Johnny Suede (1992)

Expected more

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There is this continuous misuse of the word "comedy" as a substitute for quirky, off-beat, different, strange, weird, etc. This is the case here.The film is not funny. It is not a comedy in any way. Comedy means inducing laughter. There are very few laughs here, not because this film tries some jokes that fail to hit the mark - the film doesn't try because it's not a comedy. The film is a light-hearted take on a wannabe rock star - his financial problems, love life, band issues and music career. It attempts to be light-hearted but it is actually sad and depressing. Abject poverty, terrible, dirty apartments, hopeless music career, you name it.The story itself isn't that interesting and the film is not really fun to watch. It's really low-budget, apparently $500k, but I think they spent it all on celluloid and actor salaries, because it looks like it was filmed on a $5k budget.The music is good, but it's not enough to save this dud of a film.

Combining hard-edge cynicism with compassion, Johnny Suede looks like a cartoon, but it's serious enough to raise intriguing questions, specifically men's deep fear of women. In a role that makes one think of James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Ricky Nelson, the director crafts a lyrical portrait of a wannabe, a good-natured poseur mythically named Johnny. Mixing sight gags with deadpan humor, Johnny Suede works its magic as a fairy tale about a man who has to lose one shoe in order to find his true identity. Pitt is sensational and delivers one of his greatest performances. He could have made his character cartoony, but his subtleness is perfect. Not to mention his decent singing skills. Catherine Keener is great too, and Sam Jackson makes an appearance as well. Definitely worth a viewing if you are in the mood for a character driven picture, or are a Pitt fan.

Johnny Suede finds Brad Pitt in a character study of a would be rock and roll superstar who just can't quite get his career off the ground. In a homage to a famous Twilight Zone episode He finds a pair of classy suede shoes that seem to complete the look he keeps trying to obtain. Unfortunately it takes more than just a look and some talent to make a star.Brad's Johnny is a likable if shallow character. He can't seem to get a career goal in focus and some things beyond his control seem to be defeating him. Nevertheless he persists and even finds some true love in the end in the person of Catherine Keener, though he nearly blows that situation.That exaggerated pompadour was absolutely unreal, it must have been close to a foot high. It so obviously a wig yet it did seem to match Brad Pitt's natural coloring. He must have gotten a migraine headache just wearing it around.Johnny Suede is a film made on the cheap. I will say I liked the choice of location shooting in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Around that time the area was starting to become gentrified. Now some of those loft apartments and reconverted brownstones are starting to match the more swanky sections of Brooklyn if not yet at Manhattan levels.In the supporting cast I did like Calvin Levels performance as Pitt's best friend and confidante who finally decides to leave him because he's tired of waiting for Pitt's dream band to become reality.Johnny Suede is not a great film, but it does give full display to Brad Pitt's natural charisma and talent and clearly shows the star he was to become.

"Johnny Suede" is a slice of life flick which tells of a peculiar fictitious character, Suede (Pitt), who has a 10 inch pompadour, worships Ricky Nelson, is a wannabee musician/star, is naive or stupid or both, and has little else worthy of mention. The slice the film presents (the story) is off-beat and creative in the minutia and anticlimactic in the whole. Pitt and Keneer and Levels work well in their roles but can't make up for a story which is about as satisfying as a baloney sandwich on Thanksgiving Day. A no brainer for channel surfers.