Grand Theft Auto (1977)

Directed by

Ron Howard

Genre

action film, romantic comedy, crime film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 45m

Rated

PG

Rating

5.3 of 10 from 59 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young woman runs away from home with her boyfriend to escape an arranged marriage in Las Vegas. Her angry father and her rejected suitor chase after her while their own problems pile up.

playfulfast-pacedchaoticlightheartedquirkyenergeticwhimsical

What happens

Grand Theft Auto is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring and directed by Ron Howard, in his feature film directorial debut. Howard also wrote the screenplay with his real-life father Rance Howard, who also co-starred in the film. As of 2025, this is the only film that Howard has both directed and starred in. The film takes its title from the crime grand theft auto, which is committed a number of times by several different characters. In the film, a wealthy political candidate pressures his daughter to marry a similarly wealthy suitor instead of her current love interest. The daughter steals her parents' car and flees towards Las Vegas with her love interest. Her unwanted suitor steals another car and chases her. He also offers a reward to whoever can catch the woman for him. The suitor is himself chased by his worried mother. A video game based on the name was released in 1997. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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