More American Graffiti ** (1979, Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Mackenzie Phillips, Richard Bradford, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Scott Glenn, Rosanna Arquette) – Classic Movie Review 7857

Director Bill W L Norton’s 1979 sequel More American Graffiti is a slightly disappointing follow-up to the brilliant American Graffiti (1973), with most of the cast returning to tell the tale of the following five years after the single-night events of the first film. Richard Dreyfuss is missing from the cast this time and his absence leaves a gaping hole in the story.

It is now the late 1960s and John Milner (Paul Le Mat) is still chasing his racing dream, Terry the Toad (Charles Martin Smith) and Little Joe (Bo Hopkins) are off to Vietnam, Debbie Dunham (Candy Clark) and Carol / Rainbow (Mackenzie Phillips) are flower children, and Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) and Laurie Bolander (Cindy Williams) finally get married.

John Milner (Paul Le Mat) is still chasing his racing dream in More American Graffiti (1979).

Plotwise, it is all very bitty and insubstantial, and the characters and situations are too disparate to coalesce in a completely coherent and involving story. Still, the film looks good in Caleb Deschanel’s Technicolor cinematography, the players give attractive performances and there is another evocative soundtrack, with music by Country Joe and the Fish (who appear as themselves).

Also in the cast are Richard Bradford, Scott Glenn, James Houghton, John Lansing, Manuel Padilla Jr Ralph Wilcox, Will Seltzer, Ken Place, Mary Kay Place, Wolfman Jack, Rosanna Arquette (Girl in Commune), Anna Bjorn and John Brent, with Harrison Ford as Officer Bob Falfa (uncredited).

More American Graffiti is directed by Bill Norton, 1979, is made by Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures, is released by Universal, is written by Bill Norton, based on characters created by George Lucas, Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, is shot in Technicolor by Caleb Deschanel, and is produced by Howard G Kazanjian (producer) and George Lucas (executive producer), with Art Direction by Ray Storey.

It did well again, costing $3 million and taking $15 million in the US.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7857

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