A diverse array of colorful eccentric folks participate in a wild and illegal cross country road race. Director Hal Needham, working from a brash script by Brock Yates, relates the simple and hugely enjoyable story at a constant zippy pace, maintains an utterly engaging breezy'n'easy loopy tone throughout, and stages the thrilling vehicular carnage with his trademark rip-roaring brio. Moreover, the all-star cast have a ball with the wacky material: Burt Reynolds effortlessly projects his customary amiable charm and plays beautifully well with Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett looks positively radiant and brings a sweetly daffy appeal to her character, Roger Moore gleefully sends up his own slick'n'suave James Bond persona, legendary Rat Pack members Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. display a marvelously loose and natural chemistry as a pair of bogus priests, Jackie Chan provides American audiences with an early demonstration of his considerable martial arts prowess, Jamie Farr joyfully devours the scenery as a madcap sheik, Mel Tillis works uproarious wonders with his stutter, and Jack Elam almost steals the entire goofy show with his inspired off-the-wall portrayal of a creepy'n'kooky doctor of dubious pedigree. George Furth also hits the prissy bull's eye as the uptight killjoy nerd determined to stop the big race. Better still, luscious babes Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman show off loads of tasty cleavage while Valerie Perrine has a witty uncredited cameo as a sexy state trooper. Why, we even have neat bits by such familiar individuals as Bianca Jagger, John Fiedler, and Peter Fonda and Robert Tessier as a couple of belligerent rough'n'rowdy bikers. Cool rocking theme song by Ray Stevens, too. The good-natured sensibility ensures that this picture never becomes too crude or offensive. A total blast.

Before there were Police Academy movies there were these two Cannonball Run films where a whole lot of people did a movie with absolutely no story to it, but looked like they were having a lot of fun. If you could call it starring Burt Reynolds and long time pal Dom DeLuise because they have the most screen time.

It's clear that this cast was enjoying all the overacting they were allowed to indulge in. Except possibly for Roger Moore who rather drolly underplayed his own image as an action hero, James Bond, the Saint, etc. Reynolds did too, to a lesser extent.

You've got to love Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. as a pair of fake priests who copied Richard Nixon's dirty play book in their effort to win The Cannonball Run which when you come right down to it is just a cross country drag race. Reynolds and DeLuise are using an ambulance, the better to fool the Smokeys that they meet traveling west. And for insurance they have a kidnapped patient in Farrah Fawcett and one bat crazy doctor in Jack Elam. Between Elam and DeLuise I have to say it's a tossup as to who overacts the most.

Like The Police Academy movies, the Cannonball Run films are dumb, witless, stupid, puerile, and you will laugh your derrière off.

The Cannonball Run is a highly illegal, no holds barred car race from Connecticut to California. JJ McClure (Burt Reynolds) and his sidekick Victor Prinzim (Dom DeLuise) with his alter ego Captain Chaos chose to drive an ambulance. They use wacky Dr Van Helsing (Jack Elam) and kidnap tree-lover Pamela (Farrah Fawcett) as their patient. Environmentalist Arthur J. Foyt has the hots for Pamela and intends to stop the race. Race car driver Jamie Blake (Dean Martin) and Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis Jr.) dress as priests in their red Ferrari. Seymour Goldfarb, Jr. (Roger Moore) imagines himself to be the Bond actor Roger Moore. Jill Rivers (Tara Buckman) and Marcie Thatcher (Adrienne Barbeau) use both their looks and their black Lamborghini Countach to full advantage. Jackie Chan and his computer sidekick Michael Hui drive their hi-tech Japanese car. Oil rich sheik (Jamie Farr) drives his white Rolls-Royce. Wealthy risk taker Compton and Shaky Finch ride a motorcycle doing a wheelie. Terry (Terry Bradshaw) and stuttering Mel are two good old boys. Mad Dog and Batman drive the truck through everything.

It's irreverent. It's sexist. It's silly. It's got car chases. It's ridiculous. It is entertainment of the lowest common denominator. It is simply fun, fun, fun. Everybody is having fun. It introduces Jack Chan to America. Dom DeLuise is a great sidekick to Burt Reynolds and Jack Elam is terrific. It may actually be better if Farrah Fawcett plays dumber. Its unabashed ridiculing of leftist environmental movement probably left the critics cold. Its low brow humor also doesn't help. But everybody has to love the hilarious outtakes.