Then at all costs avoid this movie. I wasn't surprised to see this Burt Reynolds vehicle was directed by auteur Burt Reynolds: it takes a particular kind of vanity project to stink this badly. The fact that both he and costar Dom Deluise continued to thrive in Hollywood after this stinker is proof either of their prodigious personal charisma or the profound unjustness of the universe. Flatly lit and shot like a sitcom. Drastically unfunny. Perhaps if edited down to 10 or 15 minutes this would have made a merry jaunt, but as it is the story moves like glue. Peppered with casual racism. I saw this for free and still wanted a refund. The bright side is that compared to 'The End,' other movies seem just that much better. Also, Mr. Reynolds wears some nice-looking tracksuits.

Man, I remember really laughing at this when I saw it in the theaters. But, a look at it again 20 years later on tape was another disappointment. I found that with a lot of 1970s films.The story still had some decent humor but too much of it contains Burt Reynolds whining and whining about his impending death. It really can grate on you after awhile. Only after Dom DeLuise enters the film, about halfway through, does the movie take off and become comedic. In fact, his are the only funny scenes. The story's dark humor that may not appeal to everyone. Doing this review and looking at the "cast of characters" shocked me. I only remember Reynolds and DeLuise. I can't believe that the likes of Joanne Woodward, Pat O'Brien, Strother Martin, Myrna Loy, Robby Benson, Kristy McNichol, Norman Fell and Carl Reiner also were in this. Burt's girl, Sally Field, was here, too, but that's not a surprise. I am sorry to see these classic-era stars in an "R" rated movie. It goes to show you they would have done the same back in the '40s, if allowed.The story is kind of ironic, though, and maybe I should give this movie another look. I had just gotten into a discussion with several friends about suicide, several of us commenting whether we would consider that as opposed to suffering with a painful, long-term and fatal illness. That's the predicament Reynolds' character finds himself in, in this story. The thing is - and who can't relate to this? - he's too chicken to kill himself! Ha ha. Still, it's DeLuise that will make most people laugh at this film. Reynolds' ego gets in the way of his performance. I wonder if Dr. Kevorkian found this film funny?

Burt Reynolds throws himself in front of and behind the camera in this 1978 gem of a comedy. Not the best comedy that year, but far from the worse. Reynolds may have bit off more than he could chew by directing and acting all in one, but the final product was funny enough for cinemas. Still, without Dom DeLuise, this movie would be far from watchable. It is DeLuise that saves this movie. At sometimes dark, The End mixes mild comedy which delivers this Woody Allen (who wrote the original script) type story. DeLuise is nothing but brilliant as the lovable, yet crazy friend of Reynolds. This movie is nothing but fun. Not the best movie, but a nice story with an interesting cast of characters.

Everyone remembers this one, esp the scene at the loony bin window where Dom Delouise is hellbent of finishing Burt off, Burt has second thoughts about plummetting to his death, and so on. That alone is great. Kirsty McNichols was also very good too. (I was too young when I saw it to appreciate the presence of Myrna Loy and Joanne Woodward, and so I do look forwards to seeing it again in fact)I also can remember seeing David Steinberg doing his whacked out shrink routine-'Get off of me!', etc. too. He is kinda forgotten now but a funny guy nonetheless.So yeah, I do recommend this to anyone who wants to see an underrated Reynolds flick, it really is pretty good.***