timing. You feel that you are taken right back there with them, and life is going to be carefree forever in L.A. in 1976. Maybe it's an atmosphere that only exists in people's minds. The main girl, Marsha, is very pretty in a very very seventies way, complete with blue eyeshadow. At the end, her prince, Ken, comes to take her away. The soundtrack is one of the best ever set to film, I have the cd though I never listen to it. The soundtrack is best listened to... in the movie. The proper angst is added with some sociological issues.

Car Wash is the type of film that doesn't go any where, but thats only because it doesn't need too. Along with a good script, there are a lot of characters (maybe enough for two movies for Schumacher to put in) which bring the movie through its lulls.

My favorite was George Carlin as the cab driver who was looking for a tall, blonde, black chick. But the only problem was I wanted to like his character more, but his character (also like my other favorite character, Richard Pryor, as Daddy Rich) was not well developed and was not in the movie that much. Even so, that doesn't bother the funny scenes that go on during one day at a L.A. car wash. Well meaning and humorous throughout.

The Car Wash was a breath of fresh air in some ways. Here was a 70's movie with a predominately black cast that wasn't a Blaxploitation film. I didn't have to be offended by the foul mouthed, cool, pimp, pusher, hustler, or playboy with the stable of women.

This movie was good in its simplicity even if it was a bit light on laughs. It seems there was a character for every 70's type and if you lived through the 70's then you could identify with or at least recognize some of the characters.

For my money, the theme song and the soundtrack was where it was at. Rose Royce and the Pointer Sisters were among the very few artists I appreciate from that decade. They could've kept a running track of their hits and it would only make the movie better.

This is just an awful movie. Really, there is no substance and if there is a plot it is well hidden. It is rated as a comedy but I failed to find any funny parts. If your kids bring home bad marks on their report cards, they should be made to watch this film as punishment.

mz4392

Not really a movie as much as a series of vignettes (some comical, some overly serious) about being young, African American and, you guessed it, "Working at the car wash."

Fifty years later this is worth watching for the music and Richard Pryor in all his pimpin' grandeur. Also George Carlin as a cab driver who spends the whole movie trying to track down a fare beater by asking everyone, "Did you happen to see a big, tall, black, blonde chick here?"

I've always felt Saturday Night Live would be a great half hour show but unfortunately they have ninety minutes to fill. I felt the same about this movie. Woulda made a funny SNL skit. But ninety minutes long it wore out it's welcome.

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The first time I saw this movie I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. My family had owned a car wash, detail company before and I could see that the writer of this movie had done his respective homework on the character development!! The motley crew that we had employed, were just about in the exact same 'vein' of life as these, 'cons' 'crazy men' and 'criminals' that made up the perfect cast in 'Carwash'! I loved this for simple reasons, it simply hit right on it.

Sully Boyer, the car-wash owner was a perfectly in place, dis-placed business owner, complete with bad marriage and regrets of owning the wash and not making it a parking lot, like his brother, who could now buy and sell him. There was T.C. (Theodore Chancey Talcott)played by Franklin Ajaye, who's 'hook' in the story was he was imagining that he would be a super hero, named 'The Fly'. "I'd be sharp, sharp, sharp, man. No one would mess with me." Standing with Lloyd by the rag sinks. But he was also in love with Mona. The fine foxy broad who worked at the café, 'Five Spot'. With the whole 'dryer line' to dry the cars as they pulled out from the washing area. The Mexican worker who would harass his Indian friend and back and forth it would go, all the while on the clock! The fighting couple with the classic Mustang to the hippie Jewish kid, well versed in ghetto speak. This movie had it all. Enter Richard Pryor, as the fast-talking money grabbing Rev. Daddy Rich. accompanied by the Pointer sisters! Hilarious!! The more I watch this the more astounded I am at how true to life and form these characters interact with one another.

Even an ending that was serious enough, to put a well-rounded effect on the out come of the plot and m.o. of the players. It showed, Loni cared about a young upstart punk, enough to see more in him than he himself(Ackbar-'Duane')could see for himself. Loni(Ivan Dixon's character)simply believed in Duane. That was what Duane needed to not end up in prison. He needed someone to believe in him, not use him to rob a company and go straight to prison.

I recommend this highly to those who love the seventies, a great comedic 'everyday' work-situation and doesn't necessarily need car chases or explosions, special effects etc. Bravo. (****)

Mid 70s, urban, workplace comedy/musical with a soupcon of drama. Funny stuff is way too broad and sit-com-ey, though, while the drama feels watered down and too easily resolved. Oh and the music, aside from the title song, is most forgettable. A few good performances from Ivan Dixon, Sully Boyar, Melanie Mayron and Clarence Muse, plus a sweeetness of temper, courtesy of director Michael Schultz, keep this film just on the right side of the mediocrity fence but, basically, to use an aquatic analogy, Spike Lee would come along in ten years or so and blow movies like this right out of the water. C plus.

Switched off after ten minutes.

Not funny. Very flat and extremely dated.

Not for me.