Customer Reviews

Honkytonk Man

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This wouldn't be the first time, I thoroughly enjoyed a movie that critics labeled as too-something-or-other. This is a great movie and apart from the usual Eastwood fare except for the 'gut-and-grit' exhibited by the lead character, Red Stovall, to accomplish his dream despite tuberculosis. As for down-grading Eastwood's singing ability, there are a number of country greats who lack melodic tone and volume but make up for it with style. (Truly unfortunate that critics can do the same!)

Buy and enjoy this movie; you won't be sorry.

I enjoyed the film very much over all.The acting was well done,which showed the skill of the Director in bring out the talent of each individual actor. I am not sure if the singing and guitar playing of Mr Eastwood was actually done by him or a professional country Western musician. I do think Marty Robbins contributed a great deal to the ending and perhaps it was in some part his sing and playing that inhanced Mr Eastwood in his part

I did wish that more scenes could have involved the radio stations of that error but that was not any detraction from the picture.

I am sure it is difficult for a parent to capture the attention of a son or daughter in a work setting for long periods of time. The very fact of how this film turned out is of special significance to the sucess of the relationship between father and son. Well done gentlemen!

This is a change of pace for Mr Eastwood, but it is a good change. This is a good story and I am very impressed at Mr Eastwood's singing in the movie. Some parts might seem to be rather "cheesy", but Honky Tonk Man has remained a favorite for my entire family for years. The only downside is that if you purchase the soundtrack, there are other people singing the songs rather than Mr Eastwood . . . bad idea!

This is yet another wonderful offerring by Clint Eastwood. In this movie Clint plays Red, an aspiring guitarist and singer who dreams of performing in Memphis. We see Red's deterioration through Tuberculosis as the movie progresses. His final cry to a lost love is more believable than anything I have seen or read by that so called "Master Of Vulnerable Sentimental Nostalgia" Tennessee Williams.I give this movie 5 stars because Mr. Eastwood can't sing which means he has something in common with most Country Music Stars today.

Honkytonk Man is an entertaining and well-done film directed by and staring Clint Eastwood. The story takes place during the Great Depression and is about Red Stovall (Clint), a country singer who has a chance to make it on the Grand Ole Opry. Red knows it's probably his last chance for fame. He's an alcoholic and also very sick with tuberculosis. On his way to Nashville, he stops by to visit his sister in Oklahoma. She persuades Red to take along his teenage nephew Whit (Kyle Eastwood) to drive for him. She suspects that Whit will also have to take care of his uncle before very long.

I don't know if Kyle Eastwood appeared in any other films, but I was impressed by how well he did. He was charming and very natural in the role of admiring nephew. In fact, the supporting cast couldn't have been better.

There are some negative comments from other reviewers about Clint's singing. I felt his style matched the character he was portraying in the film. He had a quiet singing voice that was between talking and singing. I found his voice to be pleasant. He's an actor and not a professional singer. I've heard many actors used that same vocal technique when required to sing.

This was not a glamorous or glitzy type of film. It was the story of people who seemed real and lived during the Depression when life was tough and all you had were your dreams.

This movie captures the spirit of the people during the Great Depression. Clint Eastwood portrays a country-western singer who's racing against time to have his ballad recorded. Kyle Eastwood (Clint's nephew) plays Hoss a young boy who sees no future in his present life so he anxious embarks on a road trip to get his Uncle Red to Nashville. It's a very atmospheric piece that contains just the right amount of comic relief. It never gets too cheesy or sappy and one actually begins to relate to all of the characters.

This film includes cameo appearances by Bob Wills and Eddy Arnold. Highly recommended

In 1982 Clint Eastwood released Honkytonk Man. It was clearly a labor of love, of the music, and a chance for him to make a movie with his son, Kyle, who looks to be about 13 or 14 years old. The story resembles The Grapes of Wrath--Oklahoma farmers escape the dust and tornadoes and The Great Depression. But instead of California, Red Stovall (Clint Eastwood) wants to go to Nashville and audition at The Grand Ole Opry. The rest of the family goes to California, but his nephew, Whit (Kyle Eastwood) somehow persuades mom and dad to let him go with drunk uncle Red. He is fascinated by Uncle Red: his hat, his car, but most of all his guitar and music. His Uncle has two problems, though. He is a raging alcoholic, and he is dying of TB. Whit is the designated driver for the rest of the journey, and what a journey it is.

I happened to glance at some other reviews that were heavily critical of the music, saying some of it wasn't authentic for the time period. I say that he might have stretched it a bit here and there, but the music was so good, that minor quibbles like that are quickly quashed. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, or at least a very reasonable facsimile, as well as a blues singer in the vein of Bessie Smith, are a few of the many musical highlights. The story is great, too, as Uncle Red shows his nephew how to tune a guitar, steal chickens, and even takes him to a brothel. If you weren't so caught up in the story, you might realize that the parallel story was Clint showing his son Kyle how to act in a movie, and introducing him to the Honkytonk life. Kyle Eastwood has grown up to be a musician, and he plays bass for his own big jazz band. Perhaps his fascination with the guitar wasn't acting at all.

The story, based on a novel by Clancy Carlile, who also wrote the screenplay, never gives in to easy sentimentality, but it tugs at the heartstrings, and is gritty where it needs to be. Clarence Lawson Carlile's father was half Cherokee, and he was born on a Choctaw Indian reservation. He worked in Texas picking cotton until his sharecropper family moved to California to pick fruit. He began writing while in the Army during the Korean War and later received a Master's degree from San Francisco State University (my alma mater, by the way). His first novel, "As I Was Young and Easy" (1958), was written in 17 days.

Red's struggle with tuberculosis was a harsh reality in those days, and TB also took the life of Jimmie Rodgers, the Singing Brakeman. Like Rodgers, Red Stovall knows he is dying, but he just wants to record some songs, do something that matters, before he dies. Honkytonk Man matters, and I recommend it wholeheartedly, it is one of Clint Eastwood's neglected masterpieces.

10 Films Starring and/or Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Million Dollar Baby (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2004) .... Frankie Dunn, Director
The Bridges of Madison County (Deluxe Widescreen Edition) (1995) .... Robert Kincaid, Director
Unforgiven (1992) .... William 'Bill' Munny, Director
Bird (1988) .... Director
High Plains Drifter (1973) .... The Stranger, Director
Dirty Harry (1971) .... Insp. Harry Callahan
Play Misty for Me (1971) .... Dave, Director
Paint Your Wagon (1969) .... Pardner
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966) .... Blondie
... aka The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(USA)
Per qualche dollaro in più (1965) .... Monco
... aka For A Few Dollars More(UK) (USA)

Honkytonky Man starts in a casual manner. The first hour made me think it's one of those films by Eastwood that are not be taken too seriously. As Red's illness grows worse day by day, his character becomes more and more pityable. Clint Eastwood plays the dying man in this movie. It was nearly tearjerking to see him cry out for his love when his end is near. Towards the last half hour of the film, the film manages to reach it's peak in terms of moving script. I dont know how he does it but Clint Eastwood somehow manages to make "not so serious films" into gulp inducing trips. If I could start again, I would say this film is about a man who makes music. He ain't a big shot and he doesnt have many big dreams. Towards the end of his life(Thanks to TB which he suffers from) he realises he must record his music. His nephew is his only friend and he's always around. The core of this movie would interest a person who likes travelling,beer,acoustic guitar and casual flings. I can't possibly comprehend just how terribly serious this film got towards the end.

I have seen 5 Clint Eastwood films before this. Escape from Alcatraz, Absolute Power and MDB are his best. This one will earn more respect if I ever give it a watch again. I would look back at Honkytonky Man as a film in which Clint Eastwood played the character of a semi cowboy who lived his life to what he stood for. Kyle Eastwood acted well considering this might have been his debut.

All in all, a winner of its own sort with a very good touching end.

Clint Eastwood has tons of films that usually are dismissed by critics and forgotten about, but his longtime fans see them and adore them. Some examples are A Perfect World, Bronco Billy, and this film. This is a really subtle film that starts out (deceptively) as light comedy, then takes a serious turn in the middle and has a sad ending. It's similar to Million Dollar Baby in that way (even though MDB is better), and the plot is similar (flawed people who have made past mistakes looking for that shot at redemption). Clint, as actor and director, really captures the atmosphere of the depression days, the desperation, the sadness, and the fear that everyone had to live with. His character is one of the most real he's played, a far cry from the "Clint Eastwood persona". Kyle Eastwood, Clint's son, is very good here. He never acted after this, but he's good. He's a very well renowned jazz musician these days. Overall, this is one of Clint's most underrated and sad films, one that should be better known.

I am an avid Clint Eastwood collector, in fact I am just plain in love with the guy. I have about 33 of his films including ones he does not star in. Mr Eastwood is a phenomenal contribution to many generations of people around the world.