Not All Dreams Come True

 Clint Eastwood Takes Us On a Road Trip of Potholed Reality

Honkytonk Man (1982) – After a life of scuffling in every dive and honkytonk, Red Stovall has a chance to audition for a slot at the Grand Ole Opry. With the help of his nephew, Red discovers that life still has one final challenge to throw at him.

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Starring Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood, Verna Bloom

Why I Liked It – A gentle, melancholy road trip movie.

Clint Eastwood singing is not the best way to sell this or any movie.  He’s sung before, including a full on musical in “Paint Your Wagon” (which he hates and with good reason).  Here his thin, yearning voice works perfectly.  Red Stovall has been kicking around at the lowest levels of country music for decades.  A chance to perform at the mecca of country music, Nashville’s “Grand Ole Opry” radio show could change his fortunes forever.  But first he has to get there, through the economic challenges of the Great Depression, a less than reliable car, his own failing health and alcoholism, and his inability to stay focused on the job.  His fourteen-year-old nephew, whom he calls “Hoss” (played by Eastwood’s son Kyle), gets the unenviable task of trying to shepherd his wayward elder along the way.  Father and son play very well together here.  Eastwood the elder brings a rough edged but not unkind character to Stovall, while Kyle does well in his movie debut.  He brings the wide-eyed innocence of Opie Taylor/Will Robinson feel to a young man seeing parts of the world he never imagined existed.

Eastwood has shown a deft touch as a director and handles the story here with skill. Part Depression era story, part road trip, part buddy movie, spiced with touches of country music and blues, “Honkytonk Man” is tender, if slightly rose-colored look at a man at the end of his string.  It’s supported beautifully by a solid cast of character actors.  Verna Bloom plays Hoss’s mom, her looks weathered by a hard life as a sharecropper but with a loving heart for both the boy and her delinquent, honkytonk brother.  Add in Barry Corbin, Joe Regalbuto, Tracey Walter, Porter Wagoner, Marty Robbins, Ray Price, Shelly West and David Frizzell in roles of various sizes, and you have a solid group of storytellers.

The final product is a story about a man who had a dream, but not the will to follow it.  The dream passes on to the next generation with no promise that they will get there either.  Melancholy without becoming morose, it’s a different kind of role than we usually get from Eastwood.  It’s a solid effort that is well worth your time.

By the way, Kyle Eastwood has become a respected composer and jazz bass player.  I wrote this piece will listening to one of his band’s performances.  Check it out.

Rating – **** Recommended