Used Cars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Used Cars Blu-ray Movie Review

Lemon aid.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 25, 2014

What does go on when the car salesman tells a prospective client he needs to consult with his manager before approving any deal? Do the two employees simply sit in a back room laughing and enjoying a drink or a smoke while smirking over the fact that the customer is out in the waiting room sweating bullets? Or do they pore over spreadsheets to actually determine what their margin is and what kind of sales price they can live with? What happens after the customer arrives is only part of the machinating going on at the New Deal Used Car Lot, a place whose name seems to evoke the noblest aspirations of a society trying to help its least fortunate citizens, but whose reality actually is considerably more mendacious and mundane. The film lets us in on the fact that the workers on the lot, including salesman Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell), are not above making certain—well, adjustments to various vehicles to make them seem more marketable, even though any prospective buyer with a jaundiced enough eye would be able to see that none of the cars is anything to write—or drive—home about. George Bernard Shaw famously opined “politics is the last resort of the scoundrel”, but in the case of Rudy, used car sales is the penultimate refuge, one that he hopes will bring him enough ready cash to buy his way into his local state senate. In one fell swoop the screenplay by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis quite brilliantly links two of the most disparaged occupations in American culture, while simultaneously letting us know that Rudy is a guy on the make—or make and model, as the case may be. Like most used car salesmen (or at least the public’s perception of them), Rudy is slick, overly friendly, an armchair psychologist and probably the most insincere person you’re likely to meet. Strangely, though, he’s still rather likable, and his overt fondness for his gruff boss Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden) may be one of his few saving graces. Used Cars sets up a cartoonish competition between Luke and his twin brother Roy L. Fuchs (also played by Jack Warden), a scheming would be politico who owns a lot across the street from New Deal Used Cars, with a comic Chinatown-esque subplot that involves freeway access rather than water rights. This was only Robert Zemeckis’ second film as a writer-director (after I Wanna Hold Your Hand and then working as scribe on Steven Spielberg’s 1941), and it shows an artist still developing his style and voice. Used Cars is an uneasy comedy at times, one that is never as rude and obnoxious as the National Lampoon outings, especially somewhat contemporary outings like National Lampoon's Animal House, but it has something of the same anarchic tone as the magazine inspired films.

When Luke agrees to lend Rudy the rest of the cash he needs to line various politicians’ pockets in order to ascend to the state senate, everything seems to be set for a conflict free film. But of course Roy L. Fuchs, a character who seems like an odd mash up of Boss Hogg and Snidely Whiplash, has other plans. Despite his cash which has already lined the pockets of local politicians, Roy finds out that a prized freeway ramp is going to be located on his property, rather than Luke’s, as he thought he had paid to make happen. That stunning development of course sets Roy on an obsessive quest to attain his brother’s property, which will soon be the most covetable used car lot in town. When Roy notices Luke having an issue with his heart, he hatches a scheme to push his brother off the metaphorical deep end without a life jacket.

And it’s here that Used Cars shows a certain ambivalence of tone, something that may have hurt it at the time of its theatrical release. The audience has already grown quite fond of Luke, so when Roy has his chief henchman more or less abduct Luke in a beautiful 1957 Chevy he’s been restoring, with the bad guy destroying the car in front of Luke’s ailing eyes, the sequence actually comes off as a little horrifying rather than grossly funny. Even the “punchline” of this segment, while relatively more effective than the preceding moments, may leave the audience feeling a little confused. When a milquetoast male customer has found some temporary mojo and is insisting that Rudy approach Luke for an extra $50 off the already agreed upon sales price, Rudy guilt trips the guy by saying it will probably give Luke a stroke. A mortally frightened Luke of course stumbles out of the Chevy right at that moment, looking for all the world like he is indeed having a stroke, which of course freaks the customer out. But then—Luke dies (this is not much of a spoiler, happening quite early in the film). Suddenly the tone lurches precariously close to pathos again, something that seems to undercut the juvenile, almost Zucker-Abrams like, edge of the humor.

A somewhat similar combination of the somewhat shocking with the hilarious is put to much greater use later in the film when it’s integrated with a bit of typical “snake oil salesman” plotting. Rudy’s kind of slimy cohort Jeff (Gerritt Graham) carries around an adorable dog named Toby that he uses to ingratiate himself with various customers. Jeff has also trained Cody to aid in a scheme where potential clients are guilt tripped into instantly buying a car. Here Used Cars strikes just the right balance of snarky but endearing humor. A third act plot development where Luke’s estranged daughter Barbara (Deborah Harmon) shows up seems taped on to the proceedings in order to give it some rom-com leanings that this otherwise male dominated outing doesn’t provide. And the whole subplot (one of many) involving breaking into various broadcasts to deliver unexpected car commercials wastes Michael McKean and David Lander basically reprising Lenny and Squiggy in slightly different garb.

Used Cars is actually funniest when it isn’t trying so hard to attain a certain manic and lunatic quality. One of the most authentic laughs in the film is a rather subtle one, when Rudy has a momentary tinge of conscience with Barbara, letting her peek into his actual heart for a moment, something he feels is “safe” since she’s going to be out of the picture within seconds. When Barbara reconsiders her decision to leave, Zemeckis focuses on a crestfallen Rudy, who stares in disbelief right at the camera, realizing he’s blown his cover with someone who is sticking around. It’s a quietly effective moment of insight into a flawed but sweetly likable character who might actually convince you to buy a used car from him.

Used Cars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Used Cars is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This baby looks like it was only screened once by a little old lady at a church social function, considering the lack of blemishes afflicting the elements (sorry, couldn't resist that verbiage). Colors are accurate looking if not always abundantly saturated and the transfer retains a completely organic appearance, with a fine but noticeable layer of grain. While contrast is quite strong, the film's nighttime sequences suffer from moderate crush at times—the "disco" scene is a notable one, with some of the dancers' hair pretty much disappearing into the dusky desert nighttime sky. While this is generally a fairly soft looking presentation, it's a solid rendering of the original film experience and should please the film's fans.

Used Cars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Used Cars comes well stocked with both a repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix recreating the film's original sound design. The sound effects are considerably more present in the 5.1 mix, especially in sequences like the abduction in the 57 Chevy. Patrick Williams' score is splayed rather modestly but still noticeably around the surrounds. The dialogue is very cleanly presented and neither track shows any sign of damage or any other issues.

Used Cars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gag Reel and Outtakes (480i; 4:25) features pretty shoddy video quality.


• Radio and TV Promotional Materials include:

  Kurt Russell Darner Chrysler Commercial (480i; 00:32). You probably shouldn't buy a used car from this man.

  Kurt Russell Radio Interview (5:02)

  Radio Spots (7:51) offers seven ads.

• Galleries include:

  Action and Stunts (1080p)

  Unused Ad Concepts (1080p)

  Behind the Scenes (1080p)

  Posters and Lobby Cards (1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:50)


• Audio Commentary with Director Robert Zemeckis, Writer Bob Gale and Actor Kurt Russell. If these guys could stop laughing long enough, more information might have been imparted. Seriously, though, this is a lot of fun to listen to, with Zemeckis and Gale obviously only too aware of how a paltry budget and inexperience led to some spotty results at times.


• Isolated Score Track (The Film Score). The vagaries of music fame are resoundingly hard to fathom at times. Case in point: Patrick Williams, certainly one of the most formidably talented composers and (especially) orchestrators of his era, and yet one whose accomplishments are sadly underappreciated. I had the immense pleasure of hearing Williams and his jazz band when I was a kid and it literally changed my life (if you've never heard Williams' Grammy winning Threshold album, try to find it). Williams' music if not his name is well known to Boomers, who grew up to his themes for The Bob Newhart Show and his music supervision of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Williams is still criminally underrepresented on CD, including his glorious An American Concerto, whose lack of an uncompressed digital release is actually kind of shameful. Williams traffics in some of his trademarks here, including wonderful quasi-Baroque flourishes in the brass and winds, as well as providing a nice country-western twang to some cues.


• Isolated Score Track (The Unused Score). This music was written by Exodus' Ernest Gold, whose take on the material is quite different from Williams'.

Used Cars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Used Cars has some fantastically funny bits, but it never quite gels as the (literally) killer comedy it might have been under more experienced hands. The performances are top notch and the film's sweet tone help to ameliorate some of the less successful moments, and overall the film provides a rambunctious good time. This Blu-ray offers solid technical merits and some good supplements. Recommended.