TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT

(director: Gus Trikonis; screenwriters: Barry Schneider, story by Schneider and Jeffrey Benini; cinematographer: James Devis; editor: Richard Belding; music: Billy Sherrill; cast:  Robert Hays (Frank Macklin), Art Carney (Charlie Pickett), Barbara Hershey (J.M. Halstead), Martin Mull (Dick Ebersol), Charlie Rich (Hooker), David Allan Coe (Mooney), David Keith (Harry Meade), Tim Thomerson (Ray Binkowski), James Karen (Loomis), Royal Dano (Beeber), Fran Ryan (Mrs. Hinkie, hotel lady); Runtime: 100; MPAA Rating: PG; producers: Greg Blackwell; Arco Embassy/Kino; 1981)

“Messy low-brow work-place comedy.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The middling redneck movie was named after a hit country song written in 1977 by David Allan Coe and sung by Johnny Paycheck. It’s refuted to be the first movie to feature Bigfoot monster trucks.

Gus Trikonis (“The Great Pretender”/”Open Admissions”) directs this messy low-brow work-place comedy with too much sentimentality. It’s based on the story by Barry Schneider and Jeffrey Benini and is scripted by Barry Schneider.


Sam Ellison (Eddie Albert) owns The Ellison Group, a capitalist venture group who buy up businesses and restructure them to make more profit. Dick Ebersol (Martin Mull) and the young Frank Macklin (Robert Hayes) are slick company executives who carry out these assignments. Frank returns to his Dubuque, Iowa hometown from the big city to manage and evaluate the books of the local beer factory owned by the old-timer Charlie Pickett (Art Carney). He’s afraid he might have to fire some of his childhood friends (like David Keith & Tim Thomerson). But he finds time to renew a relationship with his former girlfriend J.M. Halstead (Barbara Hershey), an idealist who is pro-worker. She helps him choose sides with his friends over his greedy boss.

The noisy climax revolves around the title song belted out by all the redneck brewery workers, as Frank shouts out at the brewery “Take this job and shove it.” Frank openly goes against his boss and his attempt to sell the brewery to an oil man who knows nothing about running a brewery.

It’s a witless and dull working-class comedy.

The movie was filmed at the Dubuque Star Brewery, in Dubuque, Iowa, that was founded in 1898 and is still running (designated an historical landmark).

REVIEWED ON 1/18/2026  GRADE: C
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