I did not expect to get as attached to Rizo and Joe as i did. The movie takes you through the whole evolution of their friendship, and leaves on a hopeful note at the end. The redemption of Joe is very much tied to his bond with Rizo-and both end up in a better place than they were at the start of the movie; and probably their lives. This movie deserves all the praise I've heard about it. It's a much watch for writers or anyone who deals in characters. Dustin Hoffman; who plays Rizzo, is in a kind of role I never would have expected to see him play. But it's an impactful one, for sure. I actually really love the music they chose for this as well. The lyrics and pacing of the music really fit well into this world that has been depicted for us. Though keep in mind it is rated R for some content.

I love movies like 1969's Midnight Cowboy. They are the kind of movies that are embedded in American culture. They tell a story about the reality of everyday people and the themes explored are ones that people can relate to. I love all different kind of stories, but I find these stories featuring real-life themes to be more meaningful. This is a classic example of an American film-a film with a gritty tone involving the everyday life of ordinary people. The Hollywood studio system began to change in the late 1960's and instead of focusing on big-budget epics, they narrowed their focus down to American dramas similar in style to this film. The 1970's is very popular regarding these kind of films, so stay tuned for future reviews to understand my point.The main theme of the movie is love. But it's not just any kind of love. The movie has overtones of homosexuality, which caused lots of controversy when released. It was unheard of that a movie would feature such things in a movie, but as Bob Dylan likes to sing, "times are a-changing." The love interests are between our two main characters, a Texas cowboy named Joe Buck and a New York City outcast named Ratso. At first, they only use each other for business interests. But as the movie progress, a friendship evolves between them. A very close friendship that symbolizes something deeper than that. The movie does not explicitly say the men were gay (although there are some scenes that may say otherwise), but it grows clearer and clearer there is some kind of romantic attraction between the two men. Here is some interesting trivia. When it came out, it received an X-rating. This is the only motion picture to have ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars with an X-rating. People felt like the film would give their children very bad influences, which I believe was a bunch of crap. However in 1972, the film was changed to an R-rating where it currently stands today.This film is essentially a love story set in the good ol' Big Apple. Joe Buck (Jon Voight) is a hustler who is from Texas. He decides to move to New York City to chase his big dream involving lots of cash and women. But very quickly he learns the city in the east is a much different animal compared to his small Texas hometown. He makes some money as a hustler, but he doesn't have very many opportunities. Then he meets a shady man named Ratso (Dustin Hoffman) who deals with the underbelly of New York. They forge a partnership as Ratso decides to show Joe Buck how to make it rich. As the adventures begin to roll on, they might have feelings for each other that they could have never expected to have.These kind of films rely on acting, and it's an understatement to say Hoffman and Voight crushed it with their roles. Hoffman was a rising star with his turn in 1967's The Graduate, but he shows here that film was no fluke. Hoffman's character was not a guy I'd generally root for, but Hoffman gave his character so much sympathy. He was a flawed man who needed a friend and more importantly, needed love. I find it ironic how the character's name was Ratso. Ratso did somewhat resemble a human-sized rat in the movie, which I guess is a symbol for the criminal underbelly of New York City. Jon Voight crushes it in one of his first major roles. The scenes when he first arrives in New York are fabulous and pretty funny. His cowboy hat doesn't look right amongst the clad of people in their business suits and I love how he tried to hustle women in public to no avail. New York is a different beast, my friend. The chemistry between the two are spot-on. From their mutual thoughts on living in Florida to their hustling deals, the chemistry here is something special.The film relies upon the dynamite performances of Hoffman and Voight to succeed, but there is the tidy direction of John Schlesinger who helped changed the face of cinema with his controversial art. There is the strong screenplay Waldo Scott, which depicts the underbelly of American life in a way that it makes it difficult to watch. I only wished he left out that stupid psychedelic party scene of his screenplay. It really did not fit with the tone of the movie and it was cringing to watch, although this is where we can see love come into play for the two characters. This era also introduced using songs in addition to the score. The Graduate began that trend, and the film makes good example from that trend. The song, "Everybody's Talking' to Me" is a wonderful song with strong lyrics that add to the story.Midnight Cowboy is an American film that is known as a love story between bros, but it is deeper than that. It's a story about valued friendship. The paths are very different at the end, compared to where they were in the beginning. The ending comes across as tragic, but in a way it is also a very sweet ending. I had misty eyes, but I also had a nice smile on my face. Honestly, there shouldn't have been any controversy with the film. If this was released today, people wouldn't bat an eye at the subject matter. Luckily, the majority of the people loved this film upon release and it became a heavily influential film. Just see 2005's Brokeback Mountain, and you'll see some similar themes. I really enjoyed watching the movie. I was curious at why the film was deemed controversial, but in the end it was just another powerful love story.My Grade: A

Midnight Cowboy is a film where the individual parts are better and stand apart from the film as a whole. The performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are so masterful they almost exist apart from the message or overall story of this film. The cowboy and ratso bring so many unique elements that there is so much going on apart from the films plot. It is almost as if these two great performers were underused and maybe a deeper message or messages could be delivered. On its own it's a decent film about the harsh realities of life in New York and the unlikely bonding of disparate characters who rely on each other for survival. While this great premise looked promising on paper the reality of it on the screen and the great performances made it bigger than what it was. It is as if Joe Buck and Ratso could take on a reality of their own that is independent from the films premise. The integrity and strength of these two characters could start a life of its own which cannot be contained by the films plot. I felt perhaps different direction and plot points could have done this film favors. We could have done without Joe Buck's flashbacks and had more screen time for the two. Perhaps the two could have undertaken a big scheme together that could have been driven by their unique chemistry as opposed to the thin pimp/cowboy escort premise.

Upon viewing this film for the first time, I had no idea what to expect, other than what I could glean from the title. What I got with Midnight Cowboy defied any preconceptions that I even could have had when going in. This movie is extremely dark and covers very adult subject matter, and the script does a fantastic job of giving these heavy topics the weight they deserve. The structure of the story lends itself well to the plot as well, with important information being revealed through flashbacks as the story in the present day progresses. The performances by both Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are extremely good, and their interactions in key scenes can get very emotional. The film is also very well paced, with editing that knows when to let things breathe, lending a very grounded and natural feel to the movie. This story definitely stuck with me and I think it makes for an absolutely fantastic movie.