Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) * 1/2

Directed by:  Hal Needham

Starring:  Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise, Mike Henry, Terry Bradshaw, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick

The gang from Smokey and the Bandit are back, and they behave as if they had to be dragged to the set kicking and screaming.   This unnecessary sequel to the 1977 smash hit and far superior film has The Bandit (Reynolds) back in action with his partner-in-crime Snowman (Reed).  They are tasked with moving an elephant from Florida to Texas at the behest of Big Enos and Little Enos (McCormick and Williams), who will pay $400,000 if the elephant arrives sooner rather than later.

Why does the elephant have to be transported?   Something to do with a governor's attempt at reelection.   I dunno, but the plot is simply an excuse for car chases, crashes, and causing more apoplexy in Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason), who chases the Bandit like he did in the first movie.
Gleason hams it up like he did in the first film, but the results aren't nearly as funny.   Smokey and the Bandit wasn't simply a chase movie, but had some genuine wit and some cute byplay between Reynolds and Field.   The couple is together again this time, but the spark is gone because they broke up sometime between the first and second film.

The original film's wit is missing here, and so we simply have a series of forgettable and interchangeable stunts.   Smokey and the Bandit II is a stuntman's wet dream.   So we have Reynolds and Field occupying the same Trans Am again but not enjoying it much. Gleason and his dopey son (Henry), who Field again leaves standing at the altar, are again in hot pursuit.   Dom DeLuise also appears as a gynecologist with a foreign accent who tends to the elephant while sitting in Snowman's trailer.    The movie was already slow before DeLuise arrives on the scene, but then the movie stops dead to watch him do his schtick.

We also see Gleason not only as the sheriff, but as his siblings who help him try to capture the Bandit.  Gleason plays these other characters, who are at least less prone to a stroke than the good Sheriff Justice.   This is a sure sign of desperation by the filmmakers, who by this time were struggling to get a laugh from anyplace they could find.   NFL stars Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene, and Joe Klecko appear as themselves to assist the Bandit evade the sheriff, as they heard of the Bandit's exploits and are apparently big fans.    The players flip over the sheriff's car upside down as he insults them every step of the way.   This attempt at humor is on par with every other attempt in his uninspired retread which represents something of a cash grab.