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That's the "letter of presentation" of Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a Texan dishwasher that leaves everything behind and moves to New York City with illusions of becoming a male prostitute. But success on any field requires more than illusions and a change of scenery.
Midnight Cowboy follows Buck's journey as he struggles to make ends meet. We don't get a lot of background on him and why he decided to follow this path, but coming from a rural town, you get the idea that he probably was a "big fish in a small pond". However, moving to the biggest city in the US certainly puts him in a much bigger pond; one that he has trouble navigating in.
At some point, he meets "Ratso" (Dustin Hoffman), a street con man, and despite a shaky start, they quickly become friends as they both struggle to survive in the harsh environment of the Big Apple. Buck is naïve and perhaps not that clever, while Ratso's health is quickly deteriorating, and both performances successfully convey the sadness beneath their exterior surfaces.
I have to say that this film was absolutely nothing like I was expecting. Based on its reputation because of its rating and the few promotional pictures I had seen, I was expecting something more... aggressive and cold. But what I got was a tragic and heartfelt look at the unlikely friendship between these two men looking for literal and figurative warmth.
Grade:
MIDNIGHT COWBOY
(1969, Schlessinger)
A film from the TSPDT 1,000 Greatest Films list whose ranking includes the #3 (#336)
(1969, Schlessinger)
A film from the TSPDT 1,000 Greatest Films list whose ranking includes the #3 (#336)
"Uh, well, sir, I ain't a f'real cowboy. But I am one helluva stud!"
That's the "letter of presentation" of Joe Buck (Jon Voight), a Texan dishwasher that leaves everything behind and moves to New York City with illusions of becoming a male prostitute. But success on any field requires more than illusions and a change of scenery.
Midnight Cowboy follows Buck's journey as he struggles to make ends meet. We don't get a lot of background on him and why he decided to follow this path, but coming from a rural town, you get the idea that he probably was a "big fish in a small pond". However, moving to the biggest city in the US certainly puts him in a much bigger pond; one that he has trouble navigating in.
At some point, he meets "Ratso" (Dustin Hoffman), a street con man, and despite a shaky start, they quickly become friends as they both struggle to survive in the harsh environment of the Big Apple. Buck is naïve and perhaps not that clever, while Ratso's health is quickly deteriorating, and both performances successfully convey the sadness beneath their exterior surfaces.
I have to say that this film was absolutely nothing like I was expecting. Based on its reputation because of its rating and the few promotional pictures I had seen, I was expecting something more... aggressive and cold. But what I got was a tragic and heartfelt look at the unlikely friendship between these two men looking for literal and figurative warmth.
Grade: