What Comes Around

1st watched 4/29/2001 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Jerry Reed): Some possible good storyline's could have came out of this loser film, but they're not explored. Reed's character's rehabilitation from heroine and alcohol and a controlling manager by his brother are given up for a stupid revenge plot done against the manager(badly played by Barry Corbin.) Reed, known best for Bert Reynolds Smokey sidekick in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies, seems to borrow from some of those movies(at least the bad parts) in this directorial attempt. The music has some worth and Reed's singing sounds better than anything I've ever heard him do before(which shows me that this is the part of the business he should have stayed in), but as a moviemaker he is extremely lacking. Bo Hopkins does a good job as his brother, but other characters are just ridiculous(aka. Arte Johnson as the detective that finds Reed, and Corbin's bumbling assistant). I never realized how unfunny Arte is without his Nazi headgear. Hopefully he's made some money in other more deserving parts. This is another one of those(I'm doing everything and failing at it miserably films), this time it happened to be Jerry Reed.

I grew up in a little town called Lebanon, TN about 20 minutes (or 30 miles) east of Nashville. Part of this movie used the original "Cracker Barrel" restaurant in Lebanon as a set. For those not from the South, the Cracker Barrel is a country-cooking restaurant with a gift shop attached.

From what I remember (I was much younger in 1985), the restaurant, or part of it was emptied out and a set built. A semi-truck was rammed into the building.

My older brother and his friends would duck out of school to watch the filming. He came home one day excited and said he had met Barry Corbin, who signed a publicity photo. Apparently, Mr. Corbin was very nice and accommodating.

Sorry to be kind of lame here, but not much else happened in that little town! :)

Jerry Reed (who also directed the film) plays country singer Joe Hawkins, who wants to make a comeback, but it gets threatened by his drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his crooked manager who cheated him out of a lot of money. There are a few rousing action scenes, a wild car chase involving a stolen ambulance and a car totaling an ice cream parlor by a drunken driver.

But it's the great performances by Hopkins as Joe's estranged younger brother Tom, who is determined to steer him back on the right path (as well as engaging with Reed in a semi-comedic drag-out fight scene), Barry Corbin as manager Leon, and Arte Johnson as a not-too-bright private detective. It's an enjoyable mix of comedy, music, action, and a few dramatic undertones.

What Comes Around starts with Jerry Reed (I don't remember what Reed's and Hopkins's characters' names were, and IMDb doesn't list them.) being maybe 17 or 18 years old or a little older in 1958 or so. He has a rockabilly band playing in a joint called The King of Clubs. Then a Colonel Tom Parker character takes him away from the home farm to make it big in the music business. Fast forward to the 1980s. Reed is in sort of the condition of Elvis before he died. Bo Hopkins, his brother, sets out to keep him from going down the drain. Arte Johnson is in this movie. Would you expect him in a country music movie? And a nice unmarried woman fan should help give old Jerry a new lease on life, shouldn't she? Reed owns a business venture with the Parker dude played by Barry Corbin. Reed wants to divide their interests. Parker doesn't. How does Jerry divide the business? Well, since this is a Jerry Reed movie, there's a good chance there's a diesel truck or bus in it somewhere. Well, I'll quit writing now. I've got a craving for cornbread.