Used Cars
A cash-strapped Arizona car salesman turns a dealership feud into a wildly unscrupulous battle against a corrupt rival and his interstate scheme.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- sardonic
- lazy sunday
- cult comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an energetic, pitch-black American satire with abundant comic invention, while noting that its excess and lack of discipline can blunt the humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The competing car dealers use bribery, deception, staged accidents, and reckless sales tactics as the engine of the comedy.
Used-car salesmanship, advertising spectacle, property speculation, and political corruption are central to the conflict.
Rudy and his crew defend Luke's lot against Roy's competing dealership through increasingly extreme schemes and countermeasures.
The film's reception repeatedly emphasizes Zemeckis's vigor, manic comic energy, and visually high-spirited farce.
Films like Used Cars, and why
Airplane!
shares manic screwball energy, satirical American culture, and escalating comic rivalry
The Big Lebowski
shares cynical workplace satire, broad farce, and morally dubious characters pursuing money
Raising Arizona
shares high-energy ensemble comedy, criminal schemes, and irreverent attacks on American institutions
The Hudsucker Proxy
shares eccentric ensemble dynamics, commercial-world satire, and fast-paced absurdist comedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Release Date
- 1980-07-11
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (309)
Cast
- Kurt Russell
- Jack Warden
- Gerrit Graham
- Frank McRae
- Deborah Harmon
- Joe Flaherty
- David L. Lander
- Michael McKean
- Michael Talbott
- Harry Northup
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Used Cars about?
- A cash-strapped Arizona car salesman turns a dealership feud into a wildly unscrupulous battle against a corrupt rival and his interstate scheme.
- What is Used Cars like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Used Cars as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Used Cars violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Used Cars as mild.
- What did critics think of Used Cars?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an energetic, pitch-black American satire with abundant comic invention, while noting that its excess and lack of discipline can blunt the humor.
- Which films are like Used Cars?
- Films with a similar feel include Airplane!, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, and The Hudsucker Proxy.
- How long is Used Cars?
- Used Cars runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Used Cars?
- In United States, Used Cars streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
