Watch The Kentucky Fried Movie

The Kentucky Fried Movie is a comedy film from 1977 that takes the form of a sensory overload of skits and parodies. Directed by John Landis, it features a cast of mostly unknown actors including Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Bill Bixby, and more. The film is made up of various segments that are loosely tied together by commercials parodying every aspect of American media, from news broadcasts to commercials for bubble gum. There is no real plot, but it’s a non-stop whirlwind of sexual innuendos, social satire, and slapstick humor that leaves no stone unturned.

Some of the standout sketches include a satire of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon called “A Fistful of Yen,” the story of a young man’s rise to power that takes aim at martial arts films of the time. Bill Bixby appears in a recurring spot as a TV news anchor reporting on stories like “Eyewitness News,” which includes gory reenactments of a car accident, and “Roast Your Loved One,” which has seniors making jokes about deceased family members before cutting to a commercial for a local funeral home.

There’s also a fake public-service announcement that shows a “Kung Fu Christmas” with Bong Soo Han’s laconic delivery as Santa Claus imparting sound advice like, “never forget your roots, they’re the foundation of your existence.” Much like the rest of the movie, it’s jarring, weird, hilarious, and often quite crude.

The Kentucky Fried Movie is not afraid to go into risqué territory, with skits that take on everything from sex education to Blaxploitation films. One memorable sketch called “Catholic High School Girls in Trouble” features high school girls in uniform engaged in a food fight and then a pillow fight where their feathers fly. The movie includes some nudity, but it’s all in the name of poking fun at sexual mores of the time.

This movie unapologetically pokes fun at everything in pop culture that was big at the time. There are also quips made at the expense of the media and its various television shows - talk shows, TV shows and commercials. One memorable segment was a commercial for "Bull-Shitters", where people can pay for an individual to vouch for them, spewing loads of bullcrap to smooth over any difficult situation. There is also a gladiator-type game show, in which a group of people are pitted against each other in a battle-to-the-death situation.

The Kentucky Fried Movie is not the movie for everyone, and viewers need to have a good sense of humor, as they will be subjected to uncomfortable visuals, racial humor, and sex jokes. It’s a film that could never be made today, with its over the top humor and politically incorrect content. Fans of Airplane and The Naked Gun should enjoy this film. If you're in need of a good laugh and are prepared for the unexpected, The Kentucky Fried Movie is a right pick, for others, perhaps not.

The Kentucky Fried Movie is a 1977 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 61.