Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

Preceded by: Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Succeeded by: Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Bandit	Burt Reynolds	½
Sherrif Buford T. Justice	Jackie Gleason
Cledus Snow	Jerry Reed	½
Dr. Frederico "Doc" Carlucci	Dom DeLuise
Carrie/"Frog"	Sally Field	½
Little Enos Burdette	Paul Williams
Big Enos Burdette	Pat McCormick
Junior Justice	Mike Henry

Review

It's sad to see a successful and highly original formula being milked dry of all the juice it once had, even if the filmmakers' motivation was just as much to have fun as to make money. Smokey and the Bandit II sets up an almost identical premise to the original, adds an elephant and Dom DeLuise, and hopes the performers' charisma will do the rest. At first glance, the film might seem like fun, but this time the fun is superficial and gimmickry. It stems from a desire to copy a winning formula, but without the spontaneity that made the first Smokey so great. It's much like trying to recreate that fun trip you had in your youth after you've grown up and settled. The result is a film with no sting or relevance, and even Burt seems dejected by what he's involved in. I guess it's safe to say that this was the beginning of the decline for the Needham/Reynolds partnership.