On this day July 11, 1980, Used Cars premiered in theaters and brought outrageous satire to the world of shady car dealerships. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Bob Gale and Steven Spielberg, the film starred Kurt Russell as Rudy Russo, a fast talking salesman with dreams of becoming a politician. Jack Warden played dual roles as rival dealership owners, with strong support from Gerrit Graham and Deborah Harmon.
Packed with absurd gags, foul mouthed humor, and biting commentary on sales culture, Used Cars was bold, brash, and unapologetically over the top. It became a cult favorite over time thanks to its rapid fire pace and Russell’s charismatic lead performance. Though it only earned 11.7 million dollars against an 8 million dollar budget, the film developed a loyal fan base on cable and home video.
Revisit the movie in our Used Cars thread.
80s insight: Used Cars captured the cynical spirit of early 80s comedy and showed that even a movie about clunkers could run on pure chaos.
Packed with absurd gags, foul mouthed humor, and biting commentary on sales culture, Used Cars was bold, brash, and unapologetically over the top. It became a cult favorite over time thanks to its rapid fire pace and Russell’s charismatic lead performance. Though it only earned 11.7 million dollars against an 8 million dollar budget, the film developed a loyal fan base on cable and home video.
Revisit the movie in our Used Cars thread.
80s insight: Used Cars captured the cynical spirit of early 80s comedy and showed that even a movie about clunkers could run on pure chaos.
