The Big Bus

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The Big Bus

PG

1976

1h 28m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Bad drivers (Joseph Bologna, John Beck) and disaster threaten oddball passengers of a huge atomic bus going from New York to Denver.

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Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

It's not easy to be so bad so well, but The Big Bus has an expert cast.

May 9, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Thankfully for filmgoers, Airplane! was right around the corner.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 30, 2023

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Big Bus goes for laughs at every conceivable point but when it hits, it hits.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 25, 2023

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Bernard Drew

Gannett News Service

You should never feel the creators desperately trying to force laughs where they don't naturally exist. That is the main problem of James Frawley's The Big Bus.

Nov 4, 2019

Full Review

Mark Morrison

Los Angeles Free Press

What we have here is a strident comedy which is wholly off-target.

Oct 31, 2019

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Paul Chambers

Movie Chambers

Before there was "Airplane," there was "The Big Bus." The granddaddy of the disaster spoof movies came out in 1976, and despite its unevenness, it's quite the hoot.

Rated: B

Nov 1, 2013

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Rich E

II loved this as a kid and recently rewatched it, discovering things I had missed back then. It's pure schlock!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

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Audience Member

Incredibly underrated comedy film. Funny and super innovative with an expert cast. Loved the actors, actresses and every single unique scene, dialogues and ideas! Just a fantastic blend of laughter, characters, context and technology!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/24/24

Full Review

David P

Did a blind buy of this movie largely in part to its terrific cast and what a comedic gem it is. The sheer lunacy and craziness this film displays had me laughing until it hurt.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/23

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Audience Member

The worst 01 hour: and 28 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

The funniest bus-related comedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a treat! This movie is a collision of Airplane, Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World with a bit of China Syndrome thrown in. A young Stockard Channing is great as is a young Rene Auberjonois as the preacher. His interaction with Ruth Gordon is fantastic as are her one liners. This horror movie comedy spoof if full of rich nonstop slapstick from the obvious to the subtle - such as the first scene when they bus everyone from site to site - all some 40' away from each other. Its much richer in comedy and details and absurdities than such modern horror movie spoofs - many of which have Jumped the Sharknado. I enjoyed the fictional landscape between New York and Denver - everything was filmed within 50 miles of Hollywood in the mountains. I didn't realize the Pennsylvania Turnpike was that arid! Rent or buy it on YouTube.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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James Frawley

Director

Joseph Bologna

Dan Torrance

Stockard Channing

Kitty Baxter

John Beck

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Rene Auberjonois

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Ned Beatty

Shorty Scotty

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Synopsis

Bad drivers (Joseph Bologna, John Beck) and disaster threaten oddball passengers of a huge atomic bus going from New York to Denver.

Director: James Frawley
Producer: Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Runtime: 1h 28m

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