I Wish It Weren’t So, Joe: Film #110 - C.C. and Company (1970)
Viewed April 20, 2006
Okay, it had been a while since I had seen an honest to goodness wacky, cheesy movie, so I chose to watch C.C. and Company, which stars none other than “Broadway” Joe Namath as biker C. C. Ryder. (Yes, you read that right.) To add the the early 70s vibe, we also get a romantic interest in the (very fine) form of Ann-Margret playing magazine reporter / motocross fan Ann McCalley.
Our two leads first meet when C. C. and two of his fellow bikers come upon Miss McCalley when her car has broken down. After a terse bit of flirting, they part. But they meet up again when the gang C. C. rides with comes upon a motocross competition on which Ann is reporting. C. C. becomes intrigued with the sport, which causes a rift between him and the rest of the gang that ultimately leads to a showdown between C. C. and the gang’s leader, Moon (William Smith).
This is another of those “it’s not really so bad” films that I come upon every now and again. The screenwriter and director have crafted a star vehicle for Namath that is at least successful in not taxing his abilities too much. By pairing him up with the incomparable Ann-Margret, he at least comes off as appealing, if not actually showing true screen presence.
The story itself is early-70s biker cliches to the Nth degree, but the motocross angle is, fortunately, mostly played for fun and not as a serious life-altering endeavor. Films like C. C. and Company can’t afford to take themselves too seriously and it doesn’t. If light-hearted, none-too-thought-provoking drama is what you are looking for, C. C. and Company should fill the need without too much pain.