Petey Wheatstraw (1977)

If enjoyably (?) bad movies are your cup of tea, by all means, knock yourself out. I mean, Ed Wood is Stanley Kubrick compared to this garbage. Interestingly, in Croatia the distributors called it just "Devil's Son" (they conveniently forgot the "in-law") and advertised it as a horror movie to lure the unsuspecting (and, I might say, relatively undiscriminating) fans of the genre. And horrible it was: ludicrous plot, the worst acting imaginable, cheesiest fight scenes, the painful musical numbers, the lowest of the low production values (as I recall, Lucipher's mighty scepter was a stick with a ball of tin foil on top)... this one has it all. It is really so bad that seeing it leaves a permanent scar on the psyche. What more can one ask of a movie?

This was my first Rudy Ray Moore movie, and it may be my last. I read all of the comments and reviews and figured this would be a fun bad movie, and it has its moments. Overall, however, it's a dud. The 90+ minutes to view it seemed to last forever, and it's really ludicrous. How could the cane given by Satan to Petey be more powerful than Satan himself? And why would Petey break the powerful cane since it was what had saved him time and time again? And how could merely breaking the cane in two render it useless? Why would Petey get into a limo, thinking it's one of his posse's car? There's only so much suspension of disbelief I'm willing to grant. As I mentioned, the film has its moments, like when Petey combs the nappy-headed boy's hair, and the little boy's t-shirt that said 'I'm a little devil' was a nice touch. I also give credit for putting in politically incorrect stuff like watermelon and fat jokes. I did laughed when Petey's mom delivered a watermelon, when the bomb blew up a truck full of watermelons, and when the heavy chick struggled to fit into a lawn chair.The biggest laugh for me came when the club singer's wig flew off. Wig's coming off are always good for a laugh with me. And there are a few hot brothers in polyester suits that show off their fine butts. Props for that.But the parts are much greater than the sum. Rudy Ray seems to have done alright for himself, being ambitious and being in the right place at the right time. I'm happy for him, but I'm just not a fan of this movie.

Okay, I respect Rudy Ray. _Dolemite_ was an absolute classic blaxploitation film. When I saw Dolemite, I noticed something fresh, something raw, and something that is deserving of its place in film history._Petey Wheatstraw the Devil's Son In Law_ was by far the worst movie I have ever seen. And believe me, I gave it a chance. It was recommended by a friend who knows what I want to see, and suggests both the best and the worst movies ever for me to see. He had already seen it once, and when we watched it, neither of us could finish it. I ALWAYS finish movies. I hate leaving, even to go to the bathroom, from even bad movies. This one just couldn't do it for me. The low budget nature is negligible. The poor acting is expected. But the acting is not just poor, it is terribly excessive overacting at points, and at other points cardboard-cutout-esque.I had a hard time getting my mind around the stereotypes displayed.The worst part of all is, it is not a bad movie you can make fun of. I mean, a scary movie, a drama, an action film... if done poorly, you can make these a laugh riot, either with a bunch of your pals or by yourself. But when a no budget comedy is horrible, you can't laugh at it. It is impossible.Alan Alda's character in _Crimes and Misdemeanors_ says "If it bends, its funny. If it breaks, its not funny." This broke before the movie started and consistently waves the broken pieces in your face.Look at it like this: A friend tells you a bad joke. It is uncomfortable to listen to, but the reward comes when you pretend to laugh and then they feel good about themselves. These jokes are even worse, so they are more uncomfortable to listen to, and then, since it cannot receive your reaction, assumes you are laughing hysterically, and kicks the horribleness up a notch, trying to top the last joke. And since the filmmakers are ignorant to your response it is not endearing, but annoying. You feel no reward for attempting to laugh. Its even hard to make your own jokes about it, because this film goes to such great lengths to try to make you laugh anyway but fails at every turn. And I do mean EVERY TURN.Maybe I missed something, so you can try to watch it. After all, I do advocate trying new things. At least you will be able to appreciate good comedy.Forgive me, Rudy Ray.

A true film classic. Rudy Ray Moore stars as Petey Wheatstraw, a man who makes a deal with the devil and agrees to marry his daughter (the ugliest woman alive) in exchange for his life. The only film that rivals Petey Wheatstraw as best blaxploitation film is Black Belt Jones. Moore, as well as all of the other regular Dolemite regulars, are superb... their best work yet. A certain must see for anyone interested in fine black cinema.