There is one reason I watched "Backfire!"...to see Robert Mitchum in one of his last movies. Unfortunately, late in his career, Mitchum seemed willing to appear in almost anything...including a turkey like this one. Sadly, the film also marked Telly Savalas' last film and was one of Shelley Winters' last appearances as well.
The story is similar to films like "Epic Movie" and "Disaster Movie"...it has one rapid-fire joke after another. And, like these films, they jokes fall completely flat. The reason is a bit different, however. In the case of the other two films, you have famous (or infamous) actors in the picture and a plethora of mostly crude and stupid jokes. Here with "Backfire!", the writing is a bit better...but the actors seem as if they've never made a film before and their delivery (particularly the lead) is awful...as if they didn't realize they were supposed to be in a comedy! Amateurish is the best way to sum up the acting.
The story, if you care, is set in an odd world where police and fire fighters are all women...and the men are treated by these women in a very sexist manner. Inexplicably, Jeremy (Josh Mosby) still wants to become a 'firewoman'...despite the sexism AND his mother's death on the job as a fire fighter. The story is about his working through his various issues (much like the hero of "Airplane!") in order to become a hero.
Very few laughs and very poor acting make this a tough film to enjoy. I can easily understand its overall score of 3.2...and, actually, this seems a tad high considering how incredibly dull this picture is. Don't say I didn't warn you!
By the way, a couple things to look for: the microphone which is clearly visible at the 37 minute mark as well as the very inappropriate World Trade Center comment...though I cannot blame the film as it came out before the infamous bombing which destroyed them.
