Car Wash
The movie's title song, "Car Wash", was a #1 chart-topping hit for Rose Royce, and was one of the biggest-selling singles of the 1970s disco music era.,(around 55 min.) The camera crew is reflected on a station wagon's wing mirror.,[Duane has just thrown Irwin's book into a bucket of water]
Lindy: I'm so tired of you running off at your mouth it's getting me down honey. Why don't you just leave? And be an assassin? Or is the only thing you're good at shooting off is your big mouth?
Duane: Will you please get out of my face you sorry looking faggot.
Lindy: Who you calling sorry looking?,The principal cast members are all spoken out at the end of the film by J.J. Jackson, one of the film's deejays.,The TV network version has all of the raunchy scenes, including the ones with the drag queen Lindy, cut and many more added which include:
Hippo first arriving at the car wash and parking his moped in the back lot where he meets Chuco, the Latino worker, getting off a flat-board truck that he is riding in with other Latinos going to work and they whistle at two women passing by.,Featured in The Celluloid Closet (1995),Car Wash
Written and Produced by Norman Whitfield
Performed by Rose Royce, Orchestra conducted by Paul Riser,An extremely underrated film that hopefully, with this DVD release, might finally gain some critical respect. Car Wash has somehow been lumped into the genre of wacky comedy over the years. However, the seriousness in which the plot develops and the sensitivity shown to its main characters make this a well directed comedy/drama (or dare I say it, dra-medy).

Everyone knows about the killer soundtrack, courtesy of Rose Royce and The Pointer Sisters (they smoke in this film), but what will surprise many is the smart script by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, 8MM) and gentle direction by Mike Schultz (Cooley High). Car Wash is a fun, day in the life comedy, but is also an intelligent, and at times thought provoking study on work roles, race relations, and ultimately, everyone's need to be loved.

The characters are slowly revealed with an Altman-esque quality. Especially strong performances by Antonio Fargas (known to most as Huggy Bear) and comedian Franklyn Ajaye as the Fly, a wanna be super hero that has a crush on a gorgeous, seemingly unattainable woman.

Richard Pryor and the Pointer Sisters take over the film at midpoint in the roles of Daddy Rich and the Wilson Sisters. This is an excellent performance by Pryor, as he extolls the virtue of both god and money to the workers at the car wash. The preacher is serious in his dedication to earning that almighty dollar, yet not above poking humor at the obvious conflictions he represents. A great scene, and it relieves some of the drama that has been set up by the brooding Abdullah, a muslim that is torn over the tensions and hypocrisies of the workplace.

There are no special features added to this DVD release, and that's a shame. It could benefit from some commentary (with a cast including Pryor, George Carlin, Professor Irwin Corey and Melanie Mayron, you'd think there are some great stories on the making of Car Wash), and a feature on the music would have been an obvious feature to add. Also, the film is only presented in full screen, no wide screen option is available.,