John Huston was a wonderful character actor, yet his films as a director are hit-and-miss, mostly due to his intentionally erratic or lackadaisical nature which makes his directorial efforts seem self-consciously avant-garde. "Fat City", adapted by Leonard Gardner from his own novel, was produced by slick Hollywood dealer Ray Stark and, while it's admittedly not a glossy film, Stark's commercial sensibilities may have brought Huston down to earth a bit. Stacy Keach gives an excellent performance as an unemployed, out-of-shape former boxer who talks a big deal about getting into the ring again; Jeff Bridges is an 18-year-old kid who goes to see Keach's old boxing manager hoping to start a career for himself. The two stories aren't paralleled with much irony, nor does Huston guide one into mirroring the other (Keach never sees himself in the young man, and their friendship is extremely casual). "Fat City" is a story made up of vignettes--and only a handful at that--which then form the bulk of the movie; once we in the audience realize this, there's nothing to hold our interest except for the acting. The two female characters (Susan Tyrrell and a brunette Candy Clark, looking like Glynnis O'Connor) are not written with much detail: they don't derail the men nor do they enrich their lives, they're simply present. Huston isn't interested in plot mechanics, which is refreshing in a way (he certainly doesn't score points against anybody); however, the film--with its affection for losers and burn-outs--has no urgency, and the final scene between the two protagonists is puzzling instead of emotionally provocative. ** from ****
Review of Fat City
