Review of Weed

Weed (1975)
5/10
Not good but, surprisingly, not bad.
14 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This has the look of one of those amateur-night-in-Dixie productions. The leading man is a graduate of the NFL School of Dramatic Arts, the leading lady has posed for one too many centerfolds, and the plot -- played out in redneck country -- involves little more than the standard corrupt-cops-vs-marijuana-smugglers with the usual chases, shoot-outs, and "Hee Haw" type supporting players.

Surprisingly enough, the final result isn't half bad, though fans of this sort of thing may find the proceedings a bit slow and somewhat short of the hoped-for action -- both in and out of the bedroom. As for the ending, it seems deliberately vague, thus leaving it for the viewer to decide if the forces of law-and-order win out over the course of true love.

Whether football quarterback Dan Pastorini made this movie simply as a lark or as a serious attempt to fashion an acting career may never be firmly established, but he doesn't seem to have the looks, presence, or talent to be anything more than an on-screen curiosity of only limited interest. That said, it should be added that he doesn't embarrass himself and usually hovers somewhere in the "adequate" range by B-movie standards.

Given that Pastorini dropped his jockstrap for a nude photospread in the December 1980 issue of Playgirl magazine, it's odd that his "beefcake" scenes in this movie are so few and so modest. The best comes when he walks into a steam-room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and another towel around his neck, but that's about it. He does wear tight pants, however, and he's posed, now and then, with his back toward the camera, thus giving the audience teasing views of his firm, trim bottom.
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