This had been, years ago, one of my favorites, but I hadn't had a chance to see it for many years until it cropped up on one of the cable movie channels recently. As a comedy, it certainly is never going to rank up there with Philadelphia Story or Young Frankenstein, but it is still worth seeing. It is definitely, as has been mentioned in this space, a product of its day, providing a very cynical commentary on civic institutions. It often appears a tad dated. However, as has been pointed out, it is probably the best movie that Bill Cosby ("Mother") - with his uncanny ability to pick lousy scripts - ever made, and he shines in it. It is one of Harvey Keitel's ("Speed") earliest movies, and we see here that his choice of making slightly off-the-wall movies was in evidence early. The fine character actor Allen Garfield puts in a fine performance as Harvey Fishbine, and it's great to see the late Larry Hagman in a well-played black sheep role. I wish I could say that we can see some sign of talent from Raquel Welch ("Jugs", natch), but honesty prevents me. As others have noted, the movie is indeed episodic, but a lot of those episodes are wonderfully done, my favorite being the attempt to bring the obscenely obese woman down the stairs on the gurney.
Review of Mother, Jugs & Speed
