Post by Toasted Cheese on Nov 18, 2020 10:36:33 GMT
"Midnight Cowboy" is a love story in the purest way possible. I couldn't care less that the characters can be homophobic from time to time. To me, it feels pretty authentic and neither one of the main characters is obsessed with hating gay people. It almost feels incidental and I would take an honest depiction like this over shallow, sterile, soulless PC platitudes any day.
The book allows for more characterization. The ending of the movie stays faithful to the book's ending, where Joe, who has just the only real friend he has ever had, is now alone and scared.
And then he did something he'd wanted to do from the very beginning, from the very first night he'd met Ratso at Everett's bar on Broadway. He put his arm around him to hold him for a while, for these last few miles, anyway. He knew this comforting wasn't doing Ratso any good. He was doing it for himself. Because of course he was scared now. Scared to death.
Yes, the friendship is at the core and soul of this film and these 2 guys needed each other, more than any other people may have needed each other. Ratso was an opportunist and knew he could use Joe, but he also knew he needed Joe as well and took care of him in the best possible way he could, then it was Joe's turn.
The homophobic attitudes inherent in some of the characters and even representation of its themes is negligible above all else. If anything, I am glad they are there, because it emboldens the attitude of the era. It all unfolds organically and like you said "authentically". These guys may have expressed some disdain for homosexual activity, but they didn't hate on it. For my money, it is one of the best, best picture Oscar winners ever. That other gay cowboy movie made over 35yrs later Brokeback Mountain is a real sludge and drudge in comparison.