Fat City1972
Fat City (1972)
Fat City Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Tully
as Ernie Munger
as Oma
as Faye
as Lucero
as Ruben
as Babe
as Earl
as Wes
as Buford
as Fuentes
as Wes
Critic Reviews for Fat City
All Critics (21) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (0) | DVD (1)
A knockout scene by that grand old battler, John Huston.
The movie's bleak, but it's funnier than most comedies, and it suggests that life's toughness doesn't preclude joyfulness.
So you say to yourself, this Fat City is pretty damn realistic, even if you know in your heart that "realistic" and Hollywood should not be printed on the same page-otherwise paper ignites. Still, you're marveling at it.
A terse, sharp, downbeat but compassionate look at the underside of smalltown American life in the west.
The movie is crafty work and very much a show. In one way or another, right down to the percussively abrupt open ending, it's all about being hammered.
Audience Reviews for Fat City
The one consistent theme in all of John Huston's work is perpetual loss -- how it affects, and defines, people. There may not be a more cogent example of this than in his "comeback" film, Fat City, an observant and understated study of desperation and marginalization. It's a shame that Stacy Keach's film career never materialized (though he's had a good run in TV) because he is sensational here. If nothing else, this underrated film is worth seeking out for Conrad Hall's cinematography alone. He has done nothing but brilliant work in his career, but Fat City may be his finest hour.
Super Reviewer
John Huston's pictures are humane. All he had was sympathy and respect for those men and women born losers, survivors, ordinary people with struggles, sacrifices, constant boredom, values, cares, hopes, little but fruitful victories, plus scattered and rare but strong connections between them, that help to make it through each day. Here was accomplished another masterful allegory of life through boxing. Poetry with no need of words.
Super Reviewer
a really good and gritty drama that must contain the performance of stacy keach's career. he plays a washed up fighter pushing 30 who meets young jeff bridges on his way up. and just who the hell is susan tyrell? i wanted to slap her in every scene. outstanding performance. it's a downer but a beautifully done and pretty much forgotten huston film from the 70's which was something of a comeback film for him. huston was a fighter in his younger days and so was the scriptwriter who adapted his own novel. they knew enough to get the details right. i loved the scenes where the trainers go on about the injuries they've seen.
Super Reviewer
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