Scavenger Hunt (1979)

Scavenger Hunt (1979)

7/10

Starring

Richard Benjamin

James Coco

Scatman Crothers

Cloris Leachman

Directed by Michael Schultz

After seeing the grand It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), I stepped into this movie as a skeptic, as it seemed more like It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World with just some tweaks here and there. Reviewers didn’t help either, as from what I saw, Scavenger Hunt falls somewhere between good and awful. So, I decided to see it for myself, and I have to admit: the plot is stupid and far-fetched compared to It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. The acting is lower-grade, the directing could use some work, and the screenplay is all topsy-turvy, making me laugh all the way through as things just kept happening every second.

I enjoyed this movie. The producers went all out to copy as much as they could from It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. The movie is also filled with a lot of cameo appearances—we even get to see one from Mr. Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was still young at the time. The movie’s whole idea is so bogus that you start to doubt from the beginning if it’s going to be any good.

The plot revolves around Milton Parker, a multi-millionaire with an estate worth over $200 million. A game lover himself, Parker, upon his death, gathers his relatives, domestic staff, and even a taxi driver for the reading of his will. The will stipulates that a Scavenger Hunt will be held to determine the beneficiaries of his $200 million estate. Each team has to collect specific items (without purchasing them), and each item on the list carries specific points. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end of the hunt, and that team will get the entire estate, while the rest get nothing. The teams involved in the hunt are:

1. Parker’s son-in-law and his children
2. Parker’s servants: his cook, butler, driver, and maid
3. A taxi driver extremist (who was extreme in stupidity and being brainless)
4. Parker’s sister, Stella
5. Parker’s nephews, Kenny and Jeff Stevens

The sad thing, though, is that I only got to see this movie because someone was nice enough to convert the VHS version to digital for me. No DVD of this movie has been made (as of now), which is a shame because this is one movie I recommend to anyone looking for a good laugh. It’s highly underrated, but it’s good.