What can I say about Honkytonk Man except it is a clear indication of Eastwood's reputation as a risk taker. A road movie, it features an interesting boy character who learns the harsh realities of life. In the short space of a couple of days, he will have experimented love (first in a brothel, then probably later with the girl they met along the road) and death (he'll have to cope with a burial). The young female "singer" they -reluctantly-take with them provides the movie with the comic relief it does need: you should hear her sing "My bonnie" in a shrill voice. The ballads Eastwood sings are moving and tuneful(I don't know if he is dubbed for them, but anyway it's made with taste and respect for the audience).The audition is the highlight of the movie, Eastwood seems to sing as if it were a matter of life and death(and it is anyway).The actor/director avoids pathos and melodrama. Once again, it was a very risky move to play such a character at a time when success story was the golden rule.
Review of Honkytonk Man
