Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Susan Tyrrell) in 1972.
This is another defining 1970's movie for me. Everything looks dirty and like it might smell like my grandfather's old apartment (i.e. smoke and cheese). My first impression of the story was that it was telling the opposing trajectories of two boxers - one up and coming, one down on his luck and struggling. First impression can be gravely wrong however, and the movie strongly comments on race and class struggle. Jeff Bridges is young but otherwise mostly unremarkable, and Stacy Keach (yeah, THAT Stacy Keach) is heartbreaking, but Susan Tyrell will pull your heart out through the back of your chest and then cry sherry soaked tears all over it. We've seen hundreds of drunks in twice as many movies, but this woman gives the most infuriatingly real performance of an alcoholic that I have ever seen.
Also of note is that John Huston, MEGADIRECTOR of the 1940's, directed this movie. He adapted seamlessly into the styles popular by Hal Ashby and Peter Bogdanovich, and might have even done it better than they did. The movie is dated by more than the costumes and cars, unfortunately, down to the pop song that plays over the opening credits and the score (Marvin Hamlisch. AMIRITE?!!?). But the trials the characters face are still relevant to what I see going on in small town America every day.
This is the only movie I've seen that I remember on your list so far. And I loved it, but I don't think I agree with you about the class struggle thing mostly because I don't think there was any contrast to a higher class of person in the film. Everyone, even Jeff Bridges' character, was of a lower class. Bridges' youth and optimism makes him a "brighter" character to Keach's (who is fucking amazing) but I think both were of similar social standing. It's just that Keach has ruined his life and his struggles come from that (same with his drunk girlfriend).
ReplyDeleteOtherwise a fantastic, riveting character piece.
Yeah, "class struggle" was probably a poor choice of words, because everybody wanted to be in a higher class. Big dreams and all. Did you get the impression that Jeff Bridges's character was still rising at the end? I walked away thinking that it did not have a happy ending.
DeleteNo, not all. Bridges was going to wind up just like Keach in the end
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