Themes: Cons and Scams, Bumbling Cops, Nothing Goes Right
Main Cast: Neal Israel, John Murray, Jennifer Tilly, James Keach, Brian Backer, Ned Eisenberg
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
In this flat attempt at comedy by the director of the Police Academy series, Neal Israel, a brash Dana Cannon (John Murray, brother of Bill) lands in a crooked re-education school for delinquent drivers, run by Deputy Halik (James Keach, brother of Stacey). The objective is to lord it over the miscreant drivers sent to the school (wrongly given citations and tickets by cops out to fill a quota, according to opening sequences) and make some money in the bargain. Deputy Halik has already decided to flunk out anyone in his classes, with the objective of impounding their cars and then auctioning off the vehicles to the highest bidders. Dana, the irrepressible new student, manages to unite the other put-upon drivers at the school into a single, determined faction -- and trouble quickly brews. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Clara Peller - Emma Jean; Wendie Jo Sperber - Joan Pudillo; Nedra Volz - Mrs. Loretta Houk; Fred Willard - Terrence "Doc" Williams; Lisa Hart Carroll - Deputy Virginia Morris; Nadine Van Der Velde - Stephanie McCarty; Ben Mittleman - Spencer Popadophalos; Victor Campos - Raoul Bienveneda; Willard E. Pugh - Jeff Roth; Sally Kellerman - Judge Nedra Henderson; Elizabeth Arlen - Concerned Passerby; Billy Beck - Grandfather; Anne Betancourt - Elana; Don Cheadle - Juicy Burgers Worker; William Forward - Policeman; Kymberly Herrin - Queen; Jim Hudson - Man in Mercedes; Freeman King - Cop with Halik; Kay Lenz; Tom McFadden - Mr. McCarty; R.A. Mihailoff - Farmer No. 2; DeDee Pfeiffer - Cissy; David Hyde Pierce - Immigration Officer; Casey Sander - Cop with Joan; Mitch Brown - Quick 'N Fast Employee; Robert Conrad - Chief (uncredited); Neal Israel - Commuter No. 1; Robert Israel - Commuter No. 2; Greg Norberg - Sporting Goods Employee; Joseph Alfasa - Jim; Charles Bergansky - Hood; Darlene Chehardy - Potential Customer; Vince Howard - Jeff's Father; Alvin Ing - Construction Foreman; John Lykes - Topper; Danny Mauna - Raoul's Youngest Child; Mark Mauna - Raoul's Youngest Child; Jamie Mizada - Fruit Stand Employee; Jimmy Ortega - Spanish Immigration Officer; Karen Philipp-Proft - Secretary; Robert Saurman - Police Lecturer; Jess Sofer - Marathon Starter; Mike McManus - Farmer No. 1
Credit
Virginia Field - Art Director, Bob Israel - Co-producer, Darryl Levine - Costume Designer, Neal Israel - Director, Tom Walls - Editor, Ralph Burns - Composer (Music Score), Bruce Roberts - Songwriter, Dennis Glass - Makeup, Gregory Pickrell - Production Designer, Richard Sawyer - Production Designer, Robert Elswit - Cinematographer, Julie Corman - Producer, Roger Corman - Producer, Robert Israel - Producer, Pat Proft - Producer, Joe Roth - Producer, Harry Ufland - Producer, Doug Draizin - Producer, Jerie Kelter - Set Designer, Robert Lucas - Set Designer, Rick H. Josephsen - Special Effects, James M. Halty - Stunts, Glenn Wilder - Stunts, Debby Porter - Stunts, Paul Boorstin - Screenwriter, Sharon Boorstin - Screenwriter, Neal Israel - Screenwriter, Pat Proft - Screenwriter, Jim Behnke - Second Assistant Director
A group of careless and unlucky drivers are sentenced to attend a traffic school to keep their records clean. Mistreated by inept and cruel police instructors, Dana Cannon (Murray) leads the group in revenge against their tormentors.
Production
Writer and director Israel himself attended traffic school[1]
Reception
The film was reviewed poorly by Janet Maslin at the New York Times, who described it as an "especially weak teen-age comedy even by today's none-too-high standards."[2] In a later appraisal, David Nusair of Reelfilm.com wrote that Moving Violations contains "enough laughs to be had here to warrant a mild recommendation."[3]
