Midnight Cowboy (1969)

I thought Midnight Cowboy was a decent viewing experience, and seemed to enjoy it more than Max did. Although at the beginning it showed signs of repeating the dull 70s trend we have seen in films like Butch Cassidy, Easy Rider, etc. with one song playing from beginning to end (in this case Harry Nillson's "Everybody's Talkin'") and the awkward zoom-in-zoom-out camerawork as Jon Voight is walking alone, it did prove to hold my interest.

Perhaps what I liked best about the film was the plot and the ways in which it explores themes of individuality vs. friendship. As Max stated, the movie does seem to be suggestive of homosexuality in the friendship between the characters of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, but leaving that aside, it was about the journey of one man as he discovers that true friendship holds more value than the lone adventures he was determined to have at the beginning. Voight's character sets out for NYC intent on being a "hussler" dressed as a cowboy. When he finds that life as a male prostitute in the big city offers few customers, he becomes more and more desperate and depressed. His friendship with Dustin Hoffman's character, though plagued by hunger and sickness, provides more satisfaction to him than what he originally saw value in. By the end of the film, the midnight cowboy has transformed into nothing more than a true friend, and by the same token, for the first time, a human being. On the bus on the way to Miami, Voight no longer wears a cowboy hat as he has been stripped of his false dehumanizing identity. He now belongs to the rest of the world, and is optimistic for the future.

It is touching at the end to see that they never make it to Miami. I found it a poignant story about a man who finally found the true meaning of life, but found it too late.