Which 1977 comedy starring Burt Reynolds features a cross-country beer run?

The 1977 comedy starring Burt Reynolds that features a cross-country beer run is Smokey and the Bandit.

Directed by stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows Bo “The Bandit” Darville, played by Reynolds, and trucker Cledus “Snowman” Snow, played by Jerry Reed. Their challenge is to transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in 28 hours, while Bandit uses a Pontiac Trans Am to distract pursuing police.

The beer run reflects a real distribution issue: Coors beer was not legally available nationwide at the time, making it a coveted bootlegging target. Sally Field plays Carrie, whose escape from her wedding creates an additional reason for Sheriff Buford T. Justice, played by Jackie Gleason, to chase Bandit.

The movie is sometimes confused with Cannonball Run, another car-centered comedy from the early 1980s, but Cannonball Run concerns an illegal cross-country race rather than a beer shipment. Smokey and the Bandit became one of 1977’s biggest box-office hits, ranking behind Star Wars in domestic grosses.