IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Some films live or die based upon the strength of their titles, and few films have been saddled with a more ill-fitting appellation than Slither (1973).  From the sound of the title, one would expect a horror, sci-fi, or exploitation film involving snakes or some equally wriggling menace.  In fact, James Gunn used the title very aptly in 2006 for his entertaining and gooey sci-fi-horror-comedy about alien slug-worms that infest a small town.  Unfortunately, Slither (1973) isn’t a horror film, and there isn’t a snake, worm, slug, or squid to be seen.  Instead, the 1973 film is an offbeat action comedy, one that would not seem out of place in the filmographies of the Coen Brothers, Richard Rush, or Robert Altman.  The unfortunate title simply refers (if very obliquely) to the serpentine twistings of the plot.

James Caan stars as Dick Kanipsia, an ex-con, freshly released from prison, who embarks on a treasure hunt of sorts when a dying friend, Harry Moss (Richard B. Schull), gives him two names — Barry Fenaka and Vincent Palmer.  The first name is a small-time band leader (Peter Boyle) who helped Moss embezzle $312,000, and the second name is a third party who is holding the loot.  Fenaka knows the name of the town that the loot is in but not the name of the third party, so he agrees to team up 50/50 with Kanipsia.  The new partners hit the road after the dough with Mrs. Fenaka (Louise Lasser) literally in tow in an Airstream trailer.  The trek takes them through small towns, multiple trailer camps, and on wild goose chases, where they meet eccentrics of all kinds, including Kitty Kopetzy (Sally Kellerman), a pill-popping kook who gloms onto Kanipsia.  Unfortunately, the conglomerate is also being followed by an enormous black van, turning the treasure hunt into a statewide RV chase.

Slither underperformed at the box office, bringing in a grand total of $1.36 million, and I can’t help but think that the title had something to do with that.  It is unfortunate that the film hasn’t found a cult following in the intervening years, because it is a movie that deserves a much wider audience.  It has a quirky, shaggy dog charm, and I enjoyed it so much that I watched it twice in short order.  It’s my favorite film discovery of the year.

As the single sane character amongst the crazies, James Caan has never been funnier.  He moseys into every line reading with a hesitating, defeatist deadpan.  I can’t imagine anyone doing more with the off-kilter script.  It may be his best performance, and it makes one wish that he had starred in more comedies.  Sally Kellerman, Louise Lasser, Richard B. Schull, Allen Garfield, and especially Peter Boyle provide a wonderful assortment of oddballs for Caan to bounce off.

Slither has a unique, relaxed, offbeat atmosphere that I just enjoyed wading around in.  If you give this underwatched gem a try, I think that you’ll also enjoy spending time with it.  The character of Dick Kanipsia says it best in a line from the film — “I think you’re going to like it around here very much.  Everybody I meet’s crazy.”

US/C-97m./Dir: Howard Zieff/Wr: W.D. Richter/Cast: James Caan, Peter Boyle, Sally Kellerman, Louise Lasser, Allen Garfield, Richard B. Shull, Alex Rocco, Alex Henteloff, Len Lesser

For Fans of: Slither feels like an forerunner to Cohen Brothers films such as The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, so if you like the Coen Brothers’ more eccentric films, you may enjoy this.

Video: The Warner Archive Collection has released Slither [MOD DVD] as a part of their manufacture-on-demand DVD line. The picture quality is quite good for DVD, but I hope that Warner Brothers eventually considers revisiting the title for a Blu-ray upgrade.  There are no special features on the disc.

Streaming: While Slither (1973) is not available via any of the major subscription services, it can be rented or purchased through Amazon, VUDU, and other platforms.

More to Explore: Director Howard Zieff followed up Slither with another quirky cult comedy, Hearts Of The West (1975), starring Jeff Bridges as a would-be writer of Western novels who becomes a stunt man and actor in silent film Westerns.

Trivia: The writer of Slither, W.D. Richter, tried to sell a TV spin-off of the film.  The pilot, also called Slither (because it was such a good idea the first time), aired on CBS on March 21, 1974, with Barry Bostwick taking over the role of Dick Kanipsia.  It was not picked up for series.  W.D. Richter later went on to direct The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) and to write the screenplay for Big Trouble in Little China (1986).

For More Info: You’re on your own here.  Not much has been written about Slither.