71
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe screenplay and the direction juggle the characters so adroitly, this is almost a wash-and-wax MASH.
- 88LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenLarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenIn its erratic narrative, random assortment of characters, and omnipresent soundtrack, Car Wash captures something perfectly: the rhythms of a working-class work day.
- 80Time OutTime OutThe remarkable thing is the way characters, jokes and meaning are dovetailed into a single rhythmic flow that makes the film look like TV's Laugh-In redesigned as a Minnelli musical. Highly enjoyable.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineLow-key comedy detailing a day in the life of an L.A. car wash, featuring an ensemble cast of superb performers.
- 75Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumCritics seemed to like this less than audiences; personally I had a ball.
- 70The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyA cheerful, somewhat vulgar, very cleverly executed comedy about what goes on in a single 10-hour period in a Los Angeles car wash.
- 50The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelA junk-food mixture of poetry, black anger, bathroom humor, and routines that have come through the sit-com mill.
- 50NewsweekNewsweekUsing none of the sharp, ironic juxtapositions that lent its predecessors so much energy, Car Wash is content to be just a day in the life of the title establishment. [04 Oct 1976, p.89]