Rating: R
Movie Release Date: September 12, 1970
DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999
Plot 411: Bobby works in the oil fields and dates a redneck waitress to avoid his former life as an upper-class musical savant.
Review: To be honest, I gave up on this movie at about the midpoint. It just didn't hold my interest, and I ended up on Facebook with the movie playing in the background. From what I could gather, Bobby (Jack Nicholson) grew up in a well-to-do musical family where he was a piano legend. He escaped their conformity and buried himself in a blue-collar existence. However, even this life doesn't satisfy him. When he learns his dad is ill, he and his pregnant girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) make the trip to Washington to visit and his two worlds collide. Bobby is a disgruntled, angry person who seems to be hiding his low self-esteem by lashing out at people. Rayette is overly needy and anxious for Bobby to love her. Rather than being endearing, it's annoying. There seemed to be no point to the entire plot. It was like a snapshot of Bobby's life and none of the issues are resolved. This, I suppose, is the movie's point. I will give it a nod for avoiding conventions.
Watch It: Helena Kallianiotes as Palm go off on the filth of man. Absurdly amusing.
Skip It: If an entire film of Nicholson ranting is just too obnoxious.
Movie Release Date: September 12, 1970
DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999
Plot 411: Bobby works in the oil fields and dates a redneck waitress to avoid his former life as an upper-class musical savant.
Review: To be honest, I gave up on this movie at about the midpoint. It just didn't hold my interest, and I ended up on Facebook with the movie playing in the background. From what I could gather, Bobby (Jack Nicholson) grew up in a well-to-do musical family where he was a piano legend. He escaped their conformity and buried himself in a blue-collar existence. However, even this life doesn't satisfy him. When he learns his dad is ill, he and his pregnant girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) make the trip to Washington to visit and his two worlds collide. Bobby is a disgruntled, angry person who seems to be hiding his low self-esteem by lashing out at people. Rayette is overly needy and anxious for Bobby to love her. Rather than being endearing, it's annoying. There seemed to be no point to the entire plot. It was like a snapshot of Bobby's life and none of the issues are resolved. This, I suppose, is the movie's point. I will give it a nod for avoiding conventions.
Watch It: Helena Kallianiotes as Palm go off on the filth of man. Absurdly amusing.
Skip It: If an entire film of Nicholson ranting is just too obnoxious.
2 comments:
Why on earth would you review a movie you only saw half of? To make it worse, why would you fail to finish watching an acknowledged classic, review it anyway, and trash it? You found Rayette annoying, the Academy found her Oscar-worthy. Go figure.
I realize that this is an award-winning movie. That's why I wanted to watch it. However, I just couldn't make it through the whole thing. It just didn't hold my attention. I prefer Nicholson in Easy Rider, but I guess that's a completely different kind of movie.
In my defense though, this is probably the first film ever that I sat down to watch but didn't finish. I decided to review it anyway because perhaps an enlightened reader like yourself might have a differing opinion as to the greatness of this movie. He/She would then be given the chance to voice a contradicting review. Voila, a discourse is achieved.
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