Rating: - Odd
The question is are you a zappa fan? I'm not a huge Zappa fan but I like a couple of his songs. If you aren't a big fan then don't bother.
This is a very odd, surreal and hard to follow movie. A lot of times you can tell the actors are reading off papers. I should have read more about it before I watched it. I thought it had a story.
There were 2 good songs "Lonesome Cowboy Burt" and another that had a good guitar solo. Another good thing was a cute girl with big teeth that took her shirt off and rubbed her nips for a second.
For the average movie watcher this movie is not worth your time.
Rating: - Only For The Fans Who Like Flo & Eddie Too..... Average Movie
*** Warning to Zappa Fans - FZ does not sing or speak at all in this movie...he leaves that up to Flo & Eddie.
FZ's first movie, 200 Motels, is supposedly about "life on the road" as seen from the perspective of a touring rock n roll band like the Mothers of Invention.
Some references to groupies and nudity make that clear but the film really has nothing else plot-like.
This movie was made during the Flo & Eddie era of the band (1970-71) that many fans detested as the worst part of Zappa's musical career since he made both of them the center of practically all the albums and concerts released during this period. I liked them both and that's why this movie gets 3 stars.
Ringo Starr plays Larry the Dwarf who dresses up to look like Zappa. There are dancing newts in a nightclub and other wacky scenes of musical experimentation.
The 5 classic songs are: Lonesome Cowboy Burt, Daddy Daddy Daddy, Magic Fingers, Mystery Roach and the Finale.
I suggest listening to the album if you're just interested in the songs. The film can be considered individual music videos for each song with "...Cowboy Burt" being the best song and funniest thing about the whole movie.
If you can't get enough of Flo & Eddie, this is the movie for you. If you prefer FZ and FZ only, stay away because you will be disppointed.
Rating: - Huh?
As a longtime Zappa fan, I'd owned the soundtrack to "200 Motels" for a decade or so before I ever had the chance to view the film itself. Now, I always considered "200 Motels" one of Frank's weakest recorded efforts, but figured given proper visual and narrative context I'd be able to give the effort a fair chance.
Sadly, I quickly found that "200 Motels" the album fairly accurately mirrors the highs and lows of the movie itself. Though there are a handful of memorable moments - most notable, perhaps, being Jimmy Carl Black ("the Indian of the group") as Lonesome Cowboy Bert - the work as a whole adds up to one long, unholy and self-indulgent piece of lime horse pucky.
Still numb from the downer that was my viewing experience, I nonetheless made the extra effort to do a little research and discovered that the movie was originally shot on video and then transferred to film. While this factoid accounts for its over-saturated and nausea-inducing color scheme, it does little to explain its total lack of focus, melody, character or narrative flow.
Forget death metal or honky-tonk; if I were to pick an artistic piece by which to do myself in, "200 Motels" would surely top the list. Maybe the Bush administration will see fit to use its VHS format to interrogate future terrorist suspects and/or members of the liberal, intellectual elite like myself.
Rating: - Are you kidding?
"Cen-ter-viiille.....
Cen-ter-viiiille.....
A real nice place to raise your kids uuuuppppp!"
I was 20 when I first saw it. It took a while to get it down hyere in Jawja. My older brother took me to see it and it was the first time we "smoked" together. Two real skinny, hard-packed little things that "heightened our perception" to a level where we could REALLY enjoy it.
O.K., according to some of the other reviews it was some kind of genius intellectual excercise, but not being Frank, I wouldn't know. What I DO know is that it was hilarious. Theodore Bikel? Ringo Star? Who the hell did the casting? Lonesome Cowboy Burt? Half a Dozen Provocative Squats? I'm Stealing the Towels? Jeez...
Dudes & Dudettes, if you haven't seen it - Freakin' SEE IT.
Rating: - Sorry Zappa, this is bad
I first wanted to give this only one star. I saw it at a party when I was a little bit drunk and thought it was rather fun. But then I watched it again and could not call this movie anything but garbage. Reason for 2 stars: Its Zappa, nice guitar solo in "Magic fingers", the naked lady playing with her boobs, and ...ehmm..cant think of more.
- Odd
- Only For The Fans Who Like Flo & Eddie Too..... Average Movie 
- Huh?
- Are you kidding?