Semi-Tough (1977)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Billy Clyde Puckett	Burt Reynolds
Shake Tiller	Kris Kristofferson
Barbara Jane Bookman	Jill Clayburgh	½
Big Ed Bookman	Robert Preston
Friedrich Bismarck	Bert Convy	½
Clara Pelf	Lotte Lenya
Phillip Hooper	Richard Masur
Dreamer Tatum	Carl Weathers
T. J. Lambert	Brian Dennehy	½
Vlada	Ron Silver

Review

This at times fuzzy and unfocused comedy struggles with trivialities until it settles in on a series of spoofs on the contemporary phenomena of different conscious-raising, quasi-philosophical existential movements that found its way to the celebrity scene in the 1970s. The Kristofferson character is the tool (which eventually makes his role quite ungrateful) and his roomie, teammate and long-time buddy Burt Reynolds, is his unpretentious opposite. The love triangle is lightweight and not even very charming, but the tone of the film is brilliant, and the dialogue is at times hilarious. Director Ritchie hasn't got the best of command of his work, but he provides a delightfully baffling quality to his storytelling that emphasises the film's clever satire. In the end though, it is all down to Burt's charm and buoyancy. He walks through this film portraying both jealousy and despair without even being close to exposing himself. It would be disrespectful to actually call it acting, but he is darn brilliant.