MovieChat Forums > 92 in the Shade (1975) Discussion > what a strange movie

what a strange movie

posted 18 years ago by teejay6682
9 replies | jump to latest

i just watched it from an old tape i got from a hipster video store. if you pay too much attention to the plot, you may not enjoy it as much as you could. i've read reviews of the film that say mcguane didn't know how to make a film but i think it's pretty good considering it's the only film he ever made. he wasn't a master of film technique but there is some thought going on there for sure. i think it's a good movie. the ending was kind of abrupt wasn't it? i wish fonda and oates had done even more films together. what a good teaming they were.

[–] Woodyanders 18 years ago

I love this film because it's so quirky and offbeat. It's an authentically wiggy and often hilarious piece of 70's indie cinema that's greatly enlivened by a first-rate cast, with Peter Fonda and Warren Oates making for a terrific duo. They also appeared together in the lovely Western "The Hired Hand" and the hugely enjoyable drive-in devil worship car chase horror/action pip "Race With the Devil."

"Warren Oates died for our sins"

[–] mfswisher 17 years ago

Jeebus, I'm not sure I always entirely understood what was going on in this movie, but it was totally magnificent, to be certain. Who knew Key West guideboat captains were so grudgey and territorial?

I had a hell of a time trying to figure out if Peter Fonda is really stupid or just good at acting really stupid.

Warren Oates is the hotness.

[–] pedro4300 15 years ago

I disagree with everyone here, I thought this movie was a mess from frame one. Incoherent and stupid. That ending was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen. I am a big fan of both Oates and Fonda and I love their pairings, especially in The Hired Hand, but this movie was just awful, with the exception of Margot Kidder's hot bod.

[–] intrepidjournalist 15 years ago

Feel free to hate the ending, but that's how it was originally written in the book. I kinda feel like Fonda's involvement was fitting because the ending is similar to Easy Rider: sudden, abrupt violence, then the credits roll.

After 20 years of practice, I still can't spit like Josey Wales.

[–] pedro4300 15 years ago

But that ending was completely derivative of Easy Rider and because of that it came off both as a rip-off and pretentious. The writer is a hack. Have you ever seen "Missouri Breaks" with Brando and Jack Nicholson? With a cast that amazing, it should have been at least a little interesting, right? Nope, it's a mess, and most of that is in the writing. Even a bubble head like Margot Kidder, who was briefly married to the writer/director called the movie horrible and made no sense whatsoever. And you know what, she was right.

[–] Zando777 13 years ago

I saw the ending where no one got shot. Would've been more meaningful if he had gotten plugged.

[–] perryzanett 8 years ago

I agree with you, Pedro 4300! I saw this on videocassette 18 years ago, years after I bought the darn thing, as I am a huge Warren Oates fan, and, to my surprise, all I found was a completely disconnected movie in which no one does hardly anything but talk, almost all of the dialogue is incomprehensible, and the viewer can only barely deduce the relationships between the main characters, and yet, this film is considered a true classic of 1970s cinema, and is, in fact, acclaimed as a masterpiece by most critics, even though it was a--gee, I wonder why?--box-office failure. Talk about a case of the so-called artistic elite being afraid to say that the emperor wears no clothes!

[–] askmonroville 7 years ago

and yet, this film is considered a true classic of 1970s cinema, and is, in fact, acclaimed as a masterpiece by most critics

I know this is about 10 years (?!) later, but I don't know about that.

Hell, I never even knew this movie existed until some people mentioned it on the Code Red thread on blu-ray.com. You know the routine: hear about some movie; go to Google, which leads you to Youtube; find and then watch the movie.

It was alright. Not a bad story idea: older guys who have been doing something their whole lives having some youngin intrude on their way of life. The "idea" had potential for some good story telling (the older fishermen sabotage the stranger's boat; he tries to find a way to retaliate that won't pin it on him; etc), but in the end it was just kind of "there".

Warren Oates straight up tells Peter Fonda he has a gun and is going to kill him with it, and Peter just says "Okay!" Doesn't get a knife or a gun.. doesn't do anything to counter or protect himself.. Margot Kidder doesn't become a wild card and pre-emptively kill Warren or anything, nor does Peter's dad or grandad do/pay anyone to stop him (or have a twist where they pay Warren TO kill their son/grandson).

I dunno.. I can't say I felt I wasted my time watching it (being at least 90 minutes), but with Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Burgess Meredith and Peter Fonda.. it should have been better.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 2 years ago

I’ll have to watch this sometime.