Woodyanders Review of Drive-In

Drive-In (1976)

A very funny and entertaining 70's low-budget comedy treat

[8/10 · 31 October 2008]

This enjoyably wacky and frantic film centers on a single wild'n'crazy night at a Texas drive-in theater called the Alamo. The interconnecting stories include nice, but shy guy Orville Hennigson (the supremely affable Glenn Morshower) taking sweet, yet sassy Glowie Hudson (adorable brunette spitfire Lisa Lemole) on a date, a couple of inept would-be big time thieves attempting to hold up the concession stand, two rival gangs confronting each other in the parking lot, and a henpecked dude sharing a joint with his unsuspecting nagging hag of a mother. Meanwhile, a hilarious mock disaster opus named -- what else? -- "Disaster '76" plays on the big screen; this honey pokes blithely silly fun at everything from "Airport '75" to "The Towering Inferno" to "Jaws." Director Rod Amateau, working from a colorful and eventful script by Bob Peete, does an expert job of maintaining both a nonstop snappy pace and amiably breezy tone throughout. Moreover, Amateau injects a positively infectious sense of zany and inspired good-natured fun that's impossible to either resist or dislike. The lively and enthusiastic acting from an appealing no-name cast rates as another major asset: Gary Lee Cavagnaro as Orville's precious and mischievous younger brother Little Bit, Billy Milliken as cocky jerk Enoch, Regan Kee as the geeky Spoon, Trey Wilson as bumbling crook Gifford, Gordon Hurst as Will's equally blundering partner Will Henry, Kent Perkins as swaggering local stud Bill Hill, the luscious Ashley Cox as Hill's fed-up girlfriend Mary Louise, Louis Zito as the cranky, no-nonsense drive-in manager, and Bill McGhee as an extremely antsy Dr. Demars. Granted, the characters are a bunch of broad Texas caricatures (the often witty dialogue in particular is peppered with a sidesplitting surplus of goofy good ol' boy expressions and the thick Lone Star state accents are simply great), but they are still amusing and likable just the same. Extra props are in order for Robert C. Jessup's polished cinematography and the first-rate soundtrack of tuneful country songs. A real delight.