Friday, February 24, 2017

200 Items Or Less: Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978)

A few thoughts: For some reason, everyone has heard of this movie yet few seem to have actually seen it. I find this to be an absolute tragedy as it stands as one of my favorite movies of the 1970s -- or even of all-time. Obviously going in you have to realize the movie isn't going to be entirely serious, nor is it going to be "good" in the general sense, but what it is is a pitch perfect satire and embodiment of the oh-so elusive so-bad-it's-good genre. Remarkably corny to say the least (both intentionally and due to obvious budget constraints), there is a genuine wit to this film that few satires of this variety seem to possess. Filled with off-the-wall humor and genre send-ups ranging from war movies and noir to musicals, there isn't a single joke left untold, with several more unexpectedly emerging from the rubble. It's impressive for its writing, not production value, and many of the jokes can be seen as pretty cheap, but there's a lot more to this movie than what you might expect. I find it hilarious even after a half-dozen viewings, and consider it a massively underrated b-movie.


Who would I recommend it to? Anyone with an appreciation for screwball humor, b-movies, genre parody, or any combination of the three. It's equal parts bad and brilliant.

My grade: A

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