A simple and cheesy movie from the 70’s, specifically 1976, Silver Streak is an easily forgettable comedy that paired Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder up for the first time. I expected some more laughs out of this flick but will do with the few that I got. It is probably because I expected more out of Wilder and Pryor, but, hey, they can’t all be great; right?
- Wilder and Pryor
This comedy was about Wilder getting caught up in a train murder because one guy was going to expose the other as a fraud. Needless to say, the story goes from there with Wilder being thrown from the trail multiple times, leading him on an adventure in an attempt to get back on the train and save the girl. On his way, he meets a handful of quirky characters, one of which becomes his partner in crime in future movies. I should say that this movie boils down to two concepts: saving the girl and, if possible, preventing a murder.
The one thing that surprised me about this film was some of the unexpected cast members. Many of the older actors of today were, obviously, once young as well, but it is obvious that I missed out on their younger years. This movie featured a young Fred Willard who does a pretty pathetic acting job, but I won’t beat him down because I don’t like him for his great acting, just his attempts to be funny…like when he plays Will Ferrell’s boss in Anchorman. Another random surprise was Richard Kiel’s appearance. Like myself, most of you probably know him as Mr. Larson, the guy with a nail in his head in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore; he played a tall, dimwitted thug with a mouth full of gold teeth. That is all I have to say about him.
Anyway, I would say this movie was one of those “filler comedies,” meaning, that the studio needed to release a movie on a Friday because nothing else was being released so they decided it was time to make a little money. Overall, it was nothing special with not much to offer except a few cheap laughs. I would only recommend it if you have an attraction to any of Pryor or Wilder’s work and are trying to finish watching every movie they ever made.
Rating— A nothing special time-filler with a few laughs in between
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