Fat City (1972)
The hard times of poor white fighters in California provide the background for this brilliant, unflinching and sorely overlooked masterpiece by director John Huston. Stacy Keach is Tully, a down-on-his-luck alcoholic boxer earning money as a field worker while trying for a comeback. Tully tries to pass his wisdom on to Ernie (Jeff Bridges), his 18-year-old protégé, attempting to give the kid the chances he missed.
Cast and Information
Directed By: John Huston
Written By: Leonard Gardner
Starring: Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell, Candy Clark, Nicholas Colasanto, Art Aragon, Curtis Cokes, Sixto Rodriguez
Country: USA
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Fat City belongs to 41 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
3. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
4. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)
5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
8. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
9. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
10. Based on a Book (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 21 stars)
11. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
14. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)
15. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
16. Based On Novel (collaborative: moderated by tathiel - 7 stars)
17. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)
18. Sport (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 5 stars)
19. Boxing (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 4 stars)
20. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
21. Djross great movies (public: djross - 4 stars)
22. List: Noir of the Week (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 3 stars)
23. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (public: Coheed - 3 stars)
24. Djross film as art (public: djross - 3 stars)
25. The Lost Picture Show Podcast (collaborative: moderated by Coheed - 2 stars)
26. Lazy people (collaborative: moderated by comepelicula - 2 stars)
27. Spike Lee's List Of Essential Films Every Filmmaker Must See (collaborative: moderated by comepelicula - 2 stars)
28. Djross movies that transcend their genre (public: djross - 2 stars)
29. Films listed as Harmony Korine's favorites. (public: karamazov. - 2 stars)
30. Alcoholism (collaborative: moderated by iceblox - 1 star)
31. Moviedrome: Alex Cox (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 1 star)
32. junkie love (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)
33. toucé (public: rnest - 1 star)
34. Derek Malcolm's Century of Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha)
35. Films Photographed by Conrad L. Hall (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
36. Djross 1972 top ten (public: djross)
37. 1972: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
38. Movies to See: Drama (public: Lord Moe)
39. New Beverly Cinema (public: xmoffx)
40. Powerhouse Films Releases (public: kjones77)
41. Blu-ray Collection (public: TripEuphoric)
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| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 2 |  |
Moribunny | 85 95th |
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Wow, John Huston had this in him? A spectacular script, directed with sensitivity and finesse and wonderfully acted, Fat City is a boxing movie that hits very hard in the gut. It has New Hollywood's poetic but honest-to-God realism that I love so much, bleak and with very flawed characters but never a shred of cynicism or misanthropy.
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| 2 |  |
djross | 86 96th |
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Such an easy movie to love. Great dialogue, subtle characterisation and superb performances by Keach, Colasanto and especially Susan Tyrrell (who is the true star of the film). I doubt that any other classical Hollywood director would have been able to make a film anything like this one.
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| 2 |  |
Alex Watkins | 3 38th |
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Decent enough as an example of 70s realism and as a boxing picture, but not much more. I think it would have benefited from some fleshing out, as the characters, despite strong collective performances, feel more like archetypes than anything, and it relies on well-worn cliches of boxing films. And Ernie's arc, while handled with some admirable subtlety, feels more tangential to Tully's than part of a cohesive whole. Good, but not what I had hoped for.
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| 2 |  |
JooJoo | 5 80th |
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Convincing in its portrayal of these downtrodden characters and more subtle than most any boxing movies have the skill to pull off. Stacy Keach puts in something of note but it never becomes a true character study, has a breadth to it I wouldn't have expected.
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| 1 |  |
MartinTeller | 72 41st |
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Like other movies of its ilk, it tries to pass off character flaws as depth, and wears its no-frills approach to filmmaking on its sleeve. I can watch this stuff and be reasonably engaged, but it just doesn't inspire me that much. Decent-to-good performances by Bridges and Keach... more noteworthy are the characters on the periphery. On the other hand, you've got Oma, a particularly awful performance by Tyrrell. I was pretty ho-hum about the whole experience until the fine, thoughtful ending.
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| 1 |  |
DavidKahane | 84 74th |
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There's an appealing seediness to Huston's film about the lugs toiling on the lowest part of the undercard. Stacy Keach gives a sensational performance as a washed up old boxer who romances a crumbling barfly while edging towards a comeback. It's a role that could have been tackled effectively with little more than brutish pathos, but Keach aims for something trickier. There's a tender intricacy to his work, a sense of showing the wheels turning even if those wheels are turning a little slowly.
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 50 35th |
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Not bad.
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| 1 | sullenboy | 95 0th |
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Along with Wise Blood, one of the two best and least well-known John Huston films. Gritty portrait of down on his luck boxer Stacy Keach. Great supporting cast including Susan Tyrell as philosophizing barfly.
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| 1 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45th |
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A contrast in up-and-coming and down-and-out. Understated, unsentimental, but a little unremarkable.
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| 1 |  |
AFlickering | 6 87th |
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while other films were selling an alluring, romanticised counter-culture and ensuring their posters would be littering every teenager's wall, huston made a film that truly dwelt in the margins among the lost and forgotten: the kind of failures, bums and deviants who nobody gives a shit about, least of all moviegoers. FAT CITY has no interest in being cool or even being successful; all it cares about is being human. the entirety of tully's opponent's wordless cameo is a miniature masterpiece.
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| 1 | theyshoot08 | 70 40th |
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606
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| 1 | sellis | 87 81st |
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Howard Hawks once said what constitutes a good movie is “three great scenes, no bad ones." Here we’ve got Huston exploring his usual brute masculinity in all its ugliness - with about a dozen great scenes and no bad ones. With a collection of fascinating faces, voices, and temperaments, nor is there a bad performance. Its imperfections are why I will revisit for years. Great film.
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| 1 |  |
billkerwin | 93 91st |
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A first-rate movie about second-rate boxers down and out in California. Keach and Bridges are both very good, and the film also features an unforgettable performance by a little-known actress, Susan Tyrrell.
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| 1 |  |
VinegarBob | 80 79th |
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One of the best boxing movies. Great performances.
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deep_green | 75 75th |
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I keep thinking this may have been so subtle that a repeat watch could extend my appreciation. One of those films where the end transforms what has come before it, apparent banalities that achieve quiet poignance.
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Yiannos | 75 84th |
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After a string of failures, veteran director Huston made a big comeback with Fat City, a gritty tale of sad sacks desperately seeking success that will forever elude them. It is a deceptively simple film that quietly captures the spirit of New Hollywood without resorting to shock tactics or geeky Euro art moves. Fat City is the flipside of Rocky: it captures a place where dreams go to die. It is full of indelible moments, great performances and a gut punching realism that never seems cold.
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| Average Percentile 63.34% from 435 Ratings |  |