The past two weekends, I have not been drawn to the movies by the new releases, and this weekend, I watched Cry Macho on HBO Max at home instead of going to the theaters. It almost was not even worth it to watch it at home. I feel bad for saying so, because Clint Eastwood is so old, and it seems like he was trying hard, but he is past his prime by a couple years, which really is not much of an insult considering he has had a 50 plus year career, but at this point, he might want to stick to directing and off the screen to help preserve his acting reputation.
Cry Macho is the story of a washed-up rodeo star/ranch hand, Mike, Clint Eastwood, who gets fired. A year later, his old boss, Howard comes to him asking for a favor. Howard wants Mike to go down to Mexico and rescue his son from an abusive family. Mike agrees and starts out on his journey. He finds out how bad of a situation Rafo is in and helps extract him, but not without an odd, attempted seduction by the mom, and after he rejects her, she sends her henchmen after him. Mike and Rafo end up broken down in a small town and join a family who run their own restaurant. Another woman falls helplessly in love with 90-year-old Mike. Mike finishes his job and returns Rafo to Howard, but Mike goes back and lives with Marta. This gives him a newfound purpose in life, whereas the life he was leaving behind was empty.
The whole Clint Eastwood as a sex symbol at 91 is insanely ridiculous. Both women that throw themselves at him are half of his age. In the first instance he refuses, because he has a strong moral compass and would not be with a lady who had caused so much harm, but he could not refuse Marta. Marta had a similar story to him. She was a widow, and she had lost her children, just like Mike. So, they were kindred spirits, and Miko had an immediate connection with Marta's grandchildren. He also had a great deal, because Marta was an incredible cook, so he got to feast for free. At no point did it feel like Eastwood’s character had enough swagger to be this much of a ladies’ man. He could barely walk, the only reason why he could possibly stick out as a love interest is due to his exoticness because he was not Mexican.
The movie would have been better if Mike's goal had been to rescue the rooster instead of the kid. They should have just taken Rafo's part out altogether, and made it a more John Wick style movie. Someone stole Howard's prize fighting cock, and 90-year-old Clint Eastwood must go get it back. In the grand scheme of things, Macho, the rooster was more influential in their safety than both Mike and Rafo. Macho was always rearing to fight, whereas Rafo was whiny, and Mike was just too old. There were moments that were supposed to be serious, but they ended up provoking a laugh instead. The trailer made the movie seem like it would have more western tropes and have more action, but again the only character in the film that actually packed a punch was the rooster.
Overall, the acting in the film was not great, Clint Eastwood was by far the best performer, and that is not saying much. Everyone else was so incredibly bad that he seemed like a star. The worst were specifically Howard and Rafo. Both of their performances seemed uninspired and stiff. There was also the lack of believability of Eastwood's character being such a hot commodity. Marta's acting was believable, but Rafo's mom's performance was not believable. Also, Eastwood felt the need to throw in a scene where he is riding an untamed horse, when clearly it is not Eastwood because none of the shots come close to showing the riders face while the horse is tossing and turning.
Although the story did not ultimately revolve around mortality, it was hard not to think about it while watching. Clint Eastwood has had a 50-year acting career, and he is still getting out there trying to act and direct at 90. It reminds me of a coach who retires after most of their lifetime, and shortly after they pass away, or for couple who have been together, and then when one passes away, the other does as well shortly after. So, I feel like if Clint Eastwood retires from acting and directing, then that might be it for him shortly after, this is what he is living for now.
Cry Macho was a below average movie that made for an okay watch. The story was not overly compelling mainly due to the lack of acting talent, but for some reason it was hard to turn away. It is bad when the best performance in a movie comes from a rooster. I hope Clint Eastwood gets another chance in a movie to finish his career off strong. I give this movie 2 stars, and that might be high. It has received a variety of reviews, so see for yourself.
Other Movies This Week:
Prey, a Netflix movie, a German horror film, is about a group of guys who go on a bachelor party in a national park in Germany, but when they get back to their car, they find their tires flat, and one of their members gets shot. So, they start to run. They find out the killer is a woman with a vendetta. Sadly, this movie was not great. There was no suspense and the motivation seemed lacking. Also the friends did not even like each other, so you could not even put yourself in their place.
Venom: A spaceship brings back an alien parasite that scientists run tests on unethically. A journalist starts an investigation that goes wrong, and he ends up with the parasite known as Venom. He becomes enamored with the power and ends up going to war with the corrupt science company. Hardy give a good performance in an atypical superhero story centered on an antihero that was interesting enough, but it did not rise to the level of Deadpool.
Night Books tells the story of a kid who gets trapped in a witch's lair. While there, he is forced to tell the witch a scary story every night, but his love for stories was waning. He tries to team up with Yas to escape, and then they realize, there is more to the trap than they originally thought. In a great dark fantasy for youths that tells a story about being yourself and found family.
New Rankings:
Cry Macho: 2 Stars
Prey: 2 Stars
Venom: 3 Stars
Night Books: 3 Stars
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