Carny

My loyal readers know that I love going back and revisiting films from my youth. And I did just that last night by rewatching a film that I probably haven't seen in thirty years, 1980's Carny.

Carny takes a look at the seedy side of carnival life through the eyes of Frankie, Gary Busey, a dunk tank clown, and Patches, Robbie Robertson, a midway plant who hustles the patrons. The two have a strong friendship and bond until a teenager named Donna, Jodie Foster, runs away to join their carnival and comes between the two friends.

The performances in Carny are great. Busey, fresh off his Oscar nominated role in The Buddy Holly Story shows a lot of range as a kind hearted man who is a rage in the cage once he is in the dunking booth. People seem to forget the Busey was at one time a legitimate actor and not just the wildman that he is known as today. Foster is also terrific and even at a young age proved her maturity as an actress. When her counterparts were off doing Disney fare, Foster had no qualms about diving in head first into darker, more grownup, material. The real find here is musician and The Band guitarist Robertson, making his acting debut. His cool demeanor and ease in front of the camera makes him a natural. MGM was so impressed with Robertson after spotting him in the documentary The Last Waltz that they offered him a movie deal.This would be his first project, which he also wrote and produced. Robertson is no stranger to the material. He himself traveled with the carnival in his teen years. Sadly, the only other time he would put his acting chops to use was in 1995's The Crossing Guard.

Carny is a seamy, yet entertaining look at life on the midway and a great character study that is aided by three terrific performances.

It's available on dvd thru Warner Archive.