SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Chrysanthepop Clint Eastwood's 'Honkytonk Man' remains one of his most underrated works. Critics had rejected it. The film came out at a time when movies about glamour, adventure, boxing and organized crime took over Hollywood and as such, there was little place for a small film like 'Honkytonk Man'. This film is about wanting more than what life currently has to offer. It's about wanting to do something, to become something, that would actually make life worth living. This theme is also echoed in Eastwood's 'The Bridges of Madison County' where young housewife who had been living a monotonous life finds love and passion with a traveller.In a way, 'Honkytonk Man' is a road movie but not the conventional kind. Here the focus is not on the journey the characters make to Nashville but on Red's last chance to reach for the sky and on Hoss's growing up. The bond Red and his nephew is also depicted in an unconventional nature that is both endearing and even arguably abusive.On the technical side, the execution is minimal. The cinematography is adequate and music is efficiently used. The sets, especially the landscapes, are beautiful but they don't dominate or intrude on the scenes. Lighting is underused stressing on the darkness of the main theme.Eastwood sublimely plays one of his most vulnerable characters. He also shows a keen liking towards country music. Kyle Eastwood wonderfully downplays Hoss as the naive teenager who, seduced by his uncle's music and independence, finally sees an opportunity out of cotton picking. Alexa Kenin is vivacious as the talentless aspiring singer who seizes her ticket to independence.'Honyktonk Man' isn't without its share of flaws (the pacing is slow at times and many of the subplots appear contrived) but it works very well as a study of relationships, of characters and of growing up. In the end, it feels like a sad poem but not a hopeless one.

Bolesroor "Honkytonk Man" is like a dust sandwich... it's like being sucker-punched by a theme-park cowboy in Pioneer Town and lying on the ground while he pours Luke-warm Dr. Pepper on your face... it's like having to listen to a toothless old man with a guitar ramble on about days gone by, telling bold-faced lies and forgetting the lyrics to popular songs...Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little, but not by much. Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this coma-paced country/western daydream without any sense of plot, or urgency, or tension. Or humor.Clint plays Red Stovall, a country singer stricken with tuberculosis, except as usual, Clint is really just playing Clint, only this time he has a guitar. The movie floats from one vague encounter to another without any highs or lows or emotional significance. Clint plays a bad ass, then a balladeer, then a good ol' boy, then a bandit, without ever connecting any of the dots. The movie looks like it's stitched together from deleted scenes from Clint's other movies. That's not a compliment.The movie is a long, dry, musty road trip through the Depresson-Era dust bowl. And guess what?!? Grandpa's coming along for the ride! (That should liven things up.) I can't remember any movie ever seeming more LONELY... none of the actors elicit any kind of emotional response. Verna Bloom pops up to alert us that she's still lactating in her mid-forties, and Alexa Kenin is the bangable pubescent we'd all love to find in the trunk of our car.Other than that there's nothing going on here. I can't imagine what drove Clint to make this film, or how he could possibly justify its two hour-plus runtime. I'd prefer the sucker punch and Dr. Pepper.GRADE: D+

jefadlm-1 As with most movies i prefer to read professional critics after viewing,although i do sometimes read them first. Frankly as a retired sound man i do not allow critics to influence me either way. This movie with (my first viewing of a Clint family member)Kyle succeeded in roller coasting emotion from humour to unsentimental portrayals of all the cast. I looked out for Marty Robbins, whose name was referred to as the one (albeit brief) sole touching moment in the film. It was undoubtedly a touching moment, but certainly not the only one. The entire theme was skillfully intertwined with some really great songs and lyrics. This is another DVD I will add to my collection. A movie to watch, and even learn from, as to how humanity can be humble and unpretentious with subtlety, warmth and understated aggression. Clint is understandably angry, and we feel real sympathy for his place in the world he inhabits.

TxMike Honkytonk: a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall.This is part of a 3-for-1 DVD set of Eastwood "B" movies.Clint Eastwood is Red Stovall, a drunkard who writes songs and sings country, with an ambition to become famous. His co-star here is his own son, 15-year-old Kyle Eastwood as his nephew Whit. After setting up the premise, most of the movie becomes a road trip with Whit driving, and the two of them making their best efforts to get to Memphis without money, and with a car prone to breaking down.I found it mildly enjoyable, but certainly not one of the better Clint Eastwood movies. I was surprised that he has a rather pleasant singing voice, although a bit soft, not very powerful.It was good seeing Barry Corbin, 'Maurice' of "Northern Exposure."SPOILERS. Red was also sick, apparently suffering from TB. When he would sing too much, he would start coughing and spit up blood. Before he died, he made it to Memphis, where a studio recorded all his songs. He may have become famous after he died.