Dirty Mary Crazy Larry Movie Review

A throwaway car-chase flick that squanders the talents of Susan George and Peter Fonda, this 1974 B-movie is mainly of interest to aficionados of car-chase flicks and gearheads who know their way around 1969 Dodge Chargers.

The plot, such as it is, involves Larry (Fonda), a would-be NASCAR driver, and his mechanic, Deke (Adam Roarke), pulling off a heist and then scrambling to get out of an anonymous county – but not before picking up Mary (George). Mary is “dirty” because, we learn, she’s had sex on more than one occasion; Larry is “crazy” because he drives recklessly, without a seatbelt. The filmmakers’ attempts to create some witty romantic banter between these two crazy kids come are rhythmless and hackneyed, like Sullivan’s Travels in a heroin nod; the chase scenes are nothing new to anybody who’s caught five minutes of an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard. It finishes off with a ridiculous, insulting final scene that gives new meaning to the term “crashing bore.”

The DVD features trailers, TV and radio spots, a commentary track from director George Hough, a making-of featurette, and a TV ad for the Dodge Charger, the car featured in the film.