The plot and situations in this movie are so ridiculous that I was laughing until I cried, especially toward the end.
I just saw The Barefoot Executive for the first time on TV, and was
pleasantly surprised. Joe Flynn was funnier than in any episode of McHale's Navy (in which he played a similar character). His crabby, confused, exasperated behavior and expressions throughout the film just made me roll. Starts out kind of slow and campy, with a silly plot. I thought at first just another squeaky clean shallow 70's family movie. But the film really starts to get funny when Kurt Russel's character realizes that the chimp can pick the winning TV shows. As Russel tries to sneak the chimp into the TV preview room, the scenes of the chimp going up and down the mail dumbwaiter are great. The interaction between Flynn and his chauffeur (Wally Cox) are hilarious. The chimp's reactions when a very young (and very funny) John Ritter sneak into the apartment are great. When Flynn, Cox and Ritter spy on the chimp, and the resulting kidnapping scene on the building ledge, it just absolutely cracked me up! Lots of comical sight gags and facial expressions in this movie. A very funny moment that's easy to miss is when Flynn is eating a banana (soon after hearing a Doctor "expert" theorize that bananas are "brain food") - one example of great humorous satire throughout the movie. Bill Daily has a brief but hilarious part towards the end. A great and appropriate ending wraps it all up in a neat package which I won't reveal - all very funny!. 
More Than Simple Humor
Although not part of the Dexter Riley series (in fact made just after
the first one), it carries Russell where Dexter might have gone after college. The same type of humor skims the surface of this movie but, it is the biting satire that is it\'s heart. Playing to the pretentious attitudes of people who cater to each other more than their clients, in this case the TV audience, they are completely stumped when an outsider successfully predicts the new favorite shows. But Russell holds a secret that would completely demoralize everyone in charge. Never mind a young mail clerk seems smarter than seasoned pros, but what about a monkey! This movie showed a maturity the Riley series never did, although the concept of a bunch of college slackers was ahead of it\'s time, and stood out from the rest of the Disney fare at that time. Well worth viewing as it shows Russell at the beginning of his adult career. His comedic timing and relaxed, natural acting talent are quite evident here.. |
Trailers: |
