Honkytonk Man (1982)

Honkytonk Man: Directed by Clint Eastwood. With Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, John McIntire, Alexa Kenin. A boy with a music talent goes on a journey with his uncle for a stage concert.

“Set in Depression era Oklahoma, this film tells the story of a dirt poor, alcoholic singer named Red Stovall (Clint Eastwood), who heads out for Nashville, in hopes of making it big as a country singer. The story begins on a dilapidated farm composed mostly of dust, where Redu0026#39;s sister hesitatingly allows her son Whit (Kyle Eastwood) to go with Red to Nashville. The kidu0026#39;s Grandpa (John McIntire) also wants to go, to return to his native Tennessee. The filmu0026#39;s beginning is dreary and depressing, but wonderfully realistic of the dust bowl days of the 1930s.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMuch of the plot takes place on the road, as the three travelers encounter an assortment of characters and problems along the way. The most important character they meet is a young girl named Marlene (the late Alexa Kenin), who yearns to be a country singer. Itu0026#39;s one of many plot contrivances, but at least this contrivance offers some humor, especially when Marlene … u0026quot;singsu0026quot;. Other plot contrivances include a jailbreak, an angry bull, an aborted robbery, and an incident involving a chicken coop.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf the filmu0026#39;s weakness is excess contrivances, the filmu0026#39;s strength is the portrayal of Red as an interestingly complex character. He coughs a lot, a symptom of tuberculosis. And the TB is getting worse. The question is … will Red be able to reach the promise land before the disease affects his ability to sing? And, in a long monologue aimed at Whit, Red talks about his long-ago love affair with Mary Sims.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmu0026#39;s acting is credible, if not outstanding. Kyle Eastwood does a nice job as Whit. The film also features cameos by several then-current country singers. At the end, thereu0026#39;s some sad real-life irony as Marty Robbins helps Red.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Honkytonk Manu0026quot; has some good atmosphere. Arguably, the best segment is at the Top Hat Club on Beale Street in Memphis, where the great Linda Hopkins belts out a blues number. If the filmu0026#39;s writer had ditched some of those hokey u0026quot;on the roadu0026quot; contrivances, and focused the plot more in smoky old bar rooms with low light levels and mournful music, the film would have been a lot better. As is, u0026quot;Honkytonk Manu0026quot; is still worth a look, if for no other reason than to see a low-key character study, in contrast to the brash and gaudy big ticket films of that cinematic era, like u0026quot;Raiders Of The Lost Arku0026quot; and u0026quot;Star Warsu0026quot;.”