I grew up loving 1978’s Every Which Way But Loose. It is a movie that we had tapped off the TV and I must have watched it 100 times as a kid. It always made me laugh, it had action and of course, it had Clint Eastwood and a big orangutan in it so that was the perfect combination. I do think that this is a little better than its sequel, Any Which Way You Can, but there is honestly not much in it.
How to Download Every Which Way But Loose
Every Which Way But Loose was released on December 20, 1978. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. And if you like Clint Eastwood, check him out in Million Dollar Baby (2004), Gran Torino (2008), or The Mule (2018).
The Movie Review: A Timeless Classic
The thing with this movie is that it is really a product of its time. I think that you had to have enjoyed this in the 70s or in my case, the 80s to appreciate and love the movie now. I say this because I tried to get my son to watch this and it did not hold his attention at all he said that it was “ok” but I think he was just humoring me.
The reason that I am reviewing this is that I have been trying to upgrade some of my favorite classic movies on 4K and I looked for Every Which Way But Loose and discovered that it did not exist on 4K! Thankfully, I have the Blu-Ray double pack of this and Any Which Way You Can so I decided to do a back to back special and I have to tell you, these movies are still a great deal of fun for me. Although, the Blu-Ray HD transfer is not exactly great so I would love a 4K restoration at some point.
Simple Plot, Big Fun
You do not have to worry about some big complicated plot with Every Which Way But Loose. Our main character is a trucker called Philo who does some bare-knuckle boxing on the side. Philo lives with his pet orangutan Clyde next to his brother Orville and his mom. This may sound crazy, but I think I would have to say that Philo is my all time favorite Clint Eastwood character. Sure he has that tough guy swagger, Eastwood is known for, but he gets to show his comedic side here and he is fantastic.
Anyway, Philo falls in love with an up and coming singer and she, along with her trailer, disappears from the trailer park so this sets Philo on a quest to go and find her. Along the way, he Clyde and Orville get into trouble with a biker gang called The Black Widows. I love the whole thing with The Black Widows trying to get Philo, but he is one step ahead of them in every way.
Memorable Characters and Moments
Along the way on their quest they meet a tough woman called Echo who is played by Beverly D’Angelo and she is a ton of fun. Honestly, “fun” is the best way to describe Every Which Way But Loose. There are certain movies where if I am not having a great day and I just need something to help me relax, have fun, and forget about what is bugging me that I always watch and Every Which Way But Loose is on that very exclusive list. If you have not seen this one in a long time, give it a watch, I am sure you will have just as much fun with it now as you did back in the day.
