Good Times

source: Good Times

Moviecut—Good Times

Good Times

Cher plays 2nd banana to Sonny in this amiable collection of movie spoofs. At times pretty funny (the final Mickey Spillane bit is probably best), but sporadic and too cute. Cher, of course, went on to be the reason people watched the Sonny & Cher show and then became an award-winning actress, but apparently the folks who made this movie failed to discern her talent.

The best parts of this movie are Cher singing, Cher berating future U.S. Congressman Sonny ("Why don't you take off that hat...you look like an idiot."), and Cher in a jungle suit lying on a tree (Great Gams, Sonnyman!). This movie is about Sonny and Cher making a movie. The script is awful -- both of them. And the "satirical" situations are ridiculous. Watch this, if you must, as a period piece of the freewheeling '60s. (Was the scriptwriter on LSD?) If you like stupid humor, then this movie's for you. Otherwise, this is a movie you can "watch" from another room with your ears. I recommend that you fast forward through all the dialog scenes and watch only the musical numbers, which are quite good (and the reason I bumped my rating up a point). Or buy the soundtrack, if you can find it, and listen to that while you do housework or something else productive.

This flick is only viewable by those that have a huge amount of pot, and even then, it's a tough go. For guys, there is some redeeming value at being able to see Cher before she had her face screwed up by a doctor. And she DOES have a nice singing voice. The late 60's were a strange time for movies, and this is a really good example. Far out, groovy, and bitchin' don't quite describe it. Jaw-dropping in its silliness, apparently nobody had any shame in 1967 Hollywood. And Sonny, with that shaggy Beatles hair! Gosh, we were odd back then. Best avoided if ANYTHING else is on.

Yes, the movie has good music, but when you compare this with Sonny & Cher's other work, this is the worst I have seen. The film is stuffed with visual montages, & a meaningless plot. Sadly the movie has a lot of eye candy but not enough shots of a young, prime hard bodied Cher. The film does not have any humor which is what made their Variety show go. That element missing is the biggest problem, as I can only wonder why it was left out. Drama from Sonny & Cher puts you to sleep, & serious scenes from a couple whose only serious accomplishments in their lives is their music just doesn't work. The only thing that gets 1 point from me is the nostalgia value because other than that, this film is a total zero.

Best described at a "camp classic," this series of romps involves a singing duo called Sonny & Cher, played by a singing duo named Sonny & Cher. The film resembles episodes that later made up the "Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" of 1970s television. The pair spoofs three genres: western, jungle, and detective, so it's a movie starring themselves trying to figure out how to make a movie starring themselves, with the wonderful actor George Sanders as the bad guy. The costumes, the music by Sonny Bono, the songs sung by Cher, and the glimpses at the performances that Cher had yet to deliver make the movie worth watching. They save their famous hit "I Got You Babe" for the very end. My favorite piece of dialogue comes after Sonny says, "Shucks man, I can't sing" and Cher replies, "Don't let that stop you." It never did.

I'm a 60's fan and a Cher fan and I still had trouble getting through this movie. It's a touch of The Sonny & Cher Show, a touch of Laugh-In, a touch of early MTV and a touch of early reality show. This description sounds better than it actually is. It is still fun to watch a young & beautiful Cher in some fab clothes and singing great. She is surprisingly natural in her straight scenes. Sonny plays his scenes like a skit from The Sonny & Cher show or a Carol Burnett sketch. George Saunders looks like he was aging well playing his Allison Dewitt character from All Abot Eve. He committed suicide not long after this movie with one of the most upsetting suicide notes ever written. Sad. I believe the house that they filmed this movie is Sonny & Cher's actual home that they bought from Tony Curtis and had to mortgage to finish this film. I'm still glad I watched the whole film but doubt if I ever will need to see it again.

This movie is a classic example of 60's camp.The main story,Sonny's desire to star in a movie and Cher's lack of interest,takes a back seat to the fantasy sequences which satirize various movie generas. The soundtrack is excellent.Sonny Bono was a musical genius and this film is the perfect showcase of this,and though Cher is talented,I think she did her best work with Sonny.If you are a fan of Sonny and/or Cher this is a movie you shouldn't miss.