This is a drama about the mostly black workers at a car wash in Southern California in the 1970s. Yes, despite the fact that Richard Pryor and George Carlin make cameo appearances, there isn't much comedy in this aside from their scenes.
It reminded me of Midaq Alley (1995) in that it takes as its subject matter the individual lives of an ensemble of lower-class urban characters, focusing especially on each one's romantic and financial problems.
It's less artistically done than Midaq, but it makes up for it by overflowing 70s charm and style. The acting is strong to go along with that.
One of the most impactful aspects of Midaq was its endings - in that film, we see happiness snatched from each character, often in tragic fashion. In Car Wash, instead, there are no tragic endings. However, while on the surface they seem to be happy they're not fairy tale endings either. Rather I would characterise them as hopeful but unlikely to lead to any permanent joyful solution. Like working at the car wash, every day is more of the same and even the weekly pay days, while perhaps a source of joy for these workers, are only a brief respite from their mundane lives. So they live jumping from one hope to another without any real resolution.
The "main" ending is one of the strongest I've seen though.
Honourable mentions: Good Will Hunting (1997). The main ending in Car Wash is reminiscent of the emotional climax in Hunting.
It reminded me of Midaq Alley (1995) in that it takes as its subject matter the individual lives of an ensemble of lower-class urban characters, focusing especially on each one's romantic and financial problems.
It's less artistically done than Midaq, but it makes up for it by overflowing 70s charm and style. The acting is strong to go along with that.
One of the most impactful aspects of Midaq was its endings - in that film, we see happiness snatched from each character, often in tragic fashion. In Car Wash, instead, there are no tragic endings. However, while on the surface they seem to be happy they're not fairy tale endings either. Rather I would characterise them as hopeful but unlikely to lead to any permanent joyful solution. Like working at the car wash, every day is more of the same and even the weekly pay days, while perhaps a source of joy for these workers, are only a brief respite from their mundane lives. So they live jumping from one hope to another without any real resolution.
The "main" ending is one of the strongest I've seen though.
Honourable mentions: Good Will Hunting (1997). The main ending in Car Wash is reminiscent of the emotional climax in Hunting.