‘Used Cars’ At 40: How The Cynical Black Comedy Became A Preview Of The Reagan Era
Robert Zemeckis’ “Used Cars” opens with a slow, patient push-in on a man tinkering around under the dashboard of a used car, eventually achieving the goal of rolling back its odometer. He’s whistling “Hail to the Chief” as he works; the opening title music that follows is a rousing rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever.” The messaging here is not subtle: America, circa 1980, is a used car lot.