It's obvious that one taste won't do. You need to try different slices of that delicious homemade pie. Okay, so maybe there's not pie, but no matter how you slice it, there's a lot to capture here, and you probably need to be in a particular kind of mood to capture everything. I didn't know much about Arlo Guthrie (or his father Woody), but I knew that this movie managed to garner a bit of a cult status as well as a single Oscar nomination for Arthur Penn on his second film in a row (already having gotten one for "The Miracle Worker"), yep, two out of two after "Bonnie and Clyde".
For my first viewing, I saw this as a slice of 60's hippy life as seen through Arlo's eyes, and he's certainly unforgettable. It was interesting to find out that right before I watched this that Arlo had announced his retirement just the month before. Whether dealing with his ailing father Woody in the hospital or prejudice simply because of his looks (harassed for his long hair and getting thrown through a window after smashing a slice of pizza in the perpetrator's face), Arlo lives life in his own way and it's his independent spirit that makes his honest from the heart rebel irresistible.
As Arlo says himself in reliving his own story, he seemed to be unable to stay out of jail, even for the most ridiculous of offences. The most notorious is when he dumps a bunch of Thanksgiving garbage off the side of a Massachusetts highway, having found out that the city of Stockbridge dump was closed. So what does he do when he is forced by the law to remove it? Take it to the dumping grounds in New York City right near the Christopher Street piers!
This would be an easy film to dismiss because of its lack of a linear plot, but the characterizations make it very interesting, some of the characters played by the real life people involved, particularly the Stockbridge sheriff. It is a nice character study that starts with a cameo by black theater legend Vinnette Carroll as a draft office clerk, followed up by the hysterical hernia check later where the doctor tells him to turn his hat and cough.
It's the light-hearted atmosphere like this that when mixed with serious issues becomes something memorable. Guthrie seems way ahead of his time, reminding me in a way of Johnny Depp at the beginning of his career. There isn't much in the way of music, but there's enough to keep your attention with all of the comic moments, a big screen example of the theater of the absurd. This is anti-establishment at its finest, and in spite of some dated ideals is one of the few late 60's movies of its kind to deserve a place in a time capsule.
For my first viewing, I saw this as a slice of 60's hippy life as seen through Arlo's eyes, and he's certainly unforgettable. It was interesting to find out that right before I watched this that Arlo had announced his retirement just the month before. Whether dealing with his ailing father Woody in the hospital or prejudice simply because of his looks (harassed for his long hair and getting thrown through a window after smashing a slice of pizza in the perpetrator's face), Arlo lives life in his own way and it's his independent spirit that makes his honest from the heart rebel irresistible.
As Arlo says himself in reliving his own story, he seemed to be unable to stay out of jail, even for the most ridiculous of offences. The most notorious is when he dumps a bunch of Thanksgiving garbage off the side of a Massachusetts highway, having found out that the city of Stockbridge dump was closed. So what does he do when he is forced by the law to remove it? Take it to the dumping grounds in New York City right near the Christopher Street piers!
This would be an easy film to dismiss because of its lack of a linear plot, but the characterizations make it very interesting, some of the characters played by the real life people involved, particularly the Stockbridge sheriff. It is a nice character study that starts with a cameo by black theater legend Vinnette Carroll as a draft office clerk, followed up by the hysterical hernia check later where the doctor tells him to turn his hat and cough.
It's the light-hearted atmosphere like this that when mixed with serious issues becomes something memorable. Guthrie seems way ahead of his time, reminding me in a way of Johnny Depp at the beginning of his career. There isn't much in the way of music, but there's enough to keep your attention with all of the comic moments, a big screen example of the theater of the absurd. This is anti-establishment at its finest, and in spite of some dated ideals is one of the few late 60's movies of its kind to deserve a place in a time capsule.