From Snake Pliskin to Wyatt Earp,Kurt Russellhas given us a handful of iconic performances as characters that have ascended to household names in their own right. But one of his most underrated films is a 1980 comedy he made one year prior toEscape From New York. The film came whenRobert ZemeckisandBob Galefollowed up their debut feature and screenwriting onSteven Spielberg’s disastrous comedy,1941, with a comedy of their own:Used Cars.
The film follows Russell as Rudy Russo, a slimy used car salesman with aspirations to ascend to a local political office. Rudy is caught in the middle of a strange conspiracy when the twin brother of his boss concocts a scheme to get rid of his brother and put their dealership at risk of demolition.Used Carsis a bizarre, story-driven comedy with a great performance at the centerand jokes that are born out of clever narrative threads that are woven together across the film’s breezy runtime. One of the greatest strengths ofUsed Carsis how plot-driven the film turns out. Jokes generated through improv and situational comedy can be great but work better in television or new media formats. Makingan outright comedy that feels worthy of the big screen is no easy feat,and this one manages to succeed because of the clever premise and trajectory of the story.
Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale Allow the Plot To Drive the Comedy in ‘Used Cars’
Zemeckis and Gale are showmen; they like to give audiences something exciting to look at.Used Carsdoes exactly that with the central set piece of the final act. The film builds up to a ridiculous comedy of errors in which the heroes must get a literal mile of cars on their lot in order tosave it from being taken over by the deceased owner’s evil twin,and the solution that Russell’s character lands on is to enlist the help ofover 200 student drivers who race a colorful batch of beaten-up used cars across the city, making it just in time. The scene is entertaining, visually striking, and required a lot of effort thanks to the sheer amount of cars involved.
This R-Rated ’80s Comedy Starring Kurt Russell Is a Wonderfully Weird Outlier in Robert Zemeckis' Filmography
This early Robert Zemeckis film showed little traces of his wholesome family entertainment.
Used Carswas Zemeckis' second directorial feature,and considering the odd directions that his career has taken over the years—especially the detours into uncanny motion-capture filmmaking—it remains one of his most simple and straightforwardly good movies. Of course, theBack to the Futurefilms are iconic, and films likeCast Awayshow a different side of Zemeckis' abilities as a director, butUsed Carsis a zany, weird, funny movie that shows all of his strengths as a dynamic, comedic filmmaker, without any of the bizarre or heavy-handed trappings of some of his lesser films.
Having said that,Used Carsdoes have a few moments that have not aged particularly well from a modern perspective. Zemeckis and Gale have a slight edge to their sense of humor, which someone manages not to ruin in films likeBack to the Future,despite how weirdly horny and offbeat the comedy can be at times, andUsed Carsis another example of that case where the film manages to work around those moments, especially thanks to Russell’s sharp performance, which is perhaps the film’s greatest strength.
‘Used Cars’ Features Kurt Russell in a Delightfully Scummy Performance
Despite his stronger resume as an action star, Russell is a very talented comedic performer; seemingly doing his best in comedies that allow him to play a bit of a scumbag. InJohn Carpenter’sBig Trouble in Little China, he is likable but brash and stupid, managing a balance between idiocy and (often accidental) heroism that plays to all of his strengths.Used Carsdoes a similar thing by allowing his charm to be put on display as part of a sleazy act by a character who is inherently dishonest in most of his interactions.
Russell plays the archetype of slimy car dealer perfectly, with overplayed charisma and extremely desperate physical gags like putting a literal dollar bill on a fishing line to lure customers closer to his cars.Russel’s character is heightened, like a car lot’s version ofSaul Goodman. Russell is a fantastic lead in nearly any context, but he knows just the right dials to hit for comedic performances.Used Carshas slipped through the cracks over the yearsas Zemeckis has found massive pop-culture successwith films likeForrest Gump, but this film is one of his best. Russell’s performance alone is worth your time. As far as 1980s comedies go, you can do a lot worse than this one.
