Honkytonk Man

PG

Released Dec 15, 1982

2h 5m

Drama

List

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

64%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

A 1930s country singer (Clint Eastwood) tries to reach Nashville sober, with his nephew (Kyle Eastwood), to audition at the Grand Ole Opry.

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Critics Consensus

Clint Eastwood succeeds in revealing his softer side in Honkytonk Man, a surprisingly sweet and heartwarming road movie that hums along at a pleasant pace.

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TIME Magazine

It is a guileless tribute not only to plain values of plain people in Depression America, but also to the sweet spirit of country-and-western music before it got all duded up for the urban cowboys.

Oct 26, 2008

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Variety Staff

Variety

Eastwood took great pains in telling this story of an aging, struggling country singer...

Oct 26, 2008

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Derek Adams

Time Out

The whole thing veers wildly in quality, and no Eastwood-hater should go within a mile of it; but few lovers of American cinema could fail to be moved by a venture conceived so recklessly against the spirit of its times.

Feb 9, 2006

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Today it looks much better, and contains one of Eastwood's most openhearted performances.

May 1, 2009

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TV Guide

More of a curiosity piece for followers of Eastwood than a truly compelling story.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 26, 2008

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

One of the unnoticed treasures of the '80s.

Rated: A

Apr 9, 2007

Full Review

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Eye C

It's nice… a little predictable and sentimental, but not bad at all.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/23

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Les N

Didn't like it when it first came out and don't like it now

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/17/23

Full Review

Steve D

Didn't work at all for me.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/10/23

Full Review

r 9

It kinda meanders solidly for about ¾ of its run time, but honestly that final 30 or so minutes is outstanding. 'Honkytonk Man' isn't, at least to me, the most interesting or enjoyable for the first hour or so, with many satisfactory if meh scenes and even an odd one featuring a minor, but to my proper surprise the concluding moments of this 1982 release really do leave an imprint - I love the ending. Clint Eastwood is solid, as seemingly always, for the majority before really coming up with some big acting chops, though credit also goes to the make-up department for making him look the way his character ought to - which really sells it. Kyle Eastwood can't really act beside him, but as a child actor he brings the necessary innocence etc. It was barely a 3* rating from me until the conclusion, which elevates it up sizeably.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Clint Eastwood's singing ability astounds me.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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. The movie was bound to be a flop, but it deserves to be restored to favor now.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Clint Eastwood

Director

Clint Eastwood

Red Stovall

Kyle Eastwood

Whit

John McIntire

Grandpa

Alexa Kenin

Marlene

Verna Bloom

Emmy

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Synopsis

A 1930s country singer (Clint Eastwood) tries to reach Nashville sober, with his nephew (Kyle Eastwood), to audition at the Grand Ole Opry.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Malpaso Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1982, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 2h 5m

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