It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

No one noticed the influence of Irwin Allen in this wretched production? The "Poseidon Alumni" of Red Buttons and Leslie Nielsen? The casting of Eric Olsen and Cameron Mitchell (two holdovers from Allen's poorly received "Swiss Family Robinson" series)? And the "Allen Tradmark" of casting over-the-hill has-beens -- in this case Gene Kelly -- in a 'throw away' role? Allen even threw in one of his old 'stand-bys', Albert Salmi (Captain Tucker, the space pirate from two episodes of "Lost In Space").Almost the entire production crew is from the Irwin Allen camp including legendary special effects man L.B. Abbott (what for you ask -- I didn't see any 'special effects?). Even Allen's costume designer, Paul Zastupnevich, is along for the ride. Allen's wife played the Mother Superior in the famed scene where the orphan throws his crutches away at the sight of seeing Evel as he sneaks into the orphanage in the middle of the night(!).The story behind this film is that producer Sherrill Corwin (who was the head of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences during the '70s), was a major financial contributor to Irwin Allen's "Poseidon Adventure" and "Towering inferno." Allen needed backing because the studios baulked at the high production costs. But, by the mid-70s Irwin was 'The Man' and now it was 'pay back time' for Corwin when he wanted to hype Knievel, who by that time was a superstar among the teen-set. True, Evel Knievel WAS bankable when it came to packing arenas, selling lunch boxes, action figures and toy motorcycles. Problem was that in the acting department Evel was as wooden as a tree trunk and this movie shows it.Not helping matters was the horrendous screenplay by Norman Katkov and Antonio Santillian (whoever he is), and the ingredients for a GRADE A Turkey were assured. It is surprising that Katkov co-penned such a bad script since he was also responsible for the famous "Blood and Orchids" mini-series of the early '80s. But then again, he was also one of the primary contributors to the screenplay for another Irwin Allen travesty: "The Return of Captain Nemo" (aka "Amazing Captain Nemo"), a mini-series produced or should I say released the following year."Viva Knievel" is best enjoyed by those suffering from insomnia or otherwise get their kicks from bad-movie marathons.

The strangest part about this movie is the apparent idea that all kids loved Evel Kneivel. I was 15 when this came out and considered myself somewhat knowledgeble about the exploits of Evel but in our household we pretty much thought he was stupid. It was neat to do those jumps but I like to apply the figure skating rule of if you dont hit the landing the jumps does not count. I could shoot myself out of a trebuchet and flop on the ground but is that really a properly executed jump? Sure, it would be entertaining but I dont think it will heal my polio or reunite the drunkard Gene Kelly and his son. Why would Evel trust that drunken idiot with his motorcycles? isnt there some other task he could do that would not involve safety issues? This is a great movie though and is a good reminder of the whole AMF/Harley era. It reminds me of the old God Bless America ride at Disneyland. Same cheesiness but still fun.

WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERSViva Knievel! Who could resist a title like that? And who could resist the cheesy Shaft-U-Like funky 70s theme? Especially when that theme is played during the film on what sounds like a paper and comb or a kazoo? Yet expecting a "so bad it's good" experience can only lead to disappointment hereTo be honest I'd quite forgotten what Evel looked like, if in fact I'd seen his face at all. I'd imagined he looked like his English rival Eddie Kidd, all black-haired, butch and youthful. As it turns out, Knievel looks like a cross between Garry Shandling, 70's Elvis and my Uncle Derrick. Okay, that last example doesn't have that wide a frame of reference, but it's true nonetheless. And in case the first two make you think this is a dark-haired raven, then Knievel's hair not only recedes, but is also grey, just like ... well, my Uncle Derrick's. How tasty Lauren Hutton is supposed to find a man attractive when he looks old enough to be her father is beyond me. The reality is that Knievel was no more than five years her senior, and hadn't reached forty, though the silver chest hair sprouting from his shirt gives a different impression. Maybe he had a picture of Dorian Grey that worked in reverse. And when the climax inevitably involves Knievel putting his cycle skills to work against crooks, and tackling them in unarmed combat, you think this is less a rugged action hero, more a rather silly old man.Strangely, Knievel's character is written as an ego-bloated, self-congratulating bore. Or maybe he's supposed to be charismatic, and it's just Evel's performance that has the charm of a rotting carcass. "Honey, I've known what to write to pretty girls like you since I was in Kindergarten" he says in one of his many chauvinist moments. While his ability to give a whiter-than-white sermon every two seconds is annoying in the extreme. Evel spends most of his time around garages and motor displays, which is handy as he carries a permanent spare tyre around his waist. When told by a Doctor that his hospital only accepts American patients, he replies: "Boy, you sound too good to be true." Is this a xenophobic Knievel or him mocking the Doctor? God knows, as his robotic delivery makes it impossible to tell. Even the illegitimate love child of Chris Rea and Keanu Reeves couldn't produce such a wooden performance.The "plot" involves drug dealers trying to kill Knievel (Not that anyone could tell if he was dead or not) and use his funeral procession to ship drugs. The use of drugs, and Knievel's reaction to them, is as adult and sophisticated as that in Moonwalker... except worse. It's this forcibly wholesome, mom's apple pie, Stars and Stripes attitude to the whole venture that really makes things unbearable. Viva never becomes fully enjoyable for it's awfulness as it's all done so straight. There is no trace of irony or self-depreciation in the script, and with the atrocious dialogue that should have been a necessity. Favourite bad lines include: "That kid was your number one fan, why, he'd take on the Supreme Court for you"; "What is this, judgement day?"; "You're chicken, huh?"; "You're supposed to be the head honcho of this hacienda" and "You're the reason I'm walking, Evel! You're the reason!" Most of these can only be appreciated in context, where their sheer absurdity or ham-fisted delivery makes them killingly funny. Just for example, the last line is a crippled child who throws away his crutches upon meeting Evel.For acting, Leslie Neilson playing it straight is far funnier than Leslie trying to be comical. Only Gene Kelly produces anything approaching a competent performance, though all have their presence sapped by the lifeless direction. For this one's IMDb "goofs" entry, the goof should have read: the film being made in the first place. Ultimately, Viva comes across as a TV movie, or one of those kitsch action shows of the eighties. Sort of like The Fall Guy, but with your overweight dad playing the part of Lee Majors. Neilson's car crash is hilarious, but generally this isn't so bad it's good... it's just bad, plain and simple. Avoid.

Evel was a great showman, and was incredibly popular in the 1970's. For those who missed that era, or chose to forget it, at least Evel had the skill to back up the hype. There are a few stunt scenes that bear this out, including a great two-person tour around and through a small stadium on Evel's bike.But that's about it; the plot is pretty simple, and the criminals are as stereotyped as they come. Sit back, enjoy the stunts and flashback to the 70's for a while.