Excellent, smart action film.

Boring, long, and too preachy.

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

All the major cast members return in 'Any Which Way You Can (1980)', aside from perhaps the first picture's most crucial star. Manis the orangutan is here replaced by another (not named in the feature's credits) who just isn't quite as good. This shortcoming ricochets across the entire piece with most beats being revisited but never reaching the heights of the original. There's still irreverent fun to be had, though, and the inherent charm of a monkey sidekick still remains so, despite the fact that it retreads much of the same ground and actually retracts some of the character work done previously, this is still an entertaining flick that provides a few laughs along the way. 6/10

The story goes that Burt Reynolds was friends with Clint Eastwood in the late 70s and Burt suggested that he would do a serious cop thriller if Clint did a comedy akin to Burt's numerous good ol' boy flicks (e.g 1977's "Smokey and the Bandit"). So Clint did 1978's "Every Which Way But Loose" and 1980's "Any Which Way You Can" while Burt eventually did "Sharky's Machine" in 1981, which he described as "Dirty Harry in Atlanta." Burt lost the challenge because, not only are most of Eastwood's cop thrillers superior to "Sharky's Machine," both of the "Which" films are superior to Burt's good ol' boy flicks, particularly the first one.Eastwood stars as easy-going truck driver Philo Beddoe who fist-fights on the side for extra money. His buddy Orville (Geoffrey Lewis) promotes unofficial prize-fights for him while his pet orangutan, Clyde, assists them. San Fernando Valley, CA, is their stomping grounds as they enjoy cold beer, country music, bars, women and the occasional fight. While Philo is an expert when it comes to fights he's not so expert when it comes to women, particularly a little country and western singer, Lynn (Sondra Locke). They're relationship ended badly in the previous film, but it may or may not be rekindled in this one. Philo, Orville and Clyde are still pestered by a gang of witless bikers (John Quade, Bill McKinney, etc) as Philo considers squaring off with the best fist-fighter on the East coast (William Smith). Ruth Gordon is on hand as Ma.Like the title blurb says, this is almost as good as the previous film, which IMHO is the best of the good ol' boy movies of that era. Many like it better, so it's a matter of opinion. Regardless, "Any Which" is consistently entertaining from beginning to end and, while it's too zany to take serious (even zanier than the first movie), the characters are decidedly human and there's a lot of warmhearted-ness mixed with the laughs and thrills. Add Clyde's amusing & amazing antics (and, less so, Ma's) and you have a worthy sequel to the eminent good ol' boy movie.Since this is a sequel and plot threads are carried over from the first film, it's best to watch that one first to fully appreciate this one. The original orangutan featured in "Every Which" had matured too much and was possibly dangerous so they used a different ape. Glen Campbell performs the title song at the end, which was a Top 10 hit on the country music charts.The film runs 114 minutes and was shot in San Fernando Valley, CA (and nearby areas, like Bakersfield), and Jackson,Wyoming.GRADE: B+

First off, do not see this movie unless you have already seen "Every Which Way but Loose", as this film is a sequel to that.Now, the first film was known to have a pretty shallow story. This one has the same problem - in fact, the story seems even weaker than the first. The plot doesn't go anywhere; it sits there and watches as the film's comedy takes the wheel.The film is definitely intended to bring up laughter, but I'm not sure if it's sole purpose of production was to be a comedy. The laughs are good, but too rare to make the movie's lack of a story acceptable. The humor is very similar to that of the first film, only, like this film's story, never jumps to the point of surpassing anything we've already seen.However, despite these flaws, the film was overall enjoyable. There's not much you'd miss if you skip this one, but if you enjoyed "Every Which Way but Loose", you're probably going to like "Any Which Way You Can" - just probably not as much as you enjoyed the first. Like the first film, the ape "Clyde" is the source of all true amusement, with "Ma" charging up a scene or two of good laughter in this one. Clint Eastwood's performance may feel a bit weaker or equal to his in "Every Which Way but Loose", but it definitely adds to the experience.Overall, a good film to see if you really enjoyed the first. The two films are very similar, so much so that if you stumbled upon one on television, it may take you awhile to figure out which one you're watching. Many of the scenes take place in the same places: "Clint's house, the bar, etc.", and there are only a few slight additions to the cast. Really nothing too "new" in this film, but a surely entertaining viewing if you enjoyed "Every Which Way but Loose".I give the film a 6/10. I gave "Every Which Way but Loose" a 7/10, and this one lost a point as although it was a bit funnier than the first, the story wasn't as thought-out as the firsts at all, and I seemed to loose my interest a bit more easily on this one. Nonetheless, incredibly similar to the first film in all sorts of ways, so if the first one left you wanting more, definitely check this one out!

A charming, and endearingly goofy follow up to the successfully hearty comedy 'Every Which Way But Loose (1978)', which starred Clint Eastwood as cool-hand, bar-brawling Philo Beddoe along with his alcohol slurping orangutan companion Clyde. Slap-stick galore with the easy-going style of the original picking up the pace and having a variety of cartoon-like characters represented by a more than capably fruitful cast (some who are Eastwood regulars). They're here for a good time and it shows. Geoffrey Lewis, Sondra Locke, Ruth Gordon, William Smith, Harry Guardino, Bill McKinney and Barry Corbin give pleasingly amusing performances. However it's the returning John Quade who's a hilarious hoot as the leader of the haplessly crony bikers 'Black Widows'. Eastwood naturally comes across cool and collected in another winning performance. The drama here feels a little more spontaneous, busy and crazy with much more bare-knuckle, sweaty fist fights (which are well-executed) and a real infantile comical imprint. Streaming through is a heart-warming music score with an appealing country swing and open photography sharply frames some beautiful locations and accordingly gets amongst the action. Is it better than the first… I don't think so, but I never grow old of these fun, light-headed features.