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Information
- Year
- 1970
- Runtime
- 98 min.
- Director
- Bob Rafelson
- Genre
- Drama
- Rating *
- 7.5
- Votes *
- 16,346
- Checks
- 6,316
- Favs
- 470
- Dislikes
- 48
- Favs/checks
- 7.4% (1:13)
- Favs/dislikes
- 10:1
Top comments
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Kublai Khan
It's like a Wes Anderson movie that's been stripped of all it's over-twee'd veneer. The humor, the quirky characters, and the Americana is still there, but it's gritty and real. 6 years ago -
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SamDobbyn
I think the film couldn't be without its disjointed feel, and at best serves some great comedy moments particularly the hitchhiker sequence. We often land in scenes rather than being set at ease with context. The full picture of each character is never close to clear, we're kept at a distance, viewing slices of disillusioned American life, not some measured progression of reconciliation.
@devilsadvocado I hadn't thought too much about how hard Bobby falls for Catherine, but for a man so emotionally isolated and chronically dissatisfied with where he finds himself, it doesn't surprise me that he would jump at the chance for - what he’s viewing as - a meaningful and honest intimate connection, while re-inhabiting a past that appears to be so bereft of one. Also explains why in the following scene, he's so harsh on Ray. Catherine represents some ideal. But Ray is the reality, and ultimately an unfulfilling one.
The ending was never going to be pretty, but I think it worked because it felt truthful. He couldn’t reconcile with his father, so therefore wasn’t going to reconcile with himself.
It’s no coincidence the father figure is rendered non-communicative. What is Bobby to do when faced not with a comforting embrace but with a mirror exposing only his own cold reality. This coldness is indicative of the New Hollywood era. These pained individuals weren’t supposed to be alone in their fight. These stories aren’t here to show us parent/child issues can be resolved, and that we move on to brighter futures. They demonstrate what you’re left to contend with in stark isolation, and how you’ll always become who you are, even if it means leaving the girl who loves you in a car park. 3 months ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 13 official lists
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This movie ranks #23 in BFI's 100 Road Movies
BFI's 100 Road Movies
23 -
This movie ranks #33 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…
33 -
This movie ranks #213 in Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Roger Ebert's Great Movi…
213 -
This movie ranks #275 in Academy Award - Best Picture Nominees
Academy Award - Best Pic…
275 -
This movie ranks #285 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
The New York Times's Boo…
285 -
This movie ranks #307 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
Library of Congress's Na…
307 -
This movie ranks #323 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
The Guardian's 1000 Film…
323 -
This movie ranks #341 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
Time Out's 1000 Films to…
341 -
This movie ranks #375 in Amos Vogel's Film as a Subversive Art
Amos Vogel's Film as a S…
375 -
This movie ranks #501 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
501 -
This movie ranks #502 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See…
502 -
This movie ranks #645 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
645 -
This movie ranks #716 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
David Thomson's Have You…
716