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      The Electric Horseman

      PG Released Dec 21, 1979 2 hr. 0 min. Western Comedy List
      64% 22 Reviews Tomatometer 57% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in a gaudy Las Vegas show. When he's asked to perform with a $12 million horse that he discovers is being doped to remain docile, he flees into the desert astride the beast in an act of defiance. A story-hungry female reporter gives chase. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (83) audience reviews
      Jelisije J An ok movie where a cowboy tries to get his life back from being a soulless drunk showman to saving a horse and escaping into the wild while being chased by the Police and his future love interest in Jane Fonda. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/16/24 Full Review Frank M First part is great, loved Sonny and his pals palling around, Willie Nelson was a hoot. When Fonda enters the scene, it just all felt awkward. Sure, she was entering into unfamiliar territory for a 'big-city' reporter. But she just made it seems all awkward all the time. The romance / chemistry between them just was't there. More fun as a nostalgic trip - old Vegas, old St. George and hari styles... plus, you don't have to endure gratuitous sex scenes or DEI efforts that bog most modern movies down.. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/28/23 Full Review WinthropWarriors Like watching a made-for-tv movie. Very little character development. In the first half of the movie, Robert Redford plays a washed up drunk rodeo star -- though no explanation is ever given as to what happened. Then suddenly in the second half of the movie, he's sober and practically never touches stuff -- again, no explanation. He's even given a jar a alcohol to take with him on his long journey into the mountains, but only takes a sip of it once and only because Jane Fonda takes one first. Ug. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/23 Full Review S R A fun movie with anti-corporate stint. The best parts were seeing old St George and Vegas. It's a shame they didn't show more of it. Regardless, it's a fun movie with a decent Willie Nelson soundtrack. Redford and Fonda do a good job too. Then to have the Quaker Oats guy made it real fun. It was on Netflix. My friend Rich P recommended. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Ride Slow. Ride Long. The Electric Horseman Pollack's take on cowboy and their lifestyle is fascinating as much as it should be, there is no effort beyond that, there is no layer beneath it. There are few moments were Sydney Pollack; the director, does steal the thunder but even at those moments, you would feel that the makers could have done a lot better. For instance, the one big chase scene, probably the only exhilarating antic in the entire film where all the adrenaline is supposed to be poured in, but the way it is shot could have been much more cleaner and crispier than it is. And this is what is left at the end of the film, that inadequacy on everything that makes you wonder the bourgeois strategy of the filmmaker. Maybe, it's some new adapted technique that didn't work or was just meant to be accordingly. The adapted screenplay too, is another limitation to leap over, as much as standard it is, there is no crux in the game, no relation between these characters whatsoever. And the romance or the spark that you see between our lead characters is all driven from their performance. Robert Redford playing a star past his fame and youth, broods as much as he should and oozes sexual charisma more than he should. This is where the film gets easy. Making Jane Fonda; an uptight skillful player in the show business, fall for the carefree natured cowboy. As much as stereotypical it is, it just works. Their isolated electrifying journey is the only reason you would want to take this ride. From silent still pitches on screen to their "slave to their behavior" nature where all the bickerings is drawn from, helps them immensely to walk on some solid ground where The Electric Horseman is the ultimate saviour. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review dave j Robert Redford as Sonny Steele Las Vegas showman called the Electric Horseman with simplistic plot of a man trains and bond with horse, only then to be ordered by his bosses to put it down, so he goes on a odyssey to prevent that from happening.. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Electric Horseman

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (22) Critics Reviews
      Variety Staff Variety A moderately entertaining film, but no screen magic from Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. The pic is overlong, talky and diffused. May 26, 2008 Full Review Tom Milne Time Out Beguilingly sharp at first, but the later stages, with Fonda's toughie reporter tagging along for a story but going all mushy inside, wallow in sentimentality about integrity, ecology and all that jazz. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times At this point, I think it's reasonably safe to say that The Electric Horseman is the best American romantic comedy of 1979. Rated: 4.5/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Michael Lasky Bay Area Reporter The unseen star of the entire enterprise is director Sydney Pollock who keeps the film at a galloping pace, entertaining us all the way to the realistic ending. May 23, 2020 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) The story is drawn out and drowsiness invades the viewer, like a victim of the drugs featured on the film. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 8, 2019 Full Review Renee Schonfeld Common Sense Media Warmhearted romance with an anti-corporate perspective. Rated: 4/5 Feb 22, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in a gaudy Las Vegas show. When he's asked to perform with a $12 million horse that he discovers is being doped to remain docile, he flees into the desert astride the beast in an act of defiance. A story-hungry female reporter gives chase.
      Director
      Sydney Pollack
      Screenwriter
      Robert Garland
      Distributor
      Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures
      Production Co
      Columbia, Universal/Universal Int
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      Western, Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 21, 1979, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 1, 2017