The Spirit of '76 (1990)

A trio of time travelers -- laid-back time machine inventor Adam-11 (affable David Cassidy), the foxy, but uptight Chanel-6 (winningly played by the gorgeous Olivia d'Abo) and earnest Henz-57 (solid Geoff Hoyle) -- from 2176 go back 200 years to 1976 in order to save the drab future. Jeff and Steve McDonald of Red Kross fame are hilarious as two hip teenagers who help the threesome with their desperate mission. Writer/director Lucas Reiner expertly crafts a loving, lively, and often immensely funny ode to the gloriously tacky'n'tasteless 70's and all the amusingly ridiculous fads which made that particular era so uniquely gaudy, silly, and embarrassing: such things as mood rings, pop rocks, beanbag chairs, the hideous hairstyles and even worse ugly clothes (remember leisure suits, halter tops, and unsightly loud shirts with ghastly mile wide collars?), choice cheesy songs like "Afternoon Delight" and "Kung-Fu Fighting" on the soundtrack, goofy slang ("*Fill-in-the-blank* city!"), groovy disco dancing, 8-track players, and touchy-feely pretentious New Age hogwash are all present and accounted for. Leif Garrett is sheer smarmy perfection as slimy disco stud muffin on wheels Eddie Trogan while Liam O'Brien contributes a suitably obnoxious turn as meddlesome twerp Rodney Snodgrass. Among the folks who pop up in nifty minor parts are Tommy Chong (appropriately cast as a stoner), Barbara Bain, Carl and Rob Reiner, Iron Eyes Cody (spoofing his famous anti-pollution TV commercial), Devo, the Kipper Kids, the ever-adorable Julie Brown, and even Frank Zappa's hottie daughter Moon Unit. Kudos are also in order for the lovably rinky-dink (not so) special effects, David Nichtern's get-down funky score, and Stephen Lighthill's sharp brightly colored cinematography. An absolute gut-buster.

In the future, civilization has really declined. The fashions are U.S.S.R. retro, don't you know. Not only that, no one is flourishing. Therefore, when a man named Adam 11 (David Cassidy) insists he has made a time machine, the U.S. government asks him to go back to 1776 and study the founding fathers and the making of the constitution. It is hoped that he and his co-horts, Chanel 6 (Olivia D'Abo) and Heinz 57 will learn how to make society worth living again. The time machine takes off but lands in 1976 instead. Not realizing their mistake, the three interlopers try their best to find out how to revitalize their country with the lessons from the seventies. Amid Pacers and learning the hustle, can they succeed? This movie is a fast and fun look at the much maligned seventies. Things were more colorful then, that's for sure, and people did seem to be having a great time, despite the tight pants and floral shirts. Cassidy, D'Abo and company do a nice job of keeping the spirit of discovery alive. If you lived through the seventies, this movie is made for you. It has so many seventies icons that will make you laugh and remember. The younger crowd, too, would be entertained in seeing what they only know from history books. Don't hesitate to pop this movie in the VCR some evening in the near future. It was made, as the Bay City Rollers croon, for a fun, fun "Saturday Night".

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...

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.