Film

Gus

Name: Gus
Genre: Comedy, Family
Released: 1976
Cast: Ed Asner, Don Knotts, Gary Grimes, Tim Conway, Louise Williams

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1976 Disney comedy about a mule who becomes a placekicker for a struggling professional football team. It's broad, wholesome, and built on the premise that a mule can kick a hundred-yard field goal. Perfect for families seeking uncomplicated fun with a cast of beloved character actors enjoying themselves thoroughly.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you have a soft spot for shaggy, underdog sports comedies from the 1970s, where a ridiculous premise is played completely straight by a veteran cast.

Skip it if the gags lean on pratfalls and broad mugging, and the sweetness is laid on thick, so if you want sharp, modern wit, it may feel creaky.

What it asks of you: Ninety-six minutes, light and brisk, with no real stakes beyond the next gag; it asks you to surrender to the silliness and not ask questions about the premise.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Bad News Bears1976

Released the same year as Gus, this scrappy underdog sports comedy has a similar screwball energy and belief that misfits can triumph through sheer heart and luck. Tatum O'Neal's presence brings real edge.

But It's rougher around the edges than Gus, with language and cynicism that might surprise you if you're expecting pure Disney sentimentality.

Heaven Can Wait1978

Warren Beatty's charming fantasy about a footballer given a second chance shares Gus's optimistic, fantastical tone and its faith that goodness and belief can overcome any obstacle, even cosmic ones.

But It's more romantic and philosophical than Gus, with less slapstick and more Warren Beatty gazing thoughtfully into the middle distance.

Paper Lion1968

Alan Alda infiltrates a professional football team and discovers he doesn't belong there. It's a gentle, funny sports comedy with real affection for its characters and the absurdity of the setup.

But The humor is quieter and more character-driven than Gus's broad animal-based comedy, which may feel slow if you're seeking constant visual gags.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gus

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sylvester1985

Both insist that an animal can be the solution to a human problem (a losing team) without irony or winking; both are absolutely committed to their absurd central conceit in the way only children's cinema and genuine dreamers can be.

Carroll Ballard's visually stunning film about a teenage girl trying to ride a horse to Grand National glory. It's a sports movie built entirely around the bond between human and animal, with no cynicism and total commitment to the ridiculous-sounding premise.

But It's elegiac and meditative rather than comedic; audiences expecting laughs will find themselves in a entirely different emotional register, watching a film that treats the horse's inner life with total seriousness.

Animal House1978

Chaotic, anarchic comedy about misfits taking on an institution. Like Gus, it finds comedy in underdogs defying the system, though the tone and target audience are entirely different.

But It's raunchy, profane, and morally unscrupulous in ways Gus could never be. Not a family film, and the humor lands very differently.

Herbie Rides Again1974

Another Disney property where an inanimate object (a sentient car) becomes the team member. Same era, same studio sensibility, same faith that the impossible can happen with enough heart.

But It's essentially the same premise, which makes it less a discovery and more a well-worn path back to familiar ground.

Superdad1973

Bob Crane in a Disney comedy about a father trying to connect with his daughter through increasingly absurd schemes. Captures that mid-70s Disney earnestness and willingness to embrace the ridiculous.

But The gender politics are dated and the humor relies on slapstick and misunderstanding in ways that haven't aged gracefully.

The Apple Dumpling Gang1975

Tim Conway and Don Knotts in a Disney western caper (Knotts also appears in Gus). Same gentle, bumbling charm and family-friendly energy, with actual stakes beneath the comedy.

But The pacing drags in places and the plot meanders more than Gus's straightforward sports arc, testing patience for slow-burn humor.

The Strongest Man in the World1975

Kurt Russell in a Disney comedy about a college student who gains super-strength from experimental cereal. It's got the same earnest, silly premise-driven humor and faith in the goodness of its characters.

But The special effects are primitive even by 1970s standards, and the romance subplot slows the action considerably.

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes1969

Kurt Russell again, but in an earlier Disney film where a teen accidentally becomes a human computer. It's the spiritual ancestor of this era's Disney comedies, with charm and genuine creativity in the execution.

But It's slower and more dependent on 1960s special effects and sensibilities, which can feel quaint even compared to Gus's straightforward mule-kicking premise.

Pumping Iron1977

Both are 1970s sports films obsessed with an unlikely underdog taking on an establishment sport, but where Gus is pure fantasy comfort, Pumping Iron is gritty reality—two different versions of the same redemptive sports narrative.

Documentary following Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno preparing for the Mr. Olympia competition. It's the genuine article—real stakes, real obsession, real bodies. Like Gus, it's about an outsider (Ferrigno, deaf and excluded) trying to prove himself against an establishment.

But It's a documentary, not a fictional comedy, and it's deeply concerned with the vanity and brutality of bodybuilding. The tone is clinical and sometimes uncomfortable rather than warm or funny.

People

Gus

Where to watch

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Checked 16 October 2026. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Age rating

Gin United States

Ratings come from the people who assign them in each country, and they do not mean the same thing in any two. We show the one given where you are.

Released: 1976
Genre: Comedy, Family
Status: Released
Runtime: 96 min