John Schneider is a big kid at heart and it shows in this movie. How many of us would love to relive one of your favorite movies from your youth and star in it? He obviously didn't have the budget but he paid tribute to a classic the best he could. Sure the acting and editing were rough. But I didn't expect anything else. Thanks John and team for taking me back to my youth. I am actually in the process of obtaining and recreating a movie car from a different movie and now I want to make a tribute movie.
14 Reviews
Lots of heart can't overcome low production vales
jmacd-324 May 2021
I grew up with the Bandit and Dukes of Hazzard, so I am the target market for a film like this - and there's some really good stuff here! But unfortunately I think the low budget created obstacles that just could not be overcome.
First, the good: The pace of this film is really good, it moves along and never drags. There are some editing issues which I'll get to, but the filmmakers were clearly very capable in a larger sense, which is so important, particularly for this genre.
Great performances across the board. Schneider (who stars, wrote and directed) is a fine actor. His dramatic performances show us he can hold his own, and in lighter fare like this, his charisma shines through. The supporting cast is in my opinion uniformly good, too. Robinson, as the bride, hits all the right notes. Tyrus, as the Sherrif, was delightful. What he lacks in acting experience he more than makes up for in presence, and as a result I loved every minute that he was on screen.
There were some nice stunts here. One car is jumped, another is rolled, and a bunch are dunked into rivers and swamps. They even include the famous Bandit stunt where the roof of the police car is torn off - that was pretty ambitious for such a small film!
I love the indie nature of this film, and I have a tonne of respect for Schneider for setting up John Schneider Studios to make small-scale films of a more personal nature. While I don't agree at all with his politics he shares on YouTube, I can see he is a decent man who is putting his money where his mouth is. I really do respect him as an artist. Everyone should check out his other films (they are criminally under-rated by users on IMDB for some reason, whereas I feel this film is rated too highly - but hey, this is just my opinion).
Now the not-so-good: Road trip / car chase movies are tough to do cheaply. We can see that a lot of the budget for this one went into the car stunts/wrecks, and these scenes are all done pretty well. However, the stuff in between has two problems: First, there is not enough coverage shot of the cars actually on the road, resulting in some very confusing and disorienting editing. I suspect this was due to the editor just not having enough footage to piece the scenes together in a better way.
All of the shots in the interior of the vehicles were done using a green screen, and it is very obvious. It would have been less distracting if there was better continuity when the camera switched from driver to passenger, and an entirely different topography is visible on the other side of the road! When I compare these scenes to, say, "Anderson Bench" (also written and directed by Schneider), which had some similar scenes but was shot on location, it looks awful in comparison. I know that much of this film is dialogue-heavy, and the vehicles are the main locations, so I am sure green-screen made economic sense.
These budget-related sacrifices unfortunately will mar this film as amateurish, and unfortunately for a film in this genre I don't think it could have been avoided. However, my biggest complaint could have been: The story here spends too much energy getting the set pieces of the original Bandit in place that it misses the mark on character development. He don't see the bond between Schneider's Duke and Robinson's Fred really happen like it did with Bandit and Carrie in the original. There is one brief scene that hints that maybe that was going to happen (off camera?), but while they have lots of dialogue together in the car, it doesn't drive their relationship forward very well. The actors share some charisma with one another, so I would have preferred some space for that. There are other scenes, including a bar fight, that don't lead anywhere, that could have been sacrificed instead.
It's a decent tribute to Bandit, with enough of a modern twist to make it just different enough that it's not a remake - and there are enough nods to the original, and to the Dukes of Hazzard, to make any fan smile. This is obvious by its high rating on IMDB in comparison to Schneider's other films - this movie has a lot of nostalgia behind it, and that's not a bad thing.
But as a film on its own merits it has some serious flaws. Still, I look forward to seeing what John Schneider Studios will make next, as the world needs more creative independent films. And you know what they say, if you don't fail sometimes, it means you're not trying enough new things.
First, the good: The pace of this film is really good, it moves along and never drags. There are some editing issues which I'll get to, but the filmmakers were clearly very capable in a larger sense, which is so important, particularly for this genre.
Great performances across the board. Schneider (who stars, wrote and directed) is a fine actor. His dramatic performances show us he can hold his own, and in lighter fare like this, his charisma shines through. The supporting cast is in my opinion uniformly good, too. Robinson, as the bride, hits all the right notes. Tyrus, as the Sherrif, was delightful. What he lacks in acting experience he more than makes up for in presence, and as a result I loved every minute that he was on screen.
There were some nice stunts here. One car is jumped, another is rolled, and a bunch are dunked into rivers and swamps. They even include the famous Bandit stunt where the roof of the police car is torn off - that was pretty ambitious for such a small film!
I love the indie nature of this film, and I have a tonne of respect for Schneider for setting up John Schneider Studios to make small-scale films of a more personal nature. While I don't agree at all with his politics he shares on YouTube, I can see he is a decent man who is putting his money where his mouth is. I really do respect him as an artist. Everyone should check out his other films (they are criminally under-rated by users on IMDB for some reason, whereas I feel this film is rated too highly - but hey, this is just my opinion).
Now the not-so-good: Road trip / car chase movies are tough to do cheaply. We can see that a lot of the budget for this one went into the car stunts/wrecks, and these scenes are all done pretty well. However, the stuff in between has two problems: First, there is not enough coverage shot of the cars actually on the road, resulting in some very confusing and disorienting editing. I suspect this was due to the editor just not having enough footage to piece the scenes together in a better way.
All of the shots in the interior of the vehicles were done using a green screen, and it is very obvious. It would have been less distracting if there was better continuity when the camera switched from driver to passenger, and an entirely different topography is visible on the other side of the road! When I compare these scenes to, say, "Anderson Bench" (also written and directed by Schneider), which had some similar scenes but was shot on location, it looks awful in comparison. I know that much of this film is dialogue-heavy, and the vehicles are the main locations, so I am sure green-screen made economic sense.
These budget-related sacrifices unfortunately will mar this film as amateurish, and unfortunately for a film in this genre I don't think it could have been avoided. However, my biggest complaint could have been: The story here spends too much energy getting the set pieces of the original Bandit in place that it misses the mark on character development. He don't see the bond between Schneider's Duke and Robinson's Fred really happen like it did with Bandit and Carrie in the original. There is one brief scene that hints that maybe that was going to happen (off camera?), but while they have lots of dialogue together in the car, it doesn't drive their relationship forward very well. The actors share some charisma with one another, so I would have preferred some space for that. There are other scenes, including a bar fight, that don't lead anywhere, that could have been sacrificed instead.
It's a decent tribute to Bandit, with enough of a modern twist to make it just different enough that it's not a remake - and there are enough nods to the original, and to the Dukes of Hazzard, to make any fan smile. This is obvious by its high rating on IMDB in comparison to Schneider's other films - this movie has a lot of nostalgia behind it, and that's not a bad thing.
But as a film on its own merits it has some serious flaws. Still, I look forward to seeing what John Schneider Studios will make next, as the world needs more creative independent films. And you know what they say, if you don't fail sometimes, it means you're not trying enough new things.
Lol just go watch the actual movie and not this
kaizokushojo23 August 2022
Fun cheesy good time!
traildisco29 January 2021
Let down
morganmarquardt-653167 February 2021
My dad was super excited for this run off, there were some good parts and some funny moments/ characters but it's like it was on a 5$ budget. Everything just was subpar, and I guess that's just how it is. I'm glad some people enjoyed it however I really do wish they did a better job when it is supposed to be a modern runoff of a fav classic. It felt like Disney doing a poor live action of an old fan fav.
Fun
helengracebirdsall15 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Honestly, this is just a really good family friendly film. I thought it was more of a guy movie at first, but it's not, when I watched it I laughed so much. It's nice to escape reality for a bit and watch something wholesome!!
As a Huge Smokey and the Bandit Fan, VERY DISAPPOINTED
NikolasWorden15 September 2022
I'm sorry, but I did not like this movie at all and that is coming from a huge fan of Smokey and the Bandit fan and Trans Am enthusiast. It was pretty much a low-budget remake of Smokey and the Bandit, but different character names and different locations and setting. It didn't feel like a tribute at all, but more of a wannabe Bandit movie.
The Good: I will say the car stunts were decent, but should've been better filmed. Also there is a scene with Bandit and Buford impersonators which I felt was the closest this movie had to paying tribute and respect for the original.
The Bad: The Dodge Challenger was a bad choice as a blocker car as it should've been a Pontiac Trans Am to honor the original or a black and gold General Lee as a tribute to the TV show. You can't combine both cars and pass it off as a Bandit car. The Challenger used in the movie has a fake t-top roof that is filled with expanding foam, a bird on the hood, gold stripes and gold wheels. Basically a Dodge Challenger that likes to dress as a Pontiac Firebird which I feel is sacrilege. Its not even a real Hellcat like John states, but it is actually a V6 base model. The movie uses WAY TOO MUCH greenscreen which was off-putting and unrealistic. The movie was filmed very cheaply as if it was shot on a cell phone. The songs were not that good nor fun to listen to compared to the original which was fantastic. The acting was poor and much of the dialogue was lifted from the original, which is a shame since the original was mostly improvised. I'm surprised that Universal hasn't copyrighted this movie. If John was on the set, why not make a movie based on that event or a more original storyline that included a few references here and there to set it apart? Also if the budget was so low, why make the movie at all? There should have been a lot of heart, thought, and effort put into this to make it good and pay respect to Burt and Hal, but I feel that very little heart and effort was put into this and it should've been better handled.
Save your time and money and just go watch the original Smokey and the Bandit and the sequels. Way more fun to watch and that is the proper way to honor Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. Hopefully Universal Studios will do a better job with their tv show in development.
The Good: I will say the car stunts were decent, but should've been better filmed. Also there is a scene with Bandit and Buford impersonators which I felt was the closest this movie had to paying tribute and respect for the original.
The Bad: The Dodge Challenger was a bad choice as a blocker car as it should've been a Pontiac Trans Am to honor the original or a black and gold General Lee as a tribute to the TV show. You can't combine both cars and pass it off as a Bandit car. The Challenger used in the movie has a fake t-top roof that is filled with expanding foam, a bird on the hood, gold stripes and gold wheels. Basically a Dodge Challenger that likes to dress as a Pontiac Firebird which I feel is sacrilege. Its not even a real Hellcat like John states, but it is actually a V6 base model. The movie uses WAY TOO MUCH greenscreen which was off-putting and unrealistic. The movie was filmed very cheaply as if it was shot on a cell phone. The songs were not that good nor fun to listen to compared to the original which was fantastic. The acting was poor and much of the dialogue was lifted from the original, which is a shame since the original was mostly improvised. I'm surprised that Universal hasn't copyrighted this movie. If John was on the set, why not make a movie based on that event or a more original storyline that included a few references here and there to set it apart? Also if the budget was so low, why make the movie at all? There should have been a lot of heart, thought, and effort put into this to make it good and pay respect to Burt and Hal, but I feel that very little heart and effort was put into this and it should've been better handled.
Save your time and money and just go watch the original Smokey and the Bandit and the sequels. Way more fun to watch and that is the proper way to honor Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. Hopefully Universal Studios will do a better job with their tv show in development.
Fun, funny and enjoyable
louisestebbings28 March 2021
John Schneider has hit on a winning formula with recent films. It shows in this film which is fast and fun throughout. Not being from the US, I had to watch it a couple of times before I understood all the dialogue (an obsession with ears being attached to heads was the only thing I understood the first time around in all the CB talk), but the film just gets better each time I watch it!
Yes, they made it on a tight budget, but it's tightly edited, well paced, I love the music. I know it's a low budget indie film, but I like that it's not "Hollywood perfect" - it's a more interesting watch - imo.
Kudos to the actors (love Tyrus and Mindy) and it's cool that the film's supporters get a role too. I first watched because I am a Schneider fan, but Cody McCarver as the laconic Roy has a new fan now. If you want to kick back and watch a fun film; this is it.
Yes, they made it on a tight budget, but it's tightly edited, well paced, I love the music. I know it's a low budget indie film, but I like that it's not "Hollywood perfect" - it's a more interesting watch - imo.
Kudos to the actors (love Tyrus and Mindy) and it's cool that the film's supporters get a role too. I first watched because I am a Schneider fan, but Cody McCarver as the laconic Roy has a new fan now. If you want to kick back and watch a fun film; this is it.
Bad Remake of Smokey and the Bandit, Not a Tribute
BanditTA7916 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Before I get into this review, I want to talk about the original Smokey and the Bandit. First off it is my #1 favorite movie of all time since I first saw the film at age five and it was the movie that got me into cars and stunts. I loved all of the action, the directing of Hal Needham, the comedy of Jackie Gleason, the chemistry between Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, the trucking culture of the 70's, and the classic soundtrack by country legend Jerry Reed who played the Snowman in the movies. After seeing the Bandit roll out of the trailer in his black and gold Special Edition Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and I promised myself that one day I would get a car like Bandit's and I am very fortunate enough to now own a Bandit Trans Am. Since then, I have seen all of the Smokey and the Bandit movies, including the 4-part TV movie series from 1994 that while many hate, I for one enjoyed them and they are way better than most movies made these days. I have also seen all of Hal Needham's films and I absolutely love his work both as director and as a stuntman. I'm also a Dukes of Hazzard fan and I was fortunate enough to have met Ben Jones who played Cooter in the show, who also had a brief cameo in Smokey and the Bandit.
Now fast forward to 2020 and John Schneider who played Bo Duke in the Dukes announced that he was planning to make a Smokey and the Bandit tribute film called Stand on It which I was eager to see, until I saw leaks and teasers of the production and I soon realized what this movie was going to be. But I was still willing to see it hoping it would be a decent, all-original movie that payed respect to Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. After over 8 months and waiting 1 week after I placed my DVD order, I was finally able to watch the movie and here is my review.
What should've been a fun tribute that honored the original movie, Stand On It turned to a huge disappointment for me. It was a cheap, low-budget remake of Smokey and the Bandit, not a tribute. There are so many problems with this movie that makes it probably the worst movie I have ever seen.
The movie consists of Schneider playing his version of the Bandit, Duke Marietta who is asked by two guys resembling Big and Little Enos Burdette from the original to deliver 400 cases of beer from Austin, TX, to Baton Rouge, LA within 24 hours with a $500,000 prize, same plot scenario as in the original, but different locations, more money and 4 hours less time. He enlists the help of his friend Roy Reed who takes on the CB handle "Frosty" and brings his dog Frog along for the ride. Duke then drives out of his rig in a 2017 Dodge Challenger done up to look like the Special Edition Trans Am from the original movies. Like the original, Duke picks up a runaway bride named Fred who is being chased by the local Sheriff Cletus T. Necessary played by Tyrus and his dim-witted son Sonny. Everything from then on just rehashes everything from the 1977 classic with car stunts, plot scenarios, and characters. The only big change to the plot is that Duke and Frosty accidently pick up 400 cases of "green local" instead of the "yellow local" beer, which turns out to be, you guessed it, marihuana. At the end, Duke, Frosty, Fred and Frog make it the fairgrounds that was filmed during Schneider's Bo's Extravaganza event on his studio property where much of the filming took place. The film then concludes with the gang leaving the fairgrounds with Tyrus in hot pursuit with Sonny running after them on foot.
Now with the plot summarized, lets talk about the editing and acting.
This film has to be one of the worst edited films I have ever seen, as there are scenes of flopped footage of people driving on the right-hand side of the cars, bad camera work and bad acting. One example of the bad editing is the scene where they redo Justice's door getting hit by a truck, but in this movie the truck is seen hauling a trailer and when it cuts to hitting the car door, the trailer disappears and the truck is completely different. For some reason the movie uses mostly green-screen backgrounds and you can see a dark green background inside the cars when the film cuts to the characters inside. You can also tell that the mural on Frosty's semi-trailer is fake and was pasted on in post-production, which gives the movie a very cheap look and feel to it. The lighting was completely awful as it made everything way to bright at least on the DVD cut of the movie and many of the clips don't make any sense such the redo of the convoy scene that for some reason cuts to a family sitting still in their truck that is supposed to be moving. Many of the shots were likely recorded from cheap cameras and phones that make the movie look even more awful to watch. It seems Schneider wanted to get this thing out asap and didn't bother to fix the continuity errors and wanted to make this movie as cheaply as possible. I understand that the budget is low, but that should translate for more creativity of the filming, but this is sadly not the case for the movie. As an ambitious filmmaker and one who has taken film classes, there is no excuse for bad filmmaking.
The acting was very poor and was very cheesy and cringe-worthy. I often paused the movie because I was laughing at how poorly executed the movie was. Some of the actors in the movie looked like they did not receive any training or guidance at all. Its also off-putting to see John Schneider play a Bandit-like character in this movie, as he is the same guy to played Bo Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard. His acting was poor and I'm very disappointed how him and the other cast members are lifting a lot of the dialogue from the original Smokey and the Bandit film. Supposedly John wrote the script for this movie, but I believe all he did was just copy-and-paste of the original Bandit script with only a few changes to incorporate Dukes references which is a shame because it just makes this movie feel like a rip-off remake of the original. He didn't even give credit to Universal Studios or Hal Needham for characters based off of the original movie.
Another big problem with the movie is Duke's blocker car. Now I know Schneider is a Dodge guy and is known for driving Dodge cars, but he stated how he has always loved the Bandit's Pontiac Firebird Trans Am since he saw the car in person when he was an extra on the set. Now I figured he was going to drive a Dodge in this movie, but I was hoping for an original car that had its own unique look to set the movie apart or a black and gold General Lee as a nod to the Dukes. The car in this movie is a 2017 Dodge Challenger, done up to look like the Bandit Trans Am. It has a fake and poorly-cut t-top roof, a bird on the hood that resembles the original screaming eagle decal from the Trans Am, and throughout the production of the movie, John refers to it as a Hellcat. The Challenger in this movie is actually a V6 base-model, not a Hellcat which has different bumpers, wider wheels, and a 707 HP 6.2 liter V8. There is video of the car jump and you can hear that is a V6 and the Hellcat sounds were added in post-production from a Charger he borrowed that was recorded on Facebook. It would have been awesome to see Schneider drive a 77-81 Trans Am or a new Trans Am Depot Camaro conversion T/A to honor the original car that Burt, Hal, and many Bandit fans loved. If you are trying to pay respect to the Bandit and the fans, you need to bring back the car to further pay tribute to the original. This movie to me was trying to pull a Knight Rider 2008, which had a Ford Mustang for KITT instead of a Trans Am or a new Camaro.
The only parts I really enjoyed were the car stunts and the cameo of the Bandit and Justice characters which the actors did a great job with capturing the charm of Burt and Jackie, but I hated how they were written into the story. All they do is just appear in the General Lee taking Fred the bride to the wedding, instead of working in a surprise appearance of the Bandit helping Duke with a car chase with Buford T. Justice. That would have been so cool to see and it was a huge letdown for me that they chose to not go that direction.
My final thoughts.
Stand On It to me was just a cheap remake of Smokey and the Bandit that fails to capture the spirit of the original films. What should have been a fun original storyline turned into a rehash of the Smokey and the Bandit that many fans will find very disappointing. The one good benefit of this movie is that it makes the poorly-received sequels look great and have better appreciation. Some really good examples of a Bandit tribute done right was Fast N' Loud's Bandit Trans Am build episode and NASCAR's Mobil 1 short series Smoke IS the Bandit on YouTube. Another amazing tribute to both the Bandit and the Dukes is Stuntlife: The Bandit Project, which is a documentary film about the Burt Reynolds Bandit Tribute Jump and the obstacles the stunt team faced to recreate the Bandit Trans Am jump from the original movie. If you are a fan of Smokey and the Bandit, DO NOT watch Stand On It and go watch the original movie, along with Parts 2, 3 and the 1994 TV movies. They are well more worth watching and what you are paying for compared to this poor excuse of a movie.
Thankfully this will likely fade into obscurity while the original Smokey and the Bandit will continue to thrill audiences for generations to come.
John Schneider, I'm extremely disappointed in your attempt to bank off the Bandit with this so called "tribute" movie. I know deep down in my heart that Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham would be very disappointed in this remake of their iconic classic.
Tributes are supposed to be original stories with a few nods to the material, not a beat-for-beat remake solely made to make money.
Now fast forward to 2020 and John Schneider who played Bo Duke in the Dukes announced that he was planning to make a Smokey and the Bandit tribute film called Stand on It which I was eager to see, until I saw leaks and teasers of the production and I soon realized what this movie was going to be. But I was still willing to see it hoping it would be a decent, all-original movie that payed respect to Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. After over 8 months and waiting 1 week after I placed my DVD order, I was finally able to watch the movie and here is my review.
What should've been a fun tribute that honored the original movie, Stand On It turned to a huge disappointment for me. It was a cheap, low-budget remake of Smokey and the Bandit, not a tribute. There are so many problems with this movie that makes it probably the worst movie I have ever seen.
The movie consists of Schneider playing his version of the Bandit, Duke Marietta who is asked by two guys resembling Big and Little Enos Burdette from the original to deliver 400 cases of beer from Austin, TX, to Baton Rouge, LA within 24 hours with a $500,000 prize, same plot scenario as in the original, but different locations, more money and 4 hours less time. He enlists the help of his friend Roy Reed who takes on the CB handle "Frosty" and brings his dog Frog along for the ride. Duke then drives out of his rig in a 2017 Dodge Challenger done up to look like the Special Edition Trans Am from the original movies. Like the original, Duke picks up a runaway bride named Fred who is being chased by the local Sheriff Cletus T. Necessary played by Tyrus and his dim-witted son Sonny. Everything from then on just rehashes everything from the 1977 classic with car stunts, plot scenarios, and characters. The only big change to the plot is that Duke and Frosty accidently pick up 400 cases of "green local" instead of the "yellow local" beer, which turns out to be, you guessed it, marihuana. At the end, Duke, Frosty, Fred and Frog make it the fairgrounds that was filmed during Schneider's Bo's Extravaganza event on his studio property where much of the filming took place. The film then concludes with the gang leaving the fairgrounds with Tyrus in hot pursuit with Sonny running after them on foot.
Now with the plot summarized, lets talk about the editing and acting.
This film has to be one of the worst edited films I have ever seen, as there are scenes of flopped footage of people driving on the right-hand side of the cars, bad camera work and bad acting. One example of the bad editing is the scene where they redo Justice's door getting hit by a truck, but in this movie the truck is seen hauling a trailer and when it cuts to hitting the car door, the trailer disappears and the truck is completely different. For some reason the movie uses mostly green-screen backgrounds and you can see a dark green background inside the cars when the film cuts to the characters inside. You can also tell that the mural on Frosty's semi-trailer is fake and was pasted on in post-production, which gives the movie a very cheap look and feel to it. The lighting was completely awful as it made everything way to bright at least on the DVD cut of the movie and many of the clips don't make any sense such the redo of the convoy scene that for some reason cuts to a family sitting still in their truck that is supposed to be moving. Many of the shots were likely recorded from cheap cameras and phones that make the movie look even more awful to watch. It seems Schneider wanted to get this thing out asap and didn't bother to fix the continuity errors and wanted to make this movie as cheaply as possible. I understand that the budget is low, but that should translate for more creativity of the filming, but this is sadly not the case for the movie. As an ambitious filmmaker and one who has taken film classes, there is no excuse for bad filmmaking.
The acting was very poor and was very cheesy and cringe-worthy. I often paused the movie because I was laughing at how poorly executed the movie was. Some of the actors in the movie looked like they did not receive any training or guidance at all. Its also off-putting to see John Schneider play a Bandit-like character in this movie, as he is the same guy to played Bo Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard. His acting was poor and I'm very disappointed how him and the other cast members are lifting a lot of the dialogue from the original Smokey and the Bandit film. Supposedly John wrote the script for this movie, but I believe all he did was just copy-and-paste of the original Bandit script with only a few changes to incorporate Dukes references which is a shame because it just makes this movie feel like a rip-off remake of the original. He didn't even give credit to Universal Studios or Hal Needham for characters based off of the original movie.
Another big problem with the movie is Duke's blocker car. Now I know Schneider is a Dodge guy and is known for driving Dodge cars, but he stated how he has always loved the Bandit's Pontiac Firebird Trans Am since he saw the car in person when he was an extra on the set. Now I figured he was going to drive a Dodge in this movie, but I was hoping for an original car that had its own unique look to set the movie apart or a black and gold General Lee as a nod to the Dukes. The car in this movie is a 2017 Dodge Challenger, done up to look like the Bandit Trans Am. It has a fake and poorly-cut t-top roof, a bird on the hood that resembles the original screaming eagle decal from the Trans Am, and throughout the production of the movie, John refers to it as a Hellcat. The Challenger in this movie is actually a V6 base-model, not a Hellcat which has different bumpers, wider wheels, and a 707 HP 6.2 liter V8. There is video of the car jump and you can hear that is a V6 and the Hellcat sounds were added in post-production from a Charger he borrowed that was recorded on Facebook. It would have been awesome to see Schneider drive a 77-81 Trans Am or a new Trans Am Depot Camaro conversion T/A to honor the original car that Burt, Hal, and many Bandit fans loved. If you are trying to pay respect to the Bandit and the fans, you need to bring back the car to further pay tribute to the original. This movie to me was trying to pull a Knight Rider 2008, which had a Ford Mustang for KITT instead of a Trans Am or a new Camaro.
The only parts I really enjoyed were the car stunts and the cameo of the Bandit and Justice characters which the actors did a great job with capturing the charm of Burt and Jackie, but I hated how they were written into the story. All they do is just appear in the General Lee taking Fred the bride to the wedding, instead of working in a surprise appearance of the Bandit helping Duke with a car chase with Buford T. Justice. That would have been so cool to see and it was a huge letdown for me that they chose to not go that direction.
My final thoughts.
Stand On It to me was just a cheap remake of Smokey and the Bandit that fails to capture the spirit of the original films. What should have been a fun original storyline turned into a rehash of the Smokey and the Bandit that many fans will find very disappointing. The one good benefit of this movie is that it makes the poorly-received sequels look great and have better appreciation. Some really good examples of a Bandit tribute done right was Fast N' Loud's Bandit Trans Am build episode and NASCAR's Mobil 1 short series Smoke IS the Bandit on YouTube. Another amazing tribute to both the Bandit and the Dukes is Stuntlife: The Bandit Project, which is a documentary film about the Burt Reynolds Bandit Tribute Jump and the obstacles the stunt team faced to recreate the Bandit Trans Am jump from the original movie. If you are a fan of Smokey and the Bandit, DO NOT watch Stand On It and go watch the original movie, along with Parts 2, 3 and the 1994 TV movies. They are well more worth watching and what you are paying for compared to this poor excuse of a movie.
Thankfully this will likely fade into obscurity while the original Smokey and the Bandit will continue to thrill audiences for generations to come.
John Schneider, I'm extremely disappointed in your attempt to bank off the Bandit with this so called "tribute" movie. I know deep down in my heart that Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham would be very disappointed in this remake of their iconic classic.
Tributes are supposed to be original stories with a few nods to the material, not a beat-for-beat remake solely made to make money.
Oh John, you shouldn't have done it.
wingthwong24 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I am a huge fan of the Dukes of Hazzard. I am a huge fan of the Smokey and the Bandit franchise. I am also a big fan of the muscle car movies and cross country race movies that dominated the era.
This movie, people believe to be a tribute to all that, is far from that. John Schneider should be horse whipped for this.
From the start, you can tell this was overdone with lips to rear of The Dukes of Hazzard first and the to the Smokey and the bandit.
There is a mockery of the General Lee with doors that open. There is a real disgusting mockery of the Bandits car with a poorly cut up t top Dodge speed brick SLOPAR SMELLCAT (you can really see the bad chop job that was done) that plays Dixie car horn like the original General Lee. It is black with a white eagle on the hood that looks like a kindergartener painted on.
There are stunts that poorly mirror both TV series and movie. There is the creek jump, There are badly choreographed chase scenes.
This badly mirrored Bandit and Dukes movie use the same name of main characters from both. Schneider doesn't go by Bo, but is conveniently named Duke and he references Luke. Minus the overt Dukes references, they are trying to say they can do in real life in 24 hours what a movie in the 70s did in 28 hours.
I feel this could be good B-Movie fodder for some fan boys and girls. For true fans though, it just seems like a slap in the face.
These actors stink so bad as well. John was cool back in the day as Bo. But, he should have left it there. There's a reason Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) wasn't involved in John's grown up fantasies.
Everyone in this movie portraying the Bandit side of it made my eyes and ears hurt so bad... there's just no words I could ethically use here.
This movie is like the independent studios like Asylum that make clear ripoffs of blockbuster movies with slight changes in the name to con unsuspecting consumers or for the people that try to make them into cult hits.
Then there were clear horridvreferences to other movies and music in that era. Then, there was horrible modern country music constantly playing in the background.
It also has bad effects including horrid green screen, bad cinematography, very grainy wide shots overlaid on the green screen. It wasn't even filmed well for a bad b movie. It was a far cry in filming from the classic movies and TV shows it is trying to copy. From green screen to home movie day at the races quality, this just further stinks.
I accidentally found this on a free streaming site, and as I am currently bedridden, I have all kinds of time, so I wasted the time to watch this all the way through, so you could read this and save your time.
I truly wanted to like this. I really did. Even if a group of film students from some southern redneck college had made this, I probably would have enjoyed this more, but that John Schneider made this and acted in it, well that just sank it even further for me. You could watch tellatubbies and a sharknado-esque movie at the same time and had something more entertaining and less gut wrenching annoyingly bad than this movie.
This movie, people believe to be a tribute to all that, is far from that. John Schneider should be horse whipped for this.
From the start, you can tell this was overdone with lips to rear of The Dukes of Hazzard first and the to the Smokey and the bandit.
There is a mockery of the General Lee with doors that open. There is a real disgusting mockery of the Bandits car with a poorly cut up t top Dodge speed brick SLOPAR SMELLCAT (you can really see the bad chop job that was done) that plays Dixie car horn like the original General Lee. It is black with a white eagle on the hood that looks like a kindergartener painted on.
There are stunts that poorly mirror both TV series and movie. There is the creek jump, There are badly choreographed chase scenes.
This badly mirrored Bandit and Dukes movie use the same name of main characters from both. Schneider doesn't go by Bo, but is conveniently named Duke and he references Luke. Minus the overt Dukes references, they are trying to say they can do in real life in 24 hours what a movie in the 70s did in 28 hours.
I feel this could be good B-Movie fodder for some fan boys and girls. For true fans though, it just seems like a slap in the face.
These actors stink so bad as well. John was cool back in the day as Bo. But, he should have left it there. There's a reason Tom Wopat (Luke Duke) wasn't involved in John's grown up fantasies.
Everyone in this movie portraying the Bandit side of it made my eyes and ears hurt so bad... there's just no words I could ethically use here.
This movie is like the independent studios like Asylum that make clear ripoffs of blockbuster movies with slight changes in the name to con unsuspecting consumers or for the people that try to make them into cult hits.
Then there were clear horridvreferences to other movies and music in that era. Then, there was horrible modern country music constantly playing in the background.
It also has bad effects including horrid green screen, bad cinematography, very grainy wide shots overlaid on the green screen. It wasn't even filmed well for a bad b movie. It was a far cry in filming from the classic movies and TV shows it is trying to copy. From green screen to home movie day at the races quality, this just further stinks.
I accidentally found this on a free streaming site, and as I am currently bedridden, I have all kinds of time, so I wasted the time to watch this all the way through, so you could read this and save your time.
I truly wanted to like this. I really did. Even if a group of film students from some southern redneck college had made this, I probably would have enjoyed this more, but that John Schneider made this and acted in it, well that just sank it even further for me. You could watch tellatubbies and a sharknado-esque movie at the same time and had something more entertaining and less gut wrenching annoyingly bad than this movie.
Fun Tribute
hkzwv25 May 2023
Yeah it's a low budget. But it's fun. And it is like the Smokey and the Bandit version of Not Another Teen Movie.
It has something from almost every classic car / truck movie that has been made in it. Every scene has either something in the background or in the script that is directly related to another show. The fun part is seeing what you find. From My Cousin Vinny to Beverly Hillsbillies it's all in it. You need to pay attention, and make sure you got your ears on or you're going to miss them.
Test your movie and show knowledge by seeing how much you can find.
Most of the movie was filmed on the stars ranch, so yeah don't sweater the movie because of its budget, it wasn't made in Hollywood.
It has something from almost every classic car / truck movie that has been made in it. Every scene has either something in the background or in the script that is directly related to another show. The fun part is seeing what you find. From My Cousin Vinny to Beverly Hillsbillies it's all in it. You need to pay attention, and make sure you got your ears on or you're going to miss them.
Test your movie and show knowledge by seeing how much you can find.
Most of the movie was filmed on the stars ranch, so yeah don't sweater the movie because of its budget, it wasn't made in Hollywood.
A great take on smokey in this video
goofy-9136717 August 2021
I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of this from John Schneider and we both lived the movie. His studio turns out family friendly videos unlike the garbage from hollyweird that targets kids with terrible messages. This is my 2nd video of his.
Best movie tribute... ever.
twirl-4657324 August 2021
Coming from a long-time fan of Smokey and the Bandit, I just have to say that this movie really hit home for me. Not only that, but this really felt like a true combination of Smokey and the Bandit and Dukes of Hazzard. Of course they couldn't make it the tribute they wanted it to be with the budget they had, but John still somehow managed to make it loveable and memorable. The music of this movie is just incredible. The songs really felt like true country songs right down to the instruments and singing. Every song in this film truly felt special in its own respective way while being true to legendary country music. The acting is also really good for a movie with a tight budget. John Schneider may have played as the star of the movie, but the best acting in the movie definitely goes to Tyrus for playing Jackie Gleason's role as the sheriff. Tyrus not only managed to make the dialogue still funny, but he also incorporated new, original dialogue that was not in Smokey and the Bandit. Tyrus really played his part well, and it even looked like he had fun while doing it. But nothing in the movie could top the good stunts and crashes. The crashes were really spot-on to the movie it was tributing while being original in its own, creative way. They even somehow managed to make the backwards car jump into the pond more satisfying by jumping a police car, specifically a Crown Victoria, through a old, abandoned trailer at John Schneider Studios. But the big epic stunt of the movie took place at the Tickfaw River where they jumped the star car, a 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat, 100 feet over a demolished bridge right over the Tickfaw River to recreate the famous Mulberry Bridge jump in Smokey and the Bandit. Also, this movie was filmed during the 2020 Bo's Extravaganza event at John Schneider Studios in Holden, LA in July. John allowed anyone to be a part of the movie as an extra character. Not to mention that the upcoming sequel, Poker Run, was filmed at the 2021 Bo's Extravaganza event in April. Now, this movie is not perfect, but this was still a memorable film that I will surely watch over and over again. This really hits home for me, and if you're looking for a great family film to just kick back and enjoy, then this is definitely the one.
Too much fun
mtringali-8165814 January 2022
"Stand On It" is a great tribute to Smokey and the Bandit. It's not a remake or a sequel. It's John Schneider's masterful way of saying "thank you" to Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed. The jokes are meant to provoke the fun days we all shared years ago when the 1977 movie was released. Southern horsepower comedy is John's own phrase which describes this kind of film genre. Throughout the movie, they make references to "that movie" without disclosing the title. Although John wears a red shirt and chews gum, his tribute to Burt is complete in addressing pet phrases and recreation of updated scenes that were so memorable in Burt's film. Johns next sequel is "Poker Run." And in 2022 he will film another sequel called "Double or Nothing!" If you want to laugh and forget all the craziness in the world today, do yourself a favor and take a little time to enjoy life. "Stand On It" will be that film you'll want to share with your family and friends.
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