Midnight Cowboy

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Midnight Cowboy

R

1969

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Convinced of his irresistible appeal to women, Texas dishwasher Joe Buck (Jon Voight) quits his job and heads for New York City, thinking he'll latch on to some rich dowager. New York, however, is not as hospitable as he imagined, and Joe soon finds himself living in an abandoned building with a Dickensian layabout named Enrico Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). The two form a rough alliance, and together they kick-start Joe's hustling career just as Ratso's health begins to deteriorate.

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Critics Consensus

John Schlesinger's gritty, unrelentingly bleak look at the seedy underbelly of urban American life is undeniably disturbing, but Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight's performances make it difficult to turn away.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

07/29/2022

[John Schlesinger's] spray of venom is just about overpowering, yet the two actors and the simple Of Mice and Men kind of relationship at the heart of the story save the picture.

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Sophie Monks Kaufman

Time Out

03/14/2022

5/5

Director John Schlesinger and screenwriter Waldo Salt pump so much emotion into it that it becomes a moving epitaph both to its two striving characters and the American dream itself.

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Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

03/14/2022

Midnight Cowboy is America's challenge to any film from foreign shores... From now on, it is going to be difficult for the cinema snob to declare tritely that films in this country are made for immature audiences.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 11

4/4

It only takes a movie like Midnight Cowboy to point out the limitations of a critical rating system: How can a measly four stars convey the magnificence of this acknowledged classic?

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/08/2023

Gritty, grimy, and groundbreaking for its time, few films have been more avant-garde in approach, nor more perpetually relevant than Midnight Cowboy.

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Michael Talbot-Haynes

Film Threat

03/25/2022

10/10

The characters’ dreams and memories intermingle with their daily actions, sometimes combining in surreal ways. The camerawork is amazing, capturing vistas of glory and grime from the dawn of 1970s New York.

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Edwin O

@RT85409291 Jun 23

Midnight cowboy starts off so upbeat and aspirational, but subverts those dreams of big money into one of survival and friendship, while living in extreme poverty. Ten years on from my first viewing that forced me to leave the room in an attempt to hide my emotion from my parents, it still manages to tear my heart out completely. An absolute masterpiece of a film that im thankful was ever made.

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Philip G.

@RT28218941 Jun 18

I’ve probably watched it 60 times

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Alexsander F

@Aelxs May 26

This was one of my father's favorite movies. I thought it would be more upbeat, but it turned out to be a realistic portrayal of human misery. A critique of capitalism and the 'American Dream'. I was pleasantly surprised by this feature film, which deserves all the praise. The characters had big dreams and ambitions that stayed purely in the realm of ideas and imagination, something that happens to many people around the world. Ultimately, it's a very melancholy and realistic film.

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Mar 16

Unlikely pair of troubled pasts. Both performances were daring. Exceptional imagery and editing. Uniquely dramatic and tragic, yet comedic.

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Pete W

@Pete-W Dec 25

A masterpiece. If you saw in in 1969, watch it again to appreciate just how magnificent this movie is.

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Hannah W.

@love4movies Dec 24

I didn’t know the movie was going to break my heart. But it did. A beautiful real movie.

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John Schlesinger

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" Rizzo

Jon Voight

Joe Buck

Sylvia Miles

Cass

John McGiver

Mr. O'Daniel

Brenda Vaccaro

Shirley

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Come on Now Don't Hit Me

1:56

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - That's a Funny Thing You Mentioning Money

2:03

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - I'm Walkin' Here

2:05

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Miami Dreaming

2:11

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Ratso Gets Joe a Real Job

2:03

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Ratso's Dying Wish

2:14

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Ratso and Joe Trade Insults

2:09

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Ratso and Joe Lose Their Home

1:55

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - Ratso Dies on the Bus to Miami

2:09

Midnight Cowboy: Official Clip - I'm Fallin' Apart Here

1:30

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Synopsis

Convinced of his irresistible appeal to women, Texas dishwasher Joe Buck (Jon Voight) quits his job and heads for New York City, thinking he'll latch on to some rich dowager. New York, however, is not as hospitable as he imagined, and Joe soon finds himself living in an abandoned building with a Dickensian layabout named Enrico Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman). The two form a rough alliance, and together they kick-start Joe's hustling career just as Ratso's health begins to deteriorate.

Director: John Schlesinger
Producer: Jerome Hellman
Screenwriter: James Leo Herlihy, Waldo Salt
Distributor: Criterion Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Florin Productions, Jerome Hellman Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 25, 1969, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $201.0K
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Stereo