The former movie star, Vic Edwards, is living quietly in retirement in Los Angeles. Burt Reynolds plays the aging actor who is venerated by a back-alley movie cult in Nashville that repeatedly shows his films outdoors on a foldup screen. Their hero is Edwards (really Burt Reynolds himself) and movie clips of “Deliverance” and “Smokey and the Bandit” flick irreverently throughout.
The group’s leader Doug (Clark Duke) is serious about having Edwards as the guest of honor at the ad hoc “festival” he is promoting. Edwards’ best friend Sonny (Chevy Chase) encourages Edwards to take the trip to receive the recognition. “What’s he gotta lose?”
Doug promises Edwards accommodations and transportation in Nashville, which turn out to be Motel 6 and an ancient, battered sedan chauffeured by fast talking, uninterested Lil (Ariel Winter). Lil is more concerned about her boyfriend cheating (he is) than transporting Edwards.
Edwards proves to be the calming force over all the troubled waters. The movie is charming, interesting and a perfect “dramedy,”accorded by us critics. See this movie now playing at the Rialto Theatre in The Villages.
Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com
