The Big Bus (1976)

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Directed by James Frawley.

Starring René Auberjonois, Ned Beatty, John Beck, Joseph Bologna, Stockard Channing.

The Big Bus is set aboard a nonstop, nuclear-powered luxury bus commandeered by Joseph Bologna. Naturally, Bologna is a tortured hero with a deep dark secret (he keeps insisting he didn't eat all those passengers on his last disastrous drive). Stockard Channing and Harold Gould play the designers of the big bus, and of course they have a few skeletons in their closet. In fact, there isn't a passenger on the all-star manifest that isn't hiding something. The supporting cast features contributions by René Auberjonois (parodying his M*A*S*H role), Ned Beatty, José Ferrer, Ruth Gordon (doing a devastating send-up of Airport's Helen Hayes), Sally Kellerman, Richard Mulligan, and many others; Murphy Dunne contributes a memorable bit as a smarmy cocktail pianist. Unfortunately, The Big Bus was dumped onto the summer 1976 release schedule without fanfare by Paramount, and it sank without a trace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

lost interest.

The Big Bus predates such Jerry Zucker-Jim Abrahams-David Zucker offerings as Airplane! and The Naked Gun but is conceptually very much in the same mold as these later off-kilter spoofs. What it lacks is the inspired zaniness of the ZAZ films, settling under James Frawley's competent-but-no-more direction for an amiable silliness. While there are a lot of chuckles (and plenty of good-natured groaners), the laughs don't come as fast and as frequently as they need to, and Frawley can't make the visual gags big enough to really pay off. There's also a big problem with the end of the film, in that it seems to just stop. In this kind of movie, a huge pay-off is absolutely essential, and its absence is keenly felt. That said, the general goodwill and silliness of the movie is contagious, and there are a number of wonderful moments (a bar brawl with a milk carton, René Auberjonois stealing a seat from Ruth Gordon and sneering "Where is your God now, old woman?") that stick with the viewer. And the large demi-star cast is quite good; Gordon deserves special praise, but all of the actors are right on the money. The Big Bus won't be a totally satisfying trip for many people, but there are some that will find its charms irresistible. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

Tags: bus , disaster , journey , misfit , nuclear
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