ThrillMessage
There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
Rexanne
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
dolly_the_ye-ye_bird
Time travelers traveling to 1776 get inadvertently dropped in 1976 instead. Hilarity, bell bottoms and leisure suits ensue. I haven't seen this film in years. It's one of those forgotten classics that, for some reason, never makes it onto television anymore. Yes, it's silly. Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it's not Masterpiece Theatre. But if you want a film that is just plain fun then this is it. One of my favourite aspects of the film are all the cameos...and starring roles....that are filled by established actors, both from the time the film is set (David Cassidy, Leif Garrett, Rob Reiner, Tommy Chong) and also from the late '80s/early '90s when it was filmed (Chanel 9 is the sister from The Wonder Years). The most annoying thing about the movie are the two guys helping the visitors from the future. I don't know much about Redd Kross, their band, but their acting ability was a bit shoddy. But considering the intentional cheesy atmosphere of the film, maybe that was the point? There are a lot of jabs, loving of course, taken at '70s pop culture: Pintos blowing up, gas lines, The Hustle. What fun! The soundtrack is fantastic: The Carpenters, Grand Funk, Afternoon Delight. I wasn't around for the '70s, but this movie makes me wish I could have been...and kind of makes me feel like I was! 8/10
MovieMarauder
I never got to experience the 70's myself (I was born in '84), but this movie really makes me long for that bygone era. The first time I saw this film, I was just a kid, maybe 5 or 6, and I loved it from the start. Now that I'm older, I realize this movie is about the campiest thing I've ever seen, but it's still just as fun to watch. The platform shoes, 8-track cassettes, AMC Pacers, and bicentennial bongs will all serve to transport you into that beloved decade of excess and extravagance. This movie is packed with nutty, over-the-top characters who serve as caricatures for all of the diverse lifeforms the 70's produced. Smarmy science fare nerds, early mallrats, happy stoners, middle-aged yuppies seeking self-improvement, and those poor, restless creatures perpetually afflicted with Boogie Fever. This is a movie John Waters could have and should have had a hand in. A clever, skewed portrait of life in the 70's. Gee, I REALLY missed out on a lot!!!
Infofreak
I'd love to be able to say that 'Spirit of 76' is a forgotten comedy classic that desperately needs to be re-evaluated in these post-'Wayne's World'/'Austin Powers'/'That 70s Show' times, but sadly it really isn't all that funny. Still, I own a copy and watch it occasionally and get a few laughs out of it, so it isn't TOTALLY useless.People who will enjoy it the most will be Redd Kross fans, as the fabulous McDonald brothers co-star. Perhaps the movie would have been better if they'd contributed to the script as well? They certainly know the territory better than most!Anyway, you've got some silly clothes, a few obvious digs at the fads of the era, some enjoyable disco and metal on the soundtrack, and best of all a really eclectic supporting cast (Devo!). Maybe that's enough. Sometimes you just need some dumb fun...
hotbread
Whoever came up with this concept deserves an award of some kind. Time travelers from the future need to visit 1776 to learn vital information about the founding of the nation. Unfortunately, something goes wrong, and the explorers wind up in 1976 instead -- without realizing it! Something didn't quite make it in the implementation, though. Maybe it is the obviously rock-bottom budget. Throughout the movie, you are acutely aware that you are watching a movie set with a few Gremlins and Pintos parked here and there. Also, the decision to cast some 70's heartthrobs (Cassidy and Garrett) as major characters was interesting, but these guys are not exactly Academy Award material, if you know what I mean. However, there are some pretty entertaining scenes, including Rob Reiner as the insane leader of an "est"-like cult.
