Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely Fantastic

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Occasionally, one comes across a movie that just has a unique "feel" to it that's different from almost anything else, so that one knows the movie almost immediately after turning it on. "Apocalypse Now," "Blue Velvet," and "Django Unchained" are three movies I can think of offhand which fit this description. Comedies like this are rare to find, but "Cold Turkey" definitely qualifies. Helmed by a true pioneer of culturally hyper-conscious storytelling, Norman Lear (All in the Family, Maude, Good Times), this is a movie with a threadbare plot and setting which nonetheless manages to satirically portray America as it was in the post-WWII era and still is to some extent.Sure, comparisons to Mel Brooks comedies of the era are inevitable, but unlike Brooks, this movie manages to get under one's skin in an uncomfortable but funny way. Lear clearly understands what makes Americans tick - their follies, fantasies, indulgences, and pettiness, and he isn't afraid to go for the jugular with his jokes. I'm sure this is the reason this movie was shelved by producers for two years and never got a proper theatrical, VHS or even DVD release. After all, this movie basically prophesies the end of the tobacco industry, which would be forced years later to pay millions for TV commercials telling kids not to smoke and touting its community service record.What's also so strange is that though this movie has a wide-array of famous comedians and satirists of the era, its barbed sensibilities are totally at home in today's "Daily Show" world. In fact, I would guess that Seth MacFarlane has probably been inspired by this movie, as its plot line and style are very close to "Family Guy" in its utter contempt for American lifestyles. He even makes fun of the film's composer, Randy Newman, in an early episode of that show. All-in-all, a must-see for fans of true American satire. Twain would approve.

I watched this film several times on television before I finally came to love it. I have come to measure films on their own terms, not necessarily my idealized ones. The movie is extravagantly playful with polemical outbursts and subtle undertone as well. The image of the town doctor with a pacifier is, perhaps, my favourite icon, a simple, silly, but funny one. How being on the cover of a national news magazine trumps realization by the pastor of how shallow the town is a lovely motif. I liked the pastor's desire to serve in Dearborn, Michigan as a desirable goal. I think that Pippa Scott's character defines the reality behind the story. Her pastor's wife is a fine work. Again, this is a movie I did not see when it was first released and would not have seen. That was my loss; for what it is, this is fine entertainment. Tgibbs279 gets this one right on target.

I saw this movie on HBO. It gives a dated look at smoking, which is interesting. It's interesting that even back in '71, big tobacco is the enemy. I'd be interested to see what they would do with this premise in a modern movie.While it's cute in some areas (the rev. and the wife dealing with nicotine withdrawal by "engaging in the act of physical love" constantly), I left feeling a little let down. The ending seems rushed and I'm not really sure what the moral is. The town quits smoking, but then ends up in a greed-infested society. And in the end, they get a missile plant that causes more pollution than a town of smokers couldn't possibly compete with. So is this a movie that we should quit smoking? Cuz it seems that the town got only more problems when it did that.But on the other hand, the scenes with the town coping with nicotine withdrawal are some of the most humorous I've seen in an old movie. My guess is that this movie opened the door on attacking smoking, but didn't have the gumption to take it all the way. It's interesting to note that big tobacco is already fingered in taking some of the blame in the smoking epidemic - I didn't realize that so early on they were already seen as a culprit.I give this movie a 7 because for the majority of it, I enjoyed myself. I am surprised that I haven't heard more about it around, but I'm not surprised that it's not on DVD. I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for something cutesy, dated, and not too deep.

A tobacco company gives out an announcement--they will give 25 million dollars to any town where everybody stops smoking for 30 days. They figure no town can do this and it will give their company free publicity. The pastor (Dick van Dyke) of a VERY small town called Eagle Rock convinces the townspeople that they need the money and can stop smoking. Will they make it? I saw this as a kid (I was 9) at a Saturday matinée with a theatre full of kids my age. We hated it! I remembered the movie and the message but when you're 9 you want action and adventure. We were bored and restless. Seeing it again over 30 years later I like it a lot. It's not a film for kids but a satire for adults. The movie is actually pretty funny (seeing everybody trying to give up smoking is great) and the cast is fantastic. I was never a fan of van Dyke but I must admit he was very good in this movie. His character is not perfect--he's somewhat cold and cynical (especially to his wife) and van Dyke pulls it off. Barnard Hughes is hysterical as a doctor who almost goes crazy trying to give up smoking. It's also fun seeing Jean Stapleton in a (somewhat) serious role and using her normal voice. And Bob Newhart is amusing as a tobacco company executive.Some of the comedy doesn't work--the jokes about Walter Cronk (obviously doing Walter Cronkite) will go over the heads of younger viewers and I could have lived without the little old lady swearing (quite a bit for a PG film). I also found the ending VERY depressing (but that's sort of the point) and the fate of three characters is left up in the air. This bombed in its initial release but it was probably a little too strong for its time--I think it plays very well today. Worth catching.