The Spirit of '76 (1990)

Future Americans decide to time travel to 1776 to ask the founding fathers for the solutions to their problems. A glitch in the time machine changes their destination to 1976. Still ... See full summary »

Director:

Lucas Reiner

Writers:

Roman Coppola (story), Lucas Reiner (story)

Stars:

Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald V. Casale, Carl Reiner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Mothersbaugh	...	Chevron-17 (as Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo)
Gerald V. Casale	...	Yale-44 (as Gerald V. Casale of Devo)
Carl Reiner	...	Dr. Von Mobil
Nancye Ferguson	...	Nurse
David Cassidy	...	Adam-11
Bob Casale	...	Ron-29 (as Bob Casale of Devo)
David Kendrick	...	Ron-31 (as David Kendrick of Devo)
Geoff Hoyle	...	Heinz-57
Olivia d'Abo	...	Chanel-6
Jeffrey McDonald	...	Chris Johnson (as Jeff McDonald)
Steve McDonald	...	Tommy Sears
Liam O'Brien	...	Rodney Snodgrass
Ann Block	...	Chris' Mom
Charles Dean	...	Chris' Dad
Martin von Haselberg	...	Agent 1

Storyline

Future Americans decide to time travel to 1776 to ask the founding fathers for the solutions to their problems. A glitch in the time machine changes their destination to 1976. Still believing themselves to be in 1776, the time travellers attempt to study this "ideal" civilization. 70's jokes, props and stars abound.

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Plot Keywords:

time machine | science fair | time travel | alternate history | u.s. constitution | 

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Taglines:

A close-up look at the most embarrassing decade in history.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Azok a csodás 70-es évek

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Diamond Productions,Castle Rock Entertainment,Commercial Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Deluxe)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut theatrical feature film of Lucas Reiner as an actor, director, and writer, being billed for the latter in both screenwriting and co-writing the story. Lucas Reiner is the brother of Rob Reiner, and son of Carl Reiner.

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Goofs

When Eddie Trojan and Chanel-6 are riding in Eddie's car the song 'Don't Fear The Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult is playing. The date is July 4, 1976. 'Don't Fear The Reaper' was not recorded until August 1976, and it became a billboard hit in November 1976.

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Quotes

Miss Liberty: Let's take a look at the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, because in a sense that's where it all starts: A lie from the President to manipulate Congress in order to fund an undeclared war? Now not only does this render the Tripartite system functionally useless, but it's clearly a violation of the Oath of Office prescribed by the Constitution itself.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits of the movie featured the zodiac sign symbol of each cast and crew member on the production next to their name.

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Connections

References The Six Million Dollar Man (1974)

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Soundtracks

The Hustle
Written and Performed by Van McCoy
Produced by Hugo Peretti (as Hugo) & Luigi Creatore (as Luigi)
Courtesy of Amherst Records, Inc. and PolyGram International Music BV
Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

User Reviews

A campy romp through the 70's...for those of you who can't remember them.

I was quite surprised that I liked this B film, as the start is pretty corny. Once you get over that fact, you see a pretty fun film, one which anyone who lived through the 70s will appreciate.

Apparently, this film is a 2nd generation's project. The executive producers are Copalla and Riener, the sons of Francis Ford Copalla and Rob Riener. I think that accounts for the relatively large cast of 70s stars. The music was great as there were snippits from many 70s tunes. I went looking for the soundtrack, but, unfortunately, it doesn't exist.

The main star, David Cassidy, was the lead singer for the Partridge Family, among other things. It would have been very easy for the producers to harp on that topic, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film didn't turn into an inside-joke factory.

This is a fun film to coast back to the 70s on. If you can get over the campiness of the beginning, you're in for a treat. Have a nice day!