(19 May 2012)

Critics seldom know what people really enjoy

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.

(19 May 2012)

Eastwood Sings Country.

Eastwood play uncle Red, a drifter trying to get to the Grand Ole Opry. Along for the ride is Eastwoods son Klye.

dbdumonteil (16 May 2012)

Anti hero.

It took a lot of nerve in the early eighties,in the days ofRocky,Indiana Jones and "fame" to portray such a human wreck.Eastwood'scharacter recalls Hank Williams,one of the few country singers whosesongs experimented tragedy ("I'll never get out of this world alive").The difference lies in the fact that the singer here will remain anobscure artist.A road movie,it features an interesting boy character who learns theharsh realities of life.In the short space of a couple of days,he willhave experimented love (first in a brothel,then probably later with thegirl they met along the road) and death (he'll have to cope with aburial).The young female "singer" they -reluctantly-take with themprovides the movie with the comic relief it does need:you should hearher sing "My bonnie" in a shrill voice.The ballads Eastwood sings are moving and tuneful(I don't know if he isdubbed for them,but anyway it's made with taste and respect for theaudience).The audition is the highlight of the movie,Eastwood seems tosing as if it were a matter of life and death(and it is anyway).Theactor/director avoids pathos and melodrama.Once again,it was a veryrisky move to play such a character at a time when success story wasthe golden rule.The movie was bound to be a flop,but it deserves to berestored to favor now.

Alan Evans (16 May 2012)

Makes the characters come to life.

As soon as I saw this movie I knew that the critics wouldn't like it.The characters are too real and don't have issues like creating greatart. Instead they are all slightly offbeat in an ordinary sort of way.What appealed to me was how they survived in the Depression. There is amental toughness in the characters that I couldn't help but admire.They don't have any sophistication but above all they come across asvery real.The film has a real sensitivity and shows the ups and downs of ordinarypeople.For me it was a real winner.

Scott Weinberg (16 May 2012)

Surprisingly sweet and mellow piece from Mr. Eastwood.

Ryan Hillman (15 May 2012)

An interesting film

This film is an interesting musical/drama film starring Clint Eastwood.If I were to give my opinion on this film in one sentence, it would bethat: "if you don't like Clint Eastwood, you won't like this film." Iam an Eastwood fan from way back and I probably am being a bitsympathetic towards it. I thoroughly enjoyed this film however that maybe because of Clint.I enjoyed the storyline of a man suffering from tuberculosis who knowshe has not long to live. Particularly how he decides to show his nephewinto the world. The overall plot was OK however there were a few weakscenes, particularly the whore house. (If that scene was removed fromthe film, I would probably give it an 8).The film score "Honkytonk man" was awesome, particularly my favouriteactor singing. (I like it so much I even put it on my Ipod).Summing up this film is a must see for Clint Eastwood fans! It won'tdisappoint you. If you aren't a Clint Eastwood fan, you may not find itas good.7/10

Roger Ebert (10 May 2012)

This is a sweet, whimsical, low-key movie, a movie that makes you feel good without pressing you too hard.

(10 May 2012)

Most Country Music "Stars" Can't Sing Either!!!

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.

Derek Adams (07 May 2012)

The whole thing veers wildly in quality, and no Eastwood-hater should go within a mile of it; but few lovers of American cinema could fail to be moved by a venture conceived so recklessly against the spirit of its times.

Strider_1978 (07 May 2012)

Truly an under rated gem.

I think I know what I'm doing wrong these days with films. With certainexceptions, I'm looking for a good time at the movies when many of thefilms that are produced lack so much of the quality that can be seen inthe films that do not gain as much of a reputation. I would havenormally over looked this film. The only reason I viewed it was becauseit is part of a movie trilogy with Clint and Clyde. Honky Tonk is avery honest portrayal of the life of a stricken county singer and hisfamily.It is well shot, well scripted and well acted. It's not attempting toentertain it's audience with anything flashy because really it doesn'tneed to. Sometimes a film must be viewed for it's story and how well itis made, and not for the fireworks that many of todays films feel theneed to incorporate because of audience attention span. Another one ofmy all time favourites, No Country for Old Men managed to do somethingsimilar, in that it gave you the 'feel' of a part of a hard world wherethe characters felt and seemed real. It didn't need to try to be flashwith anything because we were so involved with the characters and thephotography that we didn't care about the fancy trimmings.As far as character driven, well made films go this is is definitelysomething to watch. It is sometimes hard hitting, and won't win anypopularity contests save with those of a discerning, approving eye forgood pictures.Recommended.

Jdylan-1 (29 April 2012)

Decent story, but not very authentic in details

This movie has an okay story, a bit in the road-trip theme, andEastwood's son, Kyle, is an okay actor, but the other actors don'timpress me much. Eastwood didn't seem to care much about making themovie an authentic "period piece", and you will often see details inthe background from modern times, as well as the haircuts, which areobviously from the early 80's. Several times he shows musicians andthey seemed to put the least amount of effort into looking authentic.At the Grand 'Ol Opry, the female singer who is on after Eastwood issinging in a modern style, and anyone who listens to music from the1930's knows that doesn't fit. Even the music the bands are playing hasa 70's/80's sound to it. Maybe they should have got T-Bone Burnett asmusical director! They could have had a band on in the vein of theCarter Family, instead. I guess they had a limited budget and it shows,but it could have been a much better movie than it turned out to be.Other things I noticed were, the cement curbs in the really luxuriouslooking cemetery in the film with all the green grass andtrees...excuse me, this is in the 1930's, and as far as I can tell,most graveyards didn't look that maintained, as there was little money.Little things like that that kind of ruin the illusion of a roughperiod in the US. Even the cars sitting outside the Ryman Theater arehighly polished and obviously collector pieces rented for the film andthe owners didn't want to get any dust on them. With all the detailEastwood put into his later masterpiece films, I am a littledisappointed, but it is still a decent movie, I gave it a 6 out of 10.

Woodyanders (28 April 2012)

One of Clint Eastwood's most underrated films

Clint Eastwood, looking drawn, rumpled and weathered, takes a radical,courageous departure from his usual reliably stalwart tough guy personain this gently moving, defiantly unheroic and very low-key seriocomic30's Depression-era set drama as Red Stovall, a boorish, feckless,dissolute, alcoholic drifter, failed would-be country-and-westernsinger/songwriter and general all-around worthless, ill-tempered andirresponsible rapscallion with an unfortunate knack for getting intotrouble, messing things up and making life hell for everyone who getsclose to him. Slowly dying from tuberculosis, Red makes a lengthy,arduous pilgrimage from Oklahoma to Tennesse to make his dream ofperforming at the legendary Grand Ole Opry come true, taking hisfoolishly awestruck nephew Whit (nicely played by Clint's then14-year-old son Kyle) and his frisky grandfather (a superb JohnMcIntire) along with him. During their eventful odyssey Whit breaks Redout of jail after Red is arrested by drawling good ol' boy sheriffJerry Hardin for stealing chickens, Red takes Whit to a whorehouse sothe boy can lose his virginity, and the group has colorful encounterswith an obnoxious, conniving teenage girl (a perfectly irritating AlexaKenin) who tries to dupe Red into believing he impregnated her, grubbymechanic Tracey Walter, venal highway patrolman Tim Thomerson, andmean, untrustworthy bar owner Barry Corbin prior to Red arriving inNashville for his do-or-die audition, only to erupt into a coughing fitin front of the hard-nosed talent scout (a marvelous cameo by JohnCarpenter movie regular Charles Cyphers) while in the middle of beltingout the wonderfully regretful and reflective titular song. Eastwood's subtle direction doesn't in any way force the wry humor ordelicately heart-breaking sentiment found in Clancy Carlile's folksy,quietly observant script, allowing the story's considerable poignancyto stem naturally from the characters and the experiences they have.Eastwood furthermore delivers an excellent and convincing performanceas Red, an atypical Eastwood lead who's initially quite unappealing andonly becomes endearing in the picture's tragic closing sequences inwhich Red's deep-seated yearning to belatedly realize his potential andsubsequently be somebody makes itself touchingly apparent. The rest ofthe cast, which also includes Verna Bloom and Matt Clark as Red'stolerant, long-suffering relatives, are every bit as fine.The elegant, lyrical cinematography by Bruce Surtees gives the film amisty, lived-in look that's a beguiling blend of warm heartfeltnostalgia (Eastwood was born in 1930 and partially grew up during theGreat Depression; he traveled about the country with his itinerantlaborer father during this troubled time) and scrappy downcastauthenticity. Noted country-and-western producer Snuff Garrett was themusic supervisor for the stand-out soundtrack; such famous and reveredsinging stars as Ray Price, Porter Wagner, Frizzell and West, bluessinger Linda Hopkins, and especially Marty Robbins have telling bitparts -- Robbins, who died shortly before the movie openedtheatrically, has a lovely moment as a back-up session musician whoassumes lead vocal chores when Red becomes too weak and sickly tofinish the song himself. Eastwood sings a few numbers with a frayed,raspy, worn-out baritone -- it's a hoarse, yet affecting croak whichbespeaks countless years of hard living and heavy drinking with abracingly matter-of-fact directness. Why, "Honkytonk Man" even comescomplete with a provocative philosophical message: Sometimes it's thepeople you expect the least from who teach us the most about life.Unjustly vilified by most critics and ignored by audiences when itfirst came out, this tender little gem deserves to be rediscovered asone of Clint Eastwood's most surprising and adventurous as well asthoughtful and underrated change-of-pace cinematic excursions that hehas ever made to date.

Eric Henderson (28 April 2012)

Clint Eastwood's dust bowl drama Honkytonk Man is a sensitive road picture about a mostly luckless aspiring country music singer.

D.W. Debtor (28 April 2012)

Underappreciated

I guess your mood and your audience determine how this movie hits you. Today they drown out the candy crunchers and cellophane rattlers by turning up the explosions, but if your audience is making all kinds of racket during this quiet gem, I'm afraid you're lost, love.

(22 April 2012)

Great movie about a time gone by

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

gridoon (21 April 2012)

Uneven effort from Clint.

"Honkytonk Man" is one of Clint Eastwood's most offbeat and atypical films;unfortunately, for the first hour, it is also one of his dullest. The storyjust doesn't seem to move forward or to lead anywhere. But then some briefamusing moments start redeeming it somewhat, and in the last 30 minutes itturns into a full-blooded (but never aggressive) weepie and getsconsiderably better. Eastwood de-emphasizes his usual facial expressions andone-liners here, and he isn't much fun to watch, but in the end he handleshis difficult dramatic moments (like the scene where he tries to keepsinging even though his disease has clearly worn him out) surprisingly well.As a whole, this personal effort from Eastwood is uneven, often tiresome butfitfully very interesting.

(21 April 2012)

Clint went too far...

Let me say, right off the bat...Clint Eastwood is one of my top 3 favorite actors (Pacino and DeNiro are the other 2). You just can't beat the Dirty Harry movies! After a few successful Dirty Harry films, Clint decided to try comedy country music-tinged movies in the form of "Every Which Way But Loose" and "Any Which Way You Can"--and struck gold. I also enjoy those two movies for what they are. But then I guess he figured he could do no wrong--lol--and thought, "Well, I'd like to make a film about a country singer, and I CAN BE THE SINGER!" OK, that's crossing the line...Clint's singing voice sounds too much like his speaking voice--too whispery. His singing just plain doesn't cut it, sorry. He looks the part--looks a lot like pictures of the legendary Hank Williams--but he's not much of a singer. I know he's a musician, and I think it might be that he actually plays his piano parts in the movie (not sure, but some of his "piano acting" looked pretty real), kind of doubt he did his own guitar playing. But anyway, I know he is quite the music buff, and the songs in the movie are pretty good...not great, but good.Some non-musical aspects of the movie are lacking, too. I thought the stowaway girl was a fairly expendable character--she was mildly funny, but I don't think her character added much to the plot. The movie was just weak, overall. Kind of funny in some parts, but overall corny and cheesy. The cop scenes were dumb, too.So I can just hear the suits at Warner Bros. chewing Clint out after making this movie..."OK, Clint, you're mojo is wearing off on these folksy comedies...it's time for another Dirty Harry, movie...OK??"--haha. And lo and behold, one year later...Sudden Impact! With the all-time greatest movie catchphrase..."Go ahead, make my day!" Now THAT'S Clint Eastwood in top form! :-)So I consider Honky Tonk Man one of Clint's career low points. There are much better movies like this one from that time period...Urban Cowboy, The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia, and Honeysuckle Rose come to mind. I recommend those way over Honky Tonk Man.

bkoganbing (20 April 2012)

Put Your Arms Around This Honky Tonk Man

One of Clint Eastwood's more personal projects is Honkytonk Man wherehe both gets to do some singing and also to work with his thenadolescent son Kyle. Apparently Kyle Eastwood has inherited the musicalpart of the Eastwood genes because he makes his living now as a jazzmusician. I wonder if he ever jams with Woody Allen?Clint did not exactly set the world on fire in his previous musicalouting in Paint Your Wagon. But in Honky Tonk Man he's right in hiselement as a hard living country singer during the Depression trying tofinally catch a break with the Grand Ole Opry.Arriving at his sister's farm, Clint picks up both Kyle who is playinghis nephew here and John McIntire who is Kyle's grandfather on hisfather's side and the three generations start out from Oklahoma toNashville.Eastwood has played some hard bitten characters in his films, but neverone as dissolute as Red Stovall. His high living has brought him a caseof tuberculosis, a lot more common and a lot less curable back in thosedays. In any event the peace and quiet of a sanitarium holds nointerest for Clint. He'd rather go out drinking and wenching than dieof boredom in a sanitarium.Of course the odyssey of the three bring any number of adventures aboutlife and love in their lives.John McIntire fits right in with the father and son Eastwoods. Alsolook for good performances by blues singer Linda Hopkins, young AlexaKenan who hitches a ride with the travelers, and a cheating BarryCorbin who Clint collects from in the usual Eastwood manner. All andall a nice family project from the clan Eastwood.

edwagreen (17 April 2012)

Honkytonk Man-Clint Goes Country Western ***

Country singer Clint Eastwood and his real life son, who portrays hisnephew, go from Oklahoma and the dust bowl to Tennessee so that Clintcan sing up a storm at the Grand Ole Opera.Anyone see the resemblance in this film with "Midnight Cowboy?" Bothmajor characters are trying to get somewhere to fulfill a dream whiledying of tuberculosis.The two guys are caught in this coming of age film for the nephew. Thenephew part should have been made older since in certain scenes the boylooks just that- a young lad.The adventures they are caught in speak for the times they live in.Clint is teaching his nephew how to be a hustler and the boy is a quicklearner.As time ran out for Ratso in "Midnight Cowboy," the end approaches forClint just as he records some music. The boy and his new found ladylove head off to the sunset, that is, California, the place where theboy's family has moved to. Will he join them? After all, after hisadventures, he is no longer a boy now.

(16 April 2012)

I'm a Honkytonk man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ole Clint certainly has made better movies, but you want be disappointed if you like music. Him being a great actor doesn't hurt either!!!! Also his real life son plays in it also.