Car Wash (film) - Overview

Overview

Originally conceived as a musical, Car Wash deals with the exploits of a close-knit, multiracial group of employees at a Los Angeles car wash. In an episodic fashion, the film covers a full day, during which all manner of strange visitors make appearances, including Lorraine Gary as a hysterical wealthy woman from Beverly Hills dealing with a carsick son, Richard Pryor as a hustling, flamboyant, money-hungry evangelist whose pseudo-gospel of prosperity theology is beloved by most (including his female entourage, played by The Pointer Sisters) but loathed by one (the one being Abdullah (Bill Duke), a young and frustrated Black Power revolutionary); there's also a man ("Professor" Irwin Corey) whose strange actions and dress fit the profile of the notorious "pop bottle bomber" being sought that day by the police, causing all the employees, customers and Mr. B to fear for their lives, but the strange man's pop bottle "bomb" is none other than a urine sample as he is on his way to the hospital.

Mr B's son Irwin (Richard Brestoff), a left-wing college student who smokes pot in the men's restroom and carries around a copy of Quotations from Chairman Mao, insists on spending a day with the "working class" employees, since he considers them "brothers" in the "struggle", but as he gets ready to go to work he sets off motion sensors which give him the first "human car wash", which he takes in a good-natured (if pot-induced) stride. Additionally, George Carlin appears as a taxi driver searching for a prostitute who stiffed him for a fare; the prostitute, Marlene, has her own hopes shattered as a customer (unseen) that she apparently has fallen in love with has given her a false telephone number. Lonnie (Ivan Dixon) is an older employee who tries to mentor Abdullah while struggling to raise two young children on the meager salary paid by Mr. B, as well as fending off his parole officer (Jason Bernard). Abdullah has a confrontation with Lindy (Antonio Fargas) and sharply criticizes Lindy's transvestite status, to which Lindy coolly replies, "I'm more man than you'll ever be and more woman than you'll ever get".

Later in the day, Abdullah, after being fired by Mr. B for his absences and restrained from physically attacking him, appears in the office with a gun while Lonnie is closing up, intending to rob the business. Lonnie talks him out of it, and the two of them share a heartfelt scene in which they commiserate at the status society has imposed on them, two proud men forced to work at a meaningless job for meager pay. "A clown show," the tearful Abdullah calls it, and you can see now that all the comedy in the film stems from the various ways these men have of coping with their lot in life. Some dream of show business stardom, some take refuge in a crooked religion, some put on airs of superiority, and one - only one - goes to college in an attempt to better himself, and even he is beginning to doubt his chances. It's a melancholy ending to the day as they all go their separate ways, knowing that they'll be back tomorrow to do it all over again.