Honkytonk Man (1982)

“What’s a girl lik e you going to do in Nashville? Have you any money or friends? What are you gonna do, live in the streets?” – Red Stovall

“The Lord will provide.” – Marlene

“He’d better provide you a way of gettin’ there, too.” – Red Stovall

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Apr 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A country musician suffering from alcoholism and tuberculosis takes a road trip with his nephew to Nashville when he gets the chance to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recall seeing bits and pieces of on cable years ago but never watched the whole thing through.

The story is presented in a really slow and boring fashion and doesn’t work at all.

I’ve always been a big fan of Clint Eastwood as both an actor and as a Director, but this film he fails miserably in both capacities.

The story itself feels as if it’s trying to be too edgy or controversial with many of it’s ideas and most of it feels completely off kilter the entire way through which takes so much away from the enjoyment of it all.

Eastwood’s son, Kyle made his movie debut in this film and the two of them are supposedly on a road trip together yet the chemistry between them is almost non-existent even if they are meant to be uncle and nephew instead of father and son and it’s hard to actually believe that they have a real familial relationship.

The songs in this film also don’t work very well and most of them are a bit strange to listen to.

The best of the lot is the title song.

Check it out here:

Bottom Line – Really slow moving and boring film that doesn’t work at all. Eastwood is a great actor and director, but in this film he fails to make us care about the story or the characters. Parts of the story feel like they are trying too hard to be controversial and edgy yet something constantly feels off kilter that doesn’t allow them to work properly. Surprisingly, the chemistry between Eastwood and his son is also very awkward and it’s hard to imagine them actually being related. The songs are a bit strange and most aren’t that enjoyable except for the title song.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Clint Eastwood plays a depression era singer in this movie. In the documentary Biography: Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1994), Eastwood states how the film was personally relevant to him as he had grown up during the depression in the 1930s. In actuality, however, Eastwood grew up in a wealthy area, lived in a two-story house with a swimming pool in the backyard, belonged to the country club, and each of his parents drove their own car. (From IMDB)

Rating –Razzie Worthy (3/10)