Car Wash

PG

Released Oct 22, 1976

1h 37m

Comedy

List

86%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

This day-in-the-life cult comedy focuses on a group of friends working at Sully Boyar's Car Wash in the Los Angeles ghetto. The team meets dozens of eccentric customers -- including a smooth-talking preacher (Richard Pryor), a wacky cab driver (George Carlin) and an ex-convict -- while cracking politically incorrect jokes to a constant soundtrack of disco and funk. Some of the workers find romance as the day moves along, but most are just happy to get through another shift.

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David B

As a portrayal of everyday working guys doing their jobs, this movie did its job well. The soundtrack is original and fit well with the story. It is well worth watching more than once.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Rami A

Fantastic comedy with two of the greatest comedians, Richard Pryor and George Carlin.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/26/23

Full Review

Ken B

It was quirky, a bit whacky, a little zany. Plenty of disco music, afros and tight clothes. Definitely a product of its time. Not quite as laugh-out-loud hilarious as I thought it would be but it was alright.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/02/23

Full Review

William L

Finally, after all these years, I get the references in the 2004 DreamWorks film Shark Tale. Truly a milestone in the understanding of film as a whole. Possibly one of the strangest groups of names ever to be put together for a film that is seldom referenced in the modern day - with bit parts from legendary comedians Richard Pryor and George Carlin, a background appearance from Danny DeVito, a screenwriting credit from Joel Schumacher, and one spinoff hit song (that has largely eclipsed the film itself) by Rose Royce, 'Car Wash'. Car Wash is a slice of life comedy, largely lighthearted and composed more of a series of vignettes than any unifying story; it's a moment in time rather than a narrative. But it trades on an entertaining cast of characters that give a sense of authenticity in some part due to the fact that they are not storybook friends - there's affectionate ribbing, rivalries, and distaste among the members of the car wash crew, all of which works together surprisingly well to create a convincingly realistic environment. The film doesn't handle its 'serious' elements nearly as well as its comedy, but overall the short length and creation of a community atmosphere make this a decent watch with successors imitating its formula years down the line. One thing this film does that I can't remember ever having seen before? A narrated end credits sequence. Bill Duke is quietly enjoying a 50+ year career as a great character actor, that has continued past 2020 (by coincidence, just saw him in No Sudden Move) and still nails his exceptional screen presence and distinctive look. (2.5/5)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/27/22

Full Review

dan m

Very simple movie, taking place in a typical day at a car wash(duh) in 1970's L.A. Richard Pryor has top billing here because he's the most popular cast member, but he's only in a short scene in the middle so that's misleading. I get that the theme song "Car Wash" is going to be played, and it's a good tune no doubt about it, but 4 times in one short movie?? Eh.. overkill. Still, it's a somewhat amusing movie overall.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

While every era has its good and bad cinema, I'm finding myself feeling more and more that it was the 1970s when everything came together. While 1976's "Car Wash" might not be the pinnacle of the decade, it remains one of my favorites from back then. As a film, it has no real plot, yet somehow it moves organically from first to last frame driven by an inexplicable sense of being, unified by an ensemble cast in which there isn't a single bad player. I put in a re-watch last night - it's been about 40 years since I last saw it - and I have to say the film really holds up well. I've always been an Ivan Dixon fan (the only guy worth watching in Hogan's Heros) from his work in Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. Bill Duke, Antonio Fargas, Franklyn Ajaye, Garrett Morris... They're all spot on. But I think Lauren Jones is my favorite in the film. The way she skillfully maneuvers around the loose narrative is incredible. And of course, you've got Richard Pryor and George Carlin, two of the greatest comedians of all time. (And Prof Irwin Corey!)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

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Michael Schultz

Director

Richard Pryor

Daddy Rich

Franklyn Ajaye

T.C.

George Carlin

Taxi driver

Sully Boyar

Mr. B

Richard Brestoff

Irwin

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Car Wash: Official Clip - Ripping Off a Cabbie

1:37

Car Wash: Official Clip - Hippo & the Fly Stop the "Mad Bomber"

3:00

Car Wash: Official Clip - Duane Pulls a Gun

2:58

Car Wash: Official Clip - Daddy Rich Arrives

2:22

Car Wash: Official Clip - Lloyd & "The Fly"

1:01

Car Wash: Official Clip - When Kenny Met Marsha

1:33

Car Wash: Official Clip - Lindy Disses Duane

1:16

Car Wash: Official Clip - Irwin Gets "Washed"

1:49

Car Wash: Official Clip - Just Like a Pimp

2:58

Car Wash: Official Clip - "Car Wash" Theme Song

2:53

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The picture goes down so fast you don't know you're eating, and yet it supplies the illusion of energy.

Dec 5, 2023

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Uses gritty humor to polish clean the souls of a lot of likeable street people.

Jun 5, 2008

Full Review

Tom Milne

Time Out

Highly enjoyable.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

It is not a grand film, and it's also not exactly good, but it is an impressive cultural artifact, an unreal doc, at the same time the truth about these actual times. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A raucous comedy that birthed a smash soundtrack.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 8, 2021

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...a 'clown show,' and far smarter than you might think about being one.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 10, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

This day-in-the-life cult comedy focuses on a group of friends working at Sully Boyar's Car Wash in the Los Angeles ghetto. The team meets dozens of eccentric customers -- including a smooth-talking preacher (Richard Pryor), a wacky cab driver (George Carlin) and an ex-convict -- while cracking politically incorrect jokes to a constant soundtrack of disco and funk. Some of the workers find romance as the day moves along, but most are just happy to get through another shift.

Director: Michael Schultz
Screenwriter: Joel Schumacher
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 1h 37m

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