Film

The Cannonball Run

Name: The Cannonball Run
Genre: Action, Comedy, Family
Released: 1981
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin

Car-chase action
Comedy
Light-hearted
Relentless

A gloriously overstuffed cross-country road race movie where the plot is barely an excuse for an all-star ensemble to do their thing. Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and a small army of famous faces careen across America in cars, disguises and complete chaos. It's pure '80s excess: loud, silly, gleefully undisciplined, and utterly shameless about just wanting you to have fun.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy loose, gag-driven road comedy where the fun comes from elaborate disguises and a parade of star-studded vehicles, and you don't mind the plot serving only as a clothesline.

Skip it if you need sharp jokes or a story that tightens as it goes; much of the humour is broad, and the running gags repeat more than they build.

What it asks of you: A brisk, episodic ride of about an hour and a half, light in tone and happy to let attention drift between set-pieces without costing much.

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

If you liked this

Smokey and the Bandit1977

The Burt Reynolds template for this exact kind of thing: a cross-country drive, CB radio banter, car chases, and an outlaw spirit. Reynolds is relaxed and charming, and the stunt work is genuinely impressive.

But The plot is tissue-thin and the pacing meanders. It also feels very much like a 1977 film in ways that haven't aged into charm.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963

The spiritual ancestor: an ensemble comedy where the journey matters more than any destination, built on star power, slapstick, and an almost reckless commitment to spectacle and gags.

But At nearly three hours with an intermission, it's exhausting rather than breezy. The humour is broad and occasionally mean-spirited in ways that feel dated.

Six-String Samurai1998

Another post-apocalyptic road movie built on style, eclectic humour, and the joy of watching a stranger navigate a world of weirdos. It has the same anarchic energy and willingness to lurch between tones.

But It's far scrappier and weirder than you might expect from the premise. The tone whiplash will lose some people entirely.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Cannonball Run

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Vanishing Point1971

Both are about cross-country drives and the freedom of the open road, but one celebrates it as spectacle and fun while the other treats it as a metaphor for inevitable doom. They're the same journey viewed from opposite moral registers.

The dark mirror of the road race film: a driver crosses the country pursued by forces he barely understands, in a genuine thriller built on long takes, existential dread, and the American landscape. It has the same obsession with driving and velocity but takes it seriously.

But It's slow, repetitive by design, and deeply pessimistic. If you want Cannonball's laugh-out-loud chaos, this will feel glacial and punishing.

National Lampoon's Vacation1983

Chevy Chase's family road trip is similarly episodic and stacked with character actors. It finds genuine poignancy under the absurdity while staying committed to the comedy.

But It's gentler and more interested in emotional beats than pure chaos. If you want anarchic spectacle, this won't deliver it.

The Gypsy Moths1969

Burt Reynolds in a more serious register, but with the same easy charisma and an ensemble of strong character actors riffing off each other across a road narrative.

But It's a character study about loneliness and masculine drift. Expecting anything like Cannonball Run's tone would be a mistake.

The Italian Job1969

A heist with similar ensemble charm, star power, and a commitment to spectacle and fun. Michael Caine leads a crack team through a precisely choreographed caper that prioritizes character and style.

But The plotting is tighter and more serious, and the comedy serves the story rather than overwhelming it. Less chaos, more craft.

Viva Las Vegas1964

Elvis in a lightweight, star-studded road comedy that's more interested in charm, music and visual glamour than coherent storytelling. Pure entertainment machinery.

But It's thin as tissue and dated in ways that actively harm the experience. The gender politics are ugly.

The Blues Brothers1980

A musical road movie with similar ensemble energy, a who's-who of celebrity cameos, and genuine affection for the performers and the form. The stunts are outrageous and the spirit is joyful.

But It's much longer than it needs to be and occasionally grinds to a halt for extended musical numbers. The Chicago setting feels overly sentimental.

Herbie Fully Loaded2005

A car-based family adventure that understands the appeal of episodic fun and doesn't pretend to be anything more than charm and stunt work strung together.

But It's aggressively corporate and hollow. There's no personality underneath the formula, and it feels like it was made by marketing research.

Duel1971

Both use the American highway and ordinary vehicles as the stage, but Duel weaponizes the road itself. Where Cannonball is about the joy of speed, Duel is about being hunted by it.

Spielberg's debut is a taut, paranoiac road thriller where a man is hunted across the American landscape by a malevolent truck. It's stripped-down and gripping, with Cannonball's love of vehicles but mounted in a genuine survival narrative.

But It's tense rather than fun, and the metaphorical weight will feel pretentious if you're expecting a romp. The claustrophobia works against the freedom Cannonball celebrates.

Mad Max: Fury Road2015

Both prioritize the act of driving itself over narrative coherence, and both understand that cars are cinema. Cannonball is joyful chaos; Fury Road is joyful violence. Same engine, different fuel.

A chase film that is pure kinetic energy and visual storytelling: two hours of vehicles, stunt work, and minimal dialogue, all mounted with obsessive precision. It has Cannonball's commitment to vehicular spectacle but strips away everything else.

But There's no plot beyond movement, and no ensemble riffing. If you want character or dialogue or jokes, this is a two-hour assault of sound and motion.