Moving Violations is a 1985 comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

 film starring John Murray

John Murray (actor)

John Murray is an American actor.He has eight siblings, including actors Bill Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. He has appeared in the films Starting Over , They All Laughed , Moving Violations , and Scrooged .-External links:...

, Jennifer Tilly

Jennifer Tilly

Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...

, Brian Backer

Brian Backer

Brian Backer is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1982 hit comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High as shy teenager Mark "Rat" Ratner...

, Sally Kellerman

Sally Kellerman

Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...

, Nedra Volz

Nedra Volz

Nedra Volz was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:Born Nedra Gordonier in Montrose, Iowa, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler...

, Clara Peller

Clara Peller

Clara Peller , was a retired manicurist and American character actress who, at the age of 81, starred in the 1984 "Where's the beef?" advertising campaign for the Wendy's fast food restaurant chain, created by the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample ad agency.-Early life:Born in Illinois, Clara Peller lived...

, Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber was an American actress, best known for her performances in the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand , Bachelor Party and Back to the Future as well as the television sitcom Bosom Buddies .-Life:Sperber was born in Hollywood and aimed for a performing-arts career from high school onward...

 and Fred Willard

Fred Willard

Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...

. It was directed by Neal Israel

Neal Israel

Neal Israel is an American actor, screenwriter, film and television producer and director best known for his comedic work in the 1980s.-Career:...

. It is notable for starring the lesser-known siblings of many famous actors, and being the film debut of Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle

Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...

.

Synopsis

The film follows a group of people in Los Angeles, who after being ticketed for numerous traffic violations and as a result lose their licenses and driving privilages (and their vehicles impounded), are ordered by Judge Nedra Henderson to attend a driving course program in order to get their licenses and their vehicles back. However, the assigned teacher for this course, Deputy Henry "Hank" Halik, is also conspiring with the judge in a plan to make sure these offenders fail miserably, and at any cost, making one of the offended individuals, landscaper Dana Cannon, very suspicious of their scheme and enlisting his fellow students to expose their plot to sell their impounded vehicles.

Trailer

The trailer contains several scenes and lines of dialogue that were not in the final film, including the traffic school classroom scene with the offending drivers, in which the classroom is much smaller than the one featured in the actual film.

Reception

The film was reviewed poorly by Janet Maslin

Janet Maslin

Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...

 at The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, who described it as an "especially weak teen-age comedy even by today's none-too-high standards." In a later appraisal, David Nusair of Reelfilm.com wrote that Moving Violations contains "enough laughs to be had here to warrant a mild recommendation."

Cast

• John Murray
  John Murray (actor)
  John Murray is an American actor.He has eight siblings, including actors Bill Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. He has appeared in the films Starting Over , They All Laughed , Moving Violations , and Scrooged .-External links:...
  
   as Dana Cannon
• Jennifer Tilly
  Jennifer Tilly
  Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
  
   as Amy Hopkins
• James Keach
  James Keach
  James Keach is an American actor, producer, and director. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., and son of actor Stacy Keach, Sr.-Background:...
  
   as Deputy Henry 'Hank' Halik
• Brian Backer
  Brian Backer
  Brian Backer is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1982 hit comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High as shy teenager Mark "Rat" Ratner...
  
   as Scott Greeber
• Sally Kellerman
  Sally Kellerman
  Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
  
   as Judge Nedra Henderson
• Ned Eisenberg
  Ned Eisenberg
  Ned Eisenberg is an American actor known for his recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Roger Kressler....
  
   as Wink Barnes
• Clara Peller
  Clara Peller
  Clara Peller , was a retired manicurist and American character actress who, at the age of 81, starred in the 1984 "Where's the beef?" advertising campaign for the Wendy's fast food restaurant chain, created by the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample ad agency.-Early life:Born in Illinois, Clara Peller lived...
  
   as Emma Jean
• Wendie Jo Sperber
  Wendie Jo Sperber
  Wendie Jo Sperber was an American actress, best known for her performances in the films I Wanna Hold Your Hand , Bachelor Party and Back to the Future as well as the television sitcom Bosom Buddies .-Life:Sperber was born in Hollywood and aimed for a performing-arts career from high school onward...
  
   as Joan Pudillo
• Nedra Volz
  Nedra Volz
  Nedra Volz was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:Born Nedra Gordonier in Montrose, Iowa, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler...
  
   as Mrs. Loretta Houk
• Fred Willard
  Fred Willard
  Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
  
   as Terrence 'Doc' Williams
• Lisa Hart Carroll as Deputy Virginia Morris
• Nadine Van der Velde
  Nadine Van der Velde
  Nadine van der Velde is a Canadian American actress, producer and writer. Van der Velde is a two time Emmy award winner, two time Annie Award winner and a recipient of a Humanitas Award.-Early life and career:...
  
   as Stephanie McCarty
• Ben Mittleman as Spencer Popodophalos
• Don Cheadle
  Don Cheadle
  Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
  
   as Juicy Burgers Worker
• William Forward as Police Officer #1
• Robert Conrad
  Robert Conrad
  Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
  
   as Chief Rowe (uncredited)
• Willard E. Pugh
  Willard E. Pugh
  Willard Earl Pugh is an American actor with numerous film and television credits. He has appeared in notable mainstream Hollywood films such as The Color Purple and Air Force One as well as genre films such as RoboCop 2 and Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy...
  
   as Jeff Roth
• Dedee Pfeiffer
  Dedee Pfeiffer
  Dedee Pfeiffer is an American film and television actress.Pfeiffer was born Dorothy D. Pfeiffer in Midway City, California, the daughter of Donna , a home-maker, and Richard Pfeiffer, a heating and air-conditioning contractor...
  
   as Cissy
• Michael McManus as Farmer #1 (as Mike McManus)