Bronco Billy (1980)

the audience applauded

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Bronco Billy is one of Clint's favorite films. It is also somewhat overlooked or under-appreciated. Bronco Billy is part of a traveling wild west troupe out to make a living by entertaining the kids. Sondra Locke is his love interest yet again and is joined by other regulars that appear in various Eastwood pictures . Also the great Scatman Crothers is joined also and delivers one of his best performances. This is more of a family friendly film and a change of pace to the usual violent Eastwood movie . That does not mean it lacks depth as the story is good and the characters are interesting.I find Bronco Billy somewhat similar to Overboard ,which is also a funny ,heartwarming comedy with another real Hollywood couple that is fun for the whole family . Bronco Billy really is a solid movie and proof to any naysayers that Clint is not a one dimensional filmmaker,or only good as action star. He made a lot of movies that drive that point home throughout his career , this is one of his best of those films.

Before I begin, let me just give a shout out to all the folks who claim that this movie is part of Clint Eastwood's long drawn out patch of "bad movie-making". First off, Eastwood never had a patch of bad movie making. I have enjoyed all of the films I've seen of his.This film is no exception. It's not as serious as some of his other material and I feel like it's not supposed to be. This film is a fun feel good movie with characters you adore (if you don't, you have serious psychological issues). The main character is Bronco Billy, the fastest gun in the west. Of course he's a performer portrayed by Clint, who runs a Wild West Show in contemporary 1980's America. The reality of his character's background is somewhat of a mystery for the first part of the movie and when his origins are finally revealed, you almost don't believe it... or maybe you don't want to.There are a lot of great old west motifs and while some aspects of the plot are somewhat unbelievable, they are certainly plausible. For those of you who are still in doubt, maybe you'll get a kick out of this: Imagine if Clint Eastwood decided to force Paris Hilton to perform in a wild west show and had to (on occasion) put the smack down to keep her in line... now that's worth renting on Netflix isn't it?

This movie was made on location in the Boise Valley, Idaho , summer of '79. It's easy to see why Eastwood chose this location; it resembled small town USA in the '50s. Watching Bronco Billy today is a real time trip: where the villages of Eagle, Meridian and Nampa were 30 years ago, suburbia now sprawls to the horizon.On the surface, Bronco Billy is light and corny, but dig deeper into the annals of Americana and discover that director Eastwood is shining a mirror of nostalgia on the pre-Disney TV days of Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers.Some of the landmark film locations still stand, like the Ranch Club in Garden City with the iconic Palomino above the marque that announced "Merle Haggard". Sadly, the historic sandstone courthouse in Nampa was demolished. I entered the building on business and found the movie company was filming there but on a lunch break. Everyone had gone out back, gawking at the Hollywood stars. Eastwood's Bronco Billy Stetson was resting on a table, laden with a silver dollar hatband, tempting me to try it on. When I came back later it was gone, and so was the actor who played Bronco Billy.

Self-stylized modern-day cowboy and ace sharpshooter Bronco Billy (a pleasingly amiable performance by Clint Eastwood) runs an old-fashioned traveling Wild West show that's fallen on hard times. Matters only get worse when Billy hires snobby wealthy heiress Antoinette Lilly (winningly played by Sondra Locke) as his new assistant. Eastwood's smooth, assured direction, working from a warm and good-hearted script by Dennis Hackin, comes through with a sweet and unexpected treat that benefits greatly from the engaging main characters, enjoyably loose rambling plot and light, likable tone. Eastwood and Locke make for an extremely appealing couple. The excellent cast constitutes as another substantial asset: the wonderfully sprightly Scatman Crothers as hearty announcer Doc Lynch, Geoffrey Lewis as Antoinette's smarmy husband John Arlington, Bill McKinney as ornery hook-handed Lefty LeBow, Sam Bottoms as affable Vietnam draft dodger Leonard James, Dan Vadis as Native American snake dancer Chief Big Eagle, Sierra Pecheur as Big Eagle's loyal wife Lorraine Running Water, William Prince as slimy attorney Edgar Lipton, Walter Barnes as a gruff small town sheriff, and Hank Worden as an elderly gas station attendant. Moreover, there's a lovely and touching tight-knit camaraderie amongst Billy's merry band of endearing misfits. Steve Dorff's folksy, harmonic score, a flavorsome country-and-western soundtrack, David Worth's crisp, sunny cinematography and a strong theme about the redemptive possibilities of the American Dream (everyone in Bronco Billy's show have troubled pasts and have recreated themselves as better, more positive individuals in his show) further add to the considerable charm of this sparkling little gem.