Great Film overall

Boring

Absolutely Brilliant!

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

"Carny" doesn't really feature exemplary storytelling, but it's still a striking look into a world to which many of us are not privy. That would be the behind-the-scenes dealings in travelling carnivals. With story credit going to co-star Robbie Robertson - member of The Band and a real life former carny himself - director Robert Kaylor and Kaylors' wife Phoebe, it's an amazing display of sights and sounds in this sometimes seamy environment. Ultimately, the heaviest asset is the incredible atmosphere that Kaylor and his crew create.Gary Busey and Robertson are front and centre as members of this carnival troupe. Busey is a clown who sits in a dunk tank and taunts passers by. Into their lives comes a sexy teenager, Donna (Jodie Foster), who's tired of her humdrum small town existence and job as a waitress. So she joins them on the road, becoming part of their "family". Busey is very welcoming, but Robertson has his misgivings about her presence.There's a wonderful, star studded cast here, although some of the actors inevitably end up rather under utilized. Among them are Meg Foster, Kenneth McMillan, Elisha Cook Jr. (in one of his best latter day roles), Tim Thomerson, Teddy Wilson, Bert Remsen, Craig Wasson, Robert DoQui, and Fred Ward. Bill McKinney and John Lehne are perfectly hate worthy as a shady businessman and his henchman who cause problems for our heroes. (Not content to rely on actual law enforcement, Busey, Robertson and company enact their own form of justice.) Busey is very likable, in one of his better film roles, and Foster very appealing. Robertson, of course, looks completely at home.The production design (by William J. Cassidy) and cinematography (by Harry Stradling Jr.) are first rate, and this film also makes use of some real sideshow attractions. The tale actually gets a little twisted towards the end; coupled with some profanity and some T & A, "Carny" does earn its R rating. It also has an excellent music score by Alex North.Overall, an interesting film worthy of discovery or re-discovery.Eight out of 10.

An unusual low-budget film about the carnival circuit and the people who run them.Knowing nothing about Carnies beyond them tending to be associated with hard work, light crookedness and putting local girls up the duff and then leaving town, I can't say the film really gripped me or helped me understand them better. More story and character development would have been a big help. I wanted particularly to know more about the backgrounds of the principle trio to understand what drove them and where they thought they were going, if anywhere.That said it's an entertaining film with a solid cast. If you like 70's era films this won't disappoint. I was unsure what to make of Donna (Jodie Foster). Her character seemed to be an odd mixture of conflicts and innocence (soon lost) wrapped around an ambition that would hurt those around her if allowed to go on. Fortunately her two mainstays Patch (Robbie Robertson) and Frankie (Gary Busey) are fairly worldly wise, particularly Patch who oversees the midway and pays off local officials to keep things uncomplicated.Donna tries her (very green) hand in the burlesque tent with predictably bad results, no thanks to Patch. She finally teams up with Gerta (Meg Foster), she of the startlingly pale irises, in the string-pull booth. It could have gone interesting places from there but it ended unsatisfactorily to me and the carnies were portrayed as rogues who were a little too likable. Frankie had his demons but he seemed, at core, a decent guy and his relationship with Donna had real promise that was overlooked.If you're a fan of the principle players or just think that an 18-year old Jodie would be very easy on the eye (as indeed she has always been) then it is worth a look.

I have been trying to see 'Carny' for quite some time, and I finally stumbled across an old video tape of it. I don't know if it is now available on DVD, but if not, it should be. It was released at the beginning of the 1980s but is very much a 1970s movie, and fans of that decade will appreciate it. It's very low key and character driven, and nothing all that much happens, but the acting is strong from the three leads - Gary Busey, who has been wasted in bad movies for many years, Jodie Foster in the transitional period from child to adult star, and the biggest surprise of all Robbie Robertson, guitarist and main songwriter with legendary rock'n'rollers The Band. On top of that the supporting cast features an incredible array of character actors that's hard to beat - Elisha Cook Jr, Tim Thomerson, Kenneth McMillan, Meg Foster, Tim Thomerson, Bill McKinney, Bert Remsen, Fred Ward, Woodrow Parfrey and Craig Wasson, the star of Brian De Palma's 'Body Double', just to name the most obvious ones. 'Carny' is an overlooked gem, and deserves some more attention. I really enjoyed it.

This is not a great movie but it could have been one.The casting is top notch (I am impressed by Meg Foster with her unforgettable eyes even though her screen time in the movie was insignificant). Jodie Foster is young, attractive and impulsive; so different from the later day mature Jodie Foster, who exudes confidence and intelligence.Yet the film that starts off like a European film with the lead actor painting his face to play a clown. The sequence readies you for great moments of clowning/tragedy. This never happens. If it does it happens in isolated moments of the film.The problem lies with the screenplay and direction. You expect cinema of a Istvan Szabo or a Marcel Carne, instead you are dished out disconnected sequences that appeal to you merely due to the rich potential of the performers. Gary Busey's and Robbie Richardson's characters strike you, not Jodie Foster's. They strike you because they added some depth and feeling to their roles. Jodie Foster does not do so in comparison. I liked her in the movie because she looked good, not because of the quality of her performance.Just imagine if this cast and story were in the hands of Robert Altman or Marcel Carne or Istvan Szabo. We would have had a great film!