Early Review Pans 'Evel Knievel'

George Eads' television movie Evel Knievel debuts this Friday, July 30th, on TNT, but an early review has criticized the TV movie for its cliched story.

Hal Boedeker at the Orlando Sentinel calls the bio pic "hackneyed," but is more enthusiastic about Eads, who plays the title role of the daredevil stuntman. "The film... has tapped the right actor to play Knievel," Boedeker writes. "George Eads, with his dashing grin, brings a prankster's sense of fun to the role."

It is the writing that draws the most fire from Boedeker; he notes that Eads' co-star Jamie Pressley, who plays Knievel's wife is "appealing," while Beau Bridges in the role of Knievel's father-in-law is "appealingly gruff." "More probing writing would have served those actors and the movie," Boedeker said.

Nevertheless, Boedeker expects the film will generate interest, in no small part due to Eads. "Evel Knievel certainly has the curiosity factor going for it," the reviewer writes. "CSI fans will tune in to see what else Eads can do after his dismissal from the CBS drama in a salary dispute. In Evel Knievel, he doesn't seem to age or suffer credibly. And still, he charms."

To read the complete review, which was written just prior to the news that Eads has been rehired by CBS (story), please visit the Orlando Sentinel.

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