Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

slightlymad22 Honkeytonk Man (1982)Plot In A Paragraph: Red Stovall (an auburn haired Eastwood) a sick (tuberculosis) country-western musician, has just been invited to audition for the Grand Ole Opry, his chance of a lifetime to become a success. So with his nephew Whitt in tow, he sets off to achieve his dream.Clint Eastwood played his own guitar work and performed his own vocals for this picture. Clearly this is a very personal movie for Eastwood, not least as his son Kylie is acting with him. Honkeytonk Man is one of the most surprising changes of pace in Eastwood's career, partly because Red is an ailing man. He is clearly enjoying himself playing the sly, hard drinking and debaunched Red. For me it's one of his best performances. I actually think he was deserving of an Oscar nomination at least. I'm not saying he should have won, as Ben Gingsly (Ghandi) was a worthy winner in a year that also had Paul Newman (The Verdict) and Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie) nominated.Kyle Eastwood (coached by Sondra Locke) delivers a fine performance that silenced any naysayers that he got the role purely because of his dad. Red and Whitt become partners in crime, a little like what Butch and Philip would be in future Eastwood movie A Perfect World. Both these films equally explore redemption (for the senior character) and rights of passage (for the junior) only this movie makes more of a childs entrance in to adult hood. Of the rest of the cast Alexa Kenin (who tragically died a few years after this movie, in a death that has never been explained) is charming and sweet and John McIntire is great as Grandpa. But I despise Barry Corbin, in his second Eastwood movie, he appeared in several Burt Reynolds movies of this era too, and his voice just irritates me. For such a serious movie, it has some scenes (dim witted cops and jail breaks) that would not look out of place in a movie where Clint is playing Philo Beddo!! Personally, I don't know how any lover of movies, can not be moved by Honkeytonk Man, but it seems to be a movie nobody seen at the time, and nobody remembers now. In a year that saw a new breed of hero, with Sly Stallone bringing Rambo to the screen for the first time in First Blood and Arnold Schwarzenegger play Conan for the first time in Conan The Barbarian. Sadly audiences had no interest in seeing an ailing Eastwood, and Honkeytonk Man failed to draw in audiences of even modest proportions (for an Eastwood movie) and disappointingly it only grossed $4million at the domestic box office to end the year as the 100th highest grossing movie of 1982.

eric262003 Aside from starring in this movie, Clint Eastwood directs and produces, "Honkytonk Man" a story of a mindless drifter in the Depression Era who travel to get a big break in music by traveling to Nashville with his nephew Whit (Kyle Eastwood) tagging along with him. Their hopes to get a big break by auditioning at the world famous Grand Ol' Opry. The script was written by Clancy Carlile to which the movie is based on his novel. What drew Eastwood to star in this film can easily reflect on the similar upbringing Eastwood experienced compared to Carlile's. Before his path to stardom, Eastwood, born during the Depression was helping out his father pump gas around the rough roads of the West Coast. And like all performers, they all each had to work menial jobs to make ends meet. In Eastwood's case, he used to be a logger and a steel- furnace stoker. But I feel that Eastwood took the role because in ways that may not necessarily that outwardly. As a whole, the movie is subtle, but energetic feel-good film that never once presses on your luck. The film is refreshingly contrast to Eastwood's normal tough guy films Eastwood is famous for. His son Kyle turns in an equally stunning performance as Whit, who's very smart, independent and is never annoying in his delivery. The events on their traveling is secondary than compares to what happens to them in between. The opening scenes has Red Stovall (Eastwood) driving his old 1930's touring car as it crashes into a windmill as he makes a return to his old homestead. Red has similar persona of Jimmie Rodgers and it doesn't leave a lasting impression towards the rest of the family (except for Nephew Whit). Not only is he an inebriated middle-aged bumpkin, he is also dying from tuberculosis. But that still won't hold him back from chasing his dream to go to Nashville and pay off several IOU's to several people. He is actually a talented singer and musician, just down on his luck and finds that the Grand Ol' Opry might be the savior the unlucky streak he's on.Red wants to bring Whit along, even though Whit's parents are reluctant to do that. But after much thinking, Whit's mother (Verna Bloom) decides to let Whit go on his journey. Just as long as he can help clean up Red from his alcoholism and not do any sort of activities that Red has been infamously known to do which includes fooling around with women and something that his mother made a stern note of. Joining them on their journey is an aging Old Grandpa (John McIntyre) who's also going to Nashville to reunite with friends he hasn't seen in over 40 years.The cinematography of the road scenes are quite impressive with all the remarkable landmarks there and we have the feeling of nostalgia and romance in the air. They take a quick gander at a gambling house where they meet up with a nonconformist young lady (Alexa Kenin) who wants to also go for the ride. She's got quite the talent for taking generic sentiments by adding romantic prose to it. The best scenes are when they're in Nashville when Eastwood auditions at the Opry and then auditions at the recording studio. Although he puts in a good effort, his songs have a bone-weary vibe that doesn't hit the spot of country music until a backup musician kindly lends him a hand. The real gist of this film is all about chasing your dreams and turning your life around. It's quite surprising that the happier scenes are actually quite bittersweet. "Honkytonk Man" has lot of idiosyncrasies that make this very special. It was refreshing that Eastwood took a backseat from his Dirty Harry image to making a more vulnerable character than his normal domain. Sure his violent movies can still be your minds when seeing him perform, but the more he steps away from those movies, you eventually get used to more upbeat projects he eventually starred in like "Gran Torino" and "Million Dollar Baby". He has a bit of a stake coming into this movie, but he's hiding it through the country songs he's performing for his audience.

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.

lost-in-limbo An under appreciated 80s effort (being Eastwood's ninth stint directing a major feature), which rarely gets a mention and if so it mainly gets a "meh". This Clint Eastwood directed/performed feature 'Honkytonk Man' shows much more a vulnerable Eastwood in a very dramatic role (of an aging, alcoholic drifting country singer) that asked a lot from him. Set during the period of the great depression that ravaged the 1930s, Eastwood manages to capture the authentic atmosphere and dusty locations of the times with Bruce Surtees's earthy photography and his very-grounded direction, but also letting the harshness move over for some very sentimental openings that never manipulate the situations. There's a real homegrown feel, mixing elements of a coming of age story to someone longing to be somebody and this is all coming together to learn not to take everything on face-value. We watch two people, fulfilling a dream as it ignites the passion leaving to a series of adventures and an insightful script exploring the interactions. It's an inspired turn by Eastwood, but his son Kyle Eastwood is just as impressive in a sincerely down-to-earth performance as the young lad Whit, the 14 year old nephew that makes sure that he gets his uncle to the Gran Ole Opry stage to do his thing… albeit trying to keep him sober to perform. Along for the journey you'll find the likes of John McIntire, Alexa Kenin, Tim Thomerson, Barry Corbin, Macon McCalman, Joe Regalbuto and Charles Cyphers making up a splendidly admirable cast. A very heart-warming Verna Bloom and sturdy Matt Clark do leave their marks as Whit's worrying parents. While rather long, the chemistry makes sure the story marvelously flows and the relax temperament lets the emotional factor seep in. I don't know, but I found it hard not to like. The score is a perfectly delightful country twang featuring numerous names in Marty Robbins, Frizzel and West, Ray Price, Linda Hopkins and supervised by Snuff Garrett. Let's not forget Eastwood himself adding to the arrangement.A wonderfully brassy and enterprising Eastwood fable.