Wacky Taxi

So, let me see if I understand this. We meet Pepper Morales, a married man with kids and a pregnant wife, at his job in a factory. The narrator tells us he is not satisfied with his job and we next see Pepper walk off the job after impulsively overturning a rolling cart filled with empty cans that scatter everywhere, making a mess that his former coworkers will have to clean up. At least he shook the hands of his coworkers before triumphantly exiting the building and leaping in the air for a freeze frame during the opening credits. Pepper goes home and announces he's starting a taxi business, spending almost all the family's savings on a broken down 1959 Cadillac and some take out food. This is during the first ten laugh-free minutes. It never gets better.

Maybe I'm just a cynical old guy, but I don't see a lot of humor in a man placing his family into serious financial jeopardy this way. Luckily for him his wife seems to be clueless about the potential dire consequences of Pepper's actions. He acts like someone experiencing a manic episode and by todays standards, everything he does is disturbing. Playing wacky music and speeding up the frames does not make on screen law-breaking and mental illness funny.

John Astin is funny in The Addams Family, but I cannot imagine what he was thinking to star in this steaming pile of crap. Cameos from the singer/satirist Alan Sherman and Frank Sinatra, Jr. Are also awful.

I gave this two stars because despite its deep flaws, it was fun to see San Diego in 1972 and literally tons of classic cars.

I loved it. Perfect for the era. A pick me up, feel good flick with no frills. Just real. Love it or hate it...just watch it. John Astin is a pro, here and everywhere. Loved the craziness of the filming. The plot is simple. We all want the American dream, but are scared to take the risk. This film takes all the risk and doesn't worry about losing. Many may see this as a "wacky" film, but it's perfect for its intended purpose. To motivate and entertain. No big budget, no special effects. Seemed more like a current reality show. I put this on because it seemed old, wacky and out of sorts. It was exactly that and exactly what I needed at that moment. It's wacky for sure. Watch it to the end. Thank you John Astin.

I saw this while on a sub patrol in the early 80's.

We were having a competition to see who could watch the most movies during one patrol.

This was 16mm - pre vcr days.

I had to change the last reel myself, as everyone else, including the projectionist, walked out.

This movie remains the worst I've ever seen.

And that includes the documentary on iceberg lettuce I once watched at 3am in Aiea, HI while peaking on red dragon.

It's not even so-bad-it's-good - it's just bad.

I've tried to find a copy again over the years, to no avail until recently.

I see it's now available on amazon.

Watch me not reach for my credit card.

This movie premiered as "Pepper" at The Lakewood Center Theater, Lakewood is a suburb 25 miles outside of Hollywood, which should have been indicative of the low expectations the studio had for this film. The meandering plot was impossible to stay involved with. And it simply wasn't funny. I did get to meet John Astin, so I give it an extra star.

This is not a great movie but I would have been OK with sitting through it at the drive-in back in the day. My daughter says that any movie you can sit through should get at least a 3. I might even give this a 3.5. The story is about a man who wants to be more than a low paid factory worker and dreams of establishing a successful business. There are a lot of reasons to be discouraged but his family supports him through it all and he never gives up on his dream. I didn't like the final wrap-up at the end. It wasn't really needed. Otherwise it might have gotten a 4 from me, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Nice little G rated family movie.