Let's be fair: THE VAN hasn't aged very well as a film. It stands as a workable snapshot of its genre, a portrayal of a long, hot summer in the late '70s, when things were somehow simpler and life was all about having fun. The plot is so slim that it barely sustains the running time; a geeky guy buys himself a new van and then does his very best to bed a succession of women within its confines.
It's lowbrow, dumb, and frequently offensive to women, not to mention incredibly dated in terms of the mannerisms and fashions. Apparently it was a big hit at the time, although I suspect that was more down to the familiarity of the material to the audience of the era rather than anything else. Certainly it has no right to be: the characters are thinly drawn, the acting verges on the wooden, and random scenes of van chases thrown into the mix don't really contribute much overall. It does have copious female nudity, if you like that sort of stuff, and a minor role for a pre-fame Danny DeVito, if you like him.
It's lowbrow, dumb, and frequently offensive to women, not to mention incredibly dated in terms of the mannerisms and fashions. Apparently it was a big hit at the time, although I suspect that was more down to the familiarity of the material to the audience of the era rather than anything else. Certainly it has no right to be: the characters are thinly drawn, the acting verges on the wooden, and random scenes of van chases thrown into the mix don't really contribute much overall. It does have copious female nudity, if you like that sort of stuff, and a minor role for a pre-fame Danny DeVito, if you like him.