The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Beyond Flying Cars: Revisiting a Family Classic
Remember that magical car that could fly, float, and bring families together? "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" zooms back into our hearts as we revisit this 1968 musical fantasy classic starring the incomparable Dick Van Dyke. What we discovered might surprise you – did you know this whimsical children's tale was penned by Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond? This unexpected literary connection adds a fascinating layer to a film many of us cherished growing up.
At a substantial 2 hours and 24 minutes (feeling even longer with its theatrical intermission), this movie takes viewers on quite the journey. Dick Van Dyke's physical comedy prowess shines throughout, particularly during the mechanical doll sequence where he performs alongside Sally Ann Howes as "Truly Scrumptious." These meticulously choreographed moments continue delighting children today, proving the film's timeless appeal despite its age.
The Sherman Brothers' memorable songs form the backbone of the experience – from "Toot Sweets" to "Chu-Chi Face" and the iconic title song. Yet perhaps the most surprising revelation for those returning to the film as adults is how little screen time the magical car actually receives! While the flying car brings characters together, it's the human relationships and flights of imagination that drive the story forward.
We also tackle the film's more disturbing elements (that Child Catcher still gives nightmares!) and debate its curious association with Christmas despite containing absolutely zero holiday content whatsoever. Why has this non-Christmas movie become holiday viewing tradition? Should you revisit it with your family this season? Tune in to hear our passionate debate and final ratings of this beloved classic that continues to captivate generations of moviegoers. Subscribe now for more deep dives into cinema classics and forgotten gems!
On the couch. We're laughing, crying, feeling it all, breaking down the big screen, the hits and the flaws. Grab your seat, press play. Let's take the pic. Lights camera action. Episode of the Couch Critic.
Speaker 2:I'm your host, nathan, and on today's episode I'm joined with my good friend Katie talking about a movie. Hey, katie, how are you?
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm great. I'm just munching on some popcorn, like any good moviegoer would do. Shout out to my people at Skinny Girl Popcorn by Orville Redenbacher. Skinny Girl Popcorn the lime flavor. It's like salted lime Best popcorn flavor ever Hands down.
Speaker 2:Well, I am not eating popcorn because I don't want to be chewing on popcorn while I'm talking, so I'm just going to be talking about this movie that we're talking about today on our journey of Christmas movies, and this is one of those movies that, when I saw that we were going to be watching it, I was like wait, this is a Christmas movie, but we'll get more into that a little bit later, because we're talking about Chitty Bang Bang, chitty, chitty Bang Bang, chitty Bang Bang, chitty, chitty Bang Bang. Oh you pretty.
Speaker 3:Chitty.
Speaker 2:Bang. Bang and before we can talk about our likes and dislikes, we have to go over the synopsis. A down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children and then they go off on a magical adventure to save their grandfather in a far off land. That's, I mean, that's kind of part of the story, that's not the whole story.
Speaker 3:So it's not trying to give away, you know too much, because this movie is like crazy long.
Speaker 2:It is two hours and 24 minutes but it felt like 4 hours because there is an intermission and there's like an entrance music and there's outro music too. But this movie stars Dick Van Dyke, sally Ann Hughes sure, lionel Jeffries and Benny Hill. Dick Van Dyke, sally Ann Hughes, sure, lionel Jeffries and Benny Hill? I didn't realize Benny Hill was in this. Benny Hill is, like you know, famous for comedy in the Britain sections, which I found very interesting about this movie. So number one trivia this movie is based on a book by Ian Fleming and if that name sounds familiar, it's because he is the author of the James Bond novels. So I thought that was interesting that he wrote a children's book called Chitty, chitty, bang Bang, and that's where this movie comes from and I didn't realize it.
Speaker 2:So when I originally watched this I think I was like much younger. The beginning of this movie is very long and I don't think I understood what the beginning of the movie was about. But now that I'm older and I did my research and I found out that the book is about a Grand Prix car that goes generation through, generation of race car drivers. Now I realize at the beginning of the movie is basically the journey of the car and how it ends up in the junkyard at the beginning of the movie. So I didn't realize that. Katie, did you know that James Bond's author wrote Chitty Chitty, bang Bang Nathan, I did not know that James Bond's author wrote Chitty Chitty.
Speaker 3:Bang Bang. Nathan, I did not know that James Bond's author wrote Chitty, chitty, bang Bang. That is something I learned and they're very random, like they don't seem to have a lot in common, but it is kind of interesting that James Bond is extremely successful and he's like I don't know, I'll just take a stab at a kid's book and then that's a classic. You're like, okay, I see you, it's pretty impressive. But of course we're not talking about the books, we're talking about the movies. Both of them have become adaptations, obviously, from books James Bond and JJ Bing Bing and I was excited to watch this because I hadn't seen it in over a decade at least, but I did watch it a lot growing up, so it was a wild ride of oh I remember that part.
Speaker 3:Oh, I remember that part. It's been so long that I still felt surprised by everything, but every time something would happen I'd be like, oh wait, I do remember that. Oh wait, I do remember that, especially the songs, and I watched it with my four year old. I will say the intermission was nice. I don't know if you watched it in two parts, but I definitely did not do it in one sitting, a because as long, but also because I was watching with a four year old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I could. I couldn't watch it in one sitting. It it didn't hold my attention that much and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep briefly while watching it, because I think I fell asleep as he was telling the story of the pirate ship and that's when all I guess dream sequence happens and I fell asleep and then when I woke up it was like Nazi soldiers marching down the steps and stuff. So yeah, this movie goes all over the place. It really goes all over the place, which I get, because it's basically Dick Van Dyke's character telling a story to his kids and truly scrumptious, while sitting in Chitty, chitty, bang Bang, and it's just a lot. A lot happens. It's a lot to keep up with. At parts you're like wait, is this still the dream or is this still happening? And then you don't realize, oh wait, it is still all the story when it goes back to them in the car. It's just a really drawn-out movie.
Speaker 3:It is, and I will say so. I hate to start off with kind of negatives because I do really like the movie. I did not remember how little the car has to do with the storyline. I guess it's in there Chi Chi, bang Bang, this thing. You know the number once or twice, but a lot of the movie they're not in the car. I just felt like the car wasn't one. I did not remember that the car is maybe a secondary actor. It's their getaway vehicle and it's how they get somewhere and I guess it is technically what the bad guys are after the whole time is getting the car.
Speaker 3:I don't know. I just a picture of this movie came out today. The car would somehow like be more alive, it would be a little bit more of like an active role and being the hero and like do more things to kind of help defend itself on its own, take, take more life on its own. But but maybe that was very animated for the time. But yeah, I don't know, I wanted more car. I guess is what I'm saying. How did you feel about the music? Because you are a musical theater guy, I am not, you know that. What did you think? Did you feel like the numbers were good bad. Are they stuck in your head?
Speaker 2:I mean, this movie is classic Dick Van Dyke. So Dick Van Dyke was known for his physical comedy, very much so, and this movie really excels at showing that. I think my favorite part of the movie still is. I guess it's during the dream sequence and they bring these.
Speaker 2:The toy maker maker, played by benny hill, brings in these giant boxes like gift box and one is with truly scrumptious dressed up as like a wound up doll who spins around and around and sings this really awesome song and then dick van dyke plays basically like a marionette, clown, puppet and and that part is probably my favorite part. And what was really cool about it is that my kids did watch that part and I found my son like smiling and I saw my daughter smile and I took pictures and I sent you some pictures of my kids watching and that was like one of the few parts that she was actually interested in and was actually watching it and it really is like again, it's like classic physical comedy of dick fendike and so that's why I really like that song probably the most out of all of them. I mean, tootsweets is a fun song too, too, when he invents the musical candy, but yeah, I think spinning around and around. I mean, that's just classic.
Speaker 3:Can I tell you my so Ben's favorite song was the one with the baron and his mistress. You're my little choo-choo face and my teddy bear. We've been doing that all day. You're my little choo-choo face and my choo-choo face. We've been doing that all day. You're my little choo-choo face.
Speaker 3:I thought the songs are all great. Nathan, I would say that's probably one of my biggest positives was the music. I think she has an incredible voice. He, of course, has an incredible voice and the dancing helps, right Like there's a lot of dancing going along with the singing, and there's lots of big numbers like the Tootsuite one is like a whole ensemble number. I mean, this did turn into a musical. It was performed on, I assume, broadway, but I could see this being a very big show. So for that, I'm like not as mad about the car being less of a role, because in terms of just this being a musical, yeah, I thought the songs were great. Um, the little lullaby song. He sings the kids, I think. I don't know what my favorite song is, though out of all of them I mean there's a lot of good songs in this movie.
Speaker 2:And did you realize that this was the first movie for the two kids?
Speaker 3:probably yeah.
Speaker 2:I thought they really held their own with all the star power in this movie. So that was impressive. The kids were impressive. The family dynamic was cute.
Speaker 2:I think the biggest part of the car is that it like, brought you know truly scrumptious and Dick Van Dyke's character. His first name is really hard to say. The car brought them together and so that's like, the magic of the car is that, you know, it made this lonely inventor guy fall in love and realize that he needed a lady to make his family complete you mean he needed a sugar mama?
Speaker 3:we all know a truly scrumptious lady, because that was her mama.
Speaker 2:We all know what he was doing. A truly scrumptious lady, because that was her name.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we all knew what he was doing. I will say, speaking of kids, nathan, the child snatcher or as we'll call it kidnapper, brought back some PTSD for me. I was not scared as much this time, but man that gave me nightmares for like years. He was creepy and I think it still felt creepy now. But Scott, my husband, he was like telling Ben about it ahead of time. So he was like, oh, it's a scary movie. So Ben didn't even want to watch a movie with me. He's like I don't want to watch a scary movie. So we didn't skip through it, but he sat close to me and he didn't seem quite as traumatized. As you know, they get the bad guy in the end. That helps.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my daughter definitely looked at me and said is he going to find them? Is he going to find them?
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't know You'll see.
Speaker 2:But I will say something else that I did not notice until. I guess, now that I'm a father and I have children, did you realize that the grandfather at the beginning of the movie says the A word? He says the A word.
Speaker 3:I did not pick up on that, no.
Speaker 2:I guess I can say it because it's the British way of saying it Arse, but he still says it and I was like really Even back then they felt the need to put those words in there. So if you're listening and you're wondering, hey, why haven't Katie and Nathan mentioned Christmas at all during Chitty, chitty Bang Bang, and you'd be good at asking that question, that's a really good question to ask and I'm about to answer it right here. This movie has nothing to do with Christmas at all Whatsoever.
Speaker 3:No, hold it. No, to be fair to your list. I would agree. No, hold it. I mean no, nothing. Okay, to be fair to your list, I would agree that the movie has nothing to do with Christmas. However, because it's a classic and it's a family movie, you know, my five-year-old, my four-year-old and I and my husband could all enjoy it. That's a family movie and therefore something that gets watched at.
Speaker 2:Christmas time. I would never think to watch this at Christmas, but apparently during doing research, that this is one of those movies that they would show during, at holiday times, I guess, like on ABC family, when they would do the Hollywood lists and all this stuff that they would, they would randomly show Chitty, chitty, bang Bang and during that holiday, Christmas time. But I'm just like, why, why, why would you do it's like? It's like, well, I mean, no, it's not like it, because at least the Harry Potter films, almost every single Harry Potter film, takes place sometime during Christmas and they mention Christmas and all that fun stuff.
Speaker 2:This movie makes no mention of Christmas. There's no snow, there's no holiday feel to it. It's not. It's the joy of Christmas. No, it's not the joy of Christmas because it doesn't even mention Christmas. You can't say it's the joy of Christmas and I guess what you're trying to say is it's a similar feeling of the joy that you get from Christmas. But I'm like, no, it's not. No, it's not. This movie is not a Christmas movie and I was very upset that I watched the entire two hour and 24 minute including and not including intermission. I don't think that's including intermission. I really don't. I think with, with the intermission and the intro music and the outro music, it's like a over three hour movie well, again I come back to.
Speaker 3:That's three hours that you have family in town for christmas and you're all sitting around tv watching it together and everybody can enjoy it.
Speaker 2:That's not the movie you would watch with your family during christmas. It's not. Don't tell me, it is it's not.
Speaker 3:Well, you know what we watch. We watch bad santa. Yeah, you watch bad santa. Okay, other things that you liked or disliked I did like the doll scene where she's wound up. I thought their chemistry was really good, like I, you know they don't have a ton, they don't develop it like a ton, but even still, just the way they look at each other, I don't know, you're sold, you're like I want them to be together. Um, she's beautiful, he's, he's a hoot. That song with uh, what's the one with like the the pole, it's like where he is, like trying to escape. It's right at the beginning.
Speaker 2:He does like a whole number the old man yeah the old man yeah, they that gave um like uh the, uh, what's this? The step in time that gave a lot of step in time.
Speaker 3:Feel from mary poppins that that scene yeah, I think this is just a classic movie, um, and you know it's surprising, it's from like the 30s, right, I think? Tell me, tell me the date, y'all. I didn't look it up, but it's been a long time. 68, that's what I said um. You said the 30s. This is this is not. I think that's what the book came out um, maybe it's just take place 30s Okay, 60s is so old.
Speaker 3:My main thing I was going to say is, at this point it's now 80 years old and it's kind of surprising that no one's tried to remake it, and part of me feels like it's because, with CGI and everything, it's like the whole cool thing about the movie was that they're doing a fantastical dream sequence without technology of you know cj, like so the the car really was a car that really had wings that stuck out and actually fly duh, but all those things were actually having to be done with real props. So I don't know, maybe that's why it hasn't been redone. Is it's like it would just be cheap, like cheapened? Um, do you think we need another one?
Speaker 2:hollywood is not is not above or below. I don't know like which one I would use, but they're not above being cheap with their movies. Nowadays, like everything is either a sequel or a remake. I was looking at my movie list for Cinema Saturdays and literally every movie is a sequel.
Speaker 3:That's obnoxious. Where's the creativity? You know, creativity came from things like Chitty Chitty, bang Bang.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean did it, though, because it was based on a book, so it's not like an original, original story.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I guess I mean, you know, in the story the dad is, you know, telling a story, he's making it up, he's using his imagination.
Speaker 2:But it's based on Anyway, so I really don't really have much else to say about this movie. I liked it okay. It's not a movie that I would be like, oh it's Christmas time, let's watch Chitty Chitty, bang Bang. No, I wouldn't. So I'm going to go ahead and give my Christmas rating For this movie. This is a first. It's a first. I'm giving this movie a zero, a zero stars out of five, because it had literally had nothing To do with Christmas, not even a scene.
Speaker 3:I was going to say there wasn't even winter. That's fair and again I'm going to give it a one because I agree with you, but I still want to give it some credit for the fact that I believe it's associated with Christmas, maybe due to these news channels playing it, and it just became a tradition.
Speaker 3:Okay, you're allowed to be wrong sometimes Now the rating of the movie Chee Chee, bang Bang. It was fun, my kid liked it. Wouldn't make it a habit to watch it over and over again, but the songs stick with you, so I'm going to give it a four.
Speaker 2:Four out of five. I'm going to give it a three. I'm going to give it a three. I didn yeah, I'm gonna give it like a three. I'm gonna give it a three. I didn't want to go too low because it is again. It's classic dick van dyke, physical comedy, a lot of dancing and and all all the songs are are cute, even even the annoying grandpa one where he spells out the word posh it was pretty funny.
Speaker 3:He's like flying in the air, but it's slightly annoying.
Speaker 2:But even with that slightly annoying song, it's still. It's still enduring, it's good. So, yeah, I would give chitty chitty bang bang three out of five for general. So that is chitty Chitty Bang Bang. So this Cinema Saturday, I'm taking on the video game adaptation movie Until Dawn. Is it like the game at all? Find out, listen, find out. And I will be talking about the Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick classic Christmas comedy, or is it? I've never watched it before Deck the Halls. So that's what's coming up. Surely that's Christmas related, surely. I mean surely. But don't call me, surely. But thank you for listening. Everybody, you should follow us on all our social media platforms where we let you know what we're going to be talking about. Just in case you didn't listen to the episode when every movie gets its close up, it's not just a movie, it's a way of life.
Speaker 1:We'll watch it together, day or night, so settle in close and don't miss a flick. This is the moment for the couch critic.
