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Moving Violations (1985)


Commentaries on this disc:

Commentary 1: Director Neal Israel Rating:7.0/10 (1 vote) [graph]Login to vote or review
Reviewed by frankasu03 on February 9th, 2016:Find all reviews by frankasu03
It's fairly obvious that Director Israel has not seen "Moving Violations" in the twenty years between the release and this recording of the DVD commentary. Neal admits as much right off the bat, and states that he has a difficult time revisiting films he has made. Given the quick turnaround from initial script-pitch to completion in just 6 months, that's not much of a surprise. Throw in 3 weeks of "Night Shooting," and you can forgive the guy for forgetting that Don Cheadle has a cameo in his film. But, patience does indeed pay off for attentive listeners. When Neal can recall the shooting locations, you get a nice "travelogue" of the greater Los Angeles area during the mid-80s. Stories pour forth on working with James Keach, Sally Kellerman, and the "Where's the Beef?" Lady herself, Clara Peller, as well as the near casting of Michael J. Fox (considered too young by the producers). The "Music Man" himself Robert Conrad regretted passing on "Police Academy," and jumped at the chance to star in "Moving Violations." Set in "Birch County," where the "Future is Now!" Violations certainly didn't win the filmmakers the "key to the city." "Violations" recalls the ineptitude of the "Keystone Cops" from yesteryear. That the film came after the huge success of "Bachelor Party," and 'Academy' suggested the same level of success. But, as Israel notes, this type of comedy may have oversaturated the market by this point. All in all, a fairly good solo commentary, with some "blind spots" that defensive drivers, or listeners in this case, should be aware of. 6.5/10