Pass the Ammo
In 1987, just as Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were in the headlines with their telescandal, Tim Curry and Annie Potts starred in "Pass the Ammo," a quirky little b-movie that satirized the notorious couple. Funny thing is, according to an old L.A. Times article about the film, the movie wasn't explicitly based on real events, it was being prepped for release when the PTL scandal broke. Despite its timely release the film mostly flew under the radar, collecting dust on home video and rarely garnering television airings. The sad part is it's a fun little flick.
Bill Paxton sets out to steal back funds that were bequeathed to Reverend Ray (Curry) in his soon-to-be grandmother-in-law's will. With several dim-witted cohorts in tow, Paxton bolts through the wrong door and winds up taking Ray and his entire television studio hostage. A standoff ensues, which is broadcast live on TV, culminating in an unlikely and action-packed finale!
"Pass the Ammo" is one of those weird movies like "Raising Arizona," "Honky Tonk Freeway" and "Drowning Mona" where the pace is slow and the characters are peculiarly eccentric. You'd expect Curry and Potts to be loopy but it's the secondary characters that really steal the show -- from the backwoods sheriff who has a speech impediment to a technician on Reverend Ray's TV show who claims to be the reincarnation of a famous political figure to a bumbling crook who falls in love with an angelic singer to perennial cult movie actor Brian Thompson as a famous sportsman who finds God... and decides to strip down, get tied up and sing his praises. And did I mention there's some hilariously tacky songs and one-liners too?
It's really not surprising that the film has a very minor cult following, and I'm always looking to give a small cult movie some wider exposure...but unfortunately this is another that doesn't seem to be headed for DVD any time soon. It's quite a shame that there's not a good successor to Anchor Bay (which has sucked since they were bought out by Starz!) to release oddball stuff like this.
As a post script, I've mentioned in the past that Curry and Potts became close friends when they met on the film and eventually found a sitcom to co-star together in. Unfortunately that show, "Over the Top," was plagued with behind the scenes problems and got canceled after only three episodes had aired. But that full story's on another page. And as a P.P.S., director David Beaird delved back into religion again -- only this time Buddhism -- for his emotionally-charged 2005 dramedy "The Civilization of Maxwell Bright," another oddity which deserves to be seen. And as a P.P.P.S., screenwriters Joel Cohen ("Toy Story") and Neil Cohen are not the Cohen Brothers, nor are they even related.
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