Joe Buck (Jon Voight) is a down on his luck Texan. He works at a crummy job for little money, but wants something more. He has heard the rumors from New York City and wants to investigate. He wants to sell himself to all the women who will have him. He wants the big money.
Joe travels to NYC with only a suitcase and pocket radio, filled - foolishly -with hopes and dreams of striking it rich. But once in New York, Joe Buck learns that things aren't always as they seem. He doesn't get the girls that he wants, and money seems to be tight everywhere.
Joe eventually befriends Enrico 'Ratso' Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a bum living in a condemmed building. Rizzo, a swindler, theif and all-around low-life, owes money to everyone, and everyone seems to hate him. But Joe Buck likes him, and they soon become great firends.
Joe tells Ratso his problems, but Ratso is little help. He eventually becomes really sick. Joe takes it upon himself to make enough money to help himself and save Ratso's life. Ratso wants to die in Florida, so Joe must do anything to make the bus fair to take them both to Florida. Do anything... and anyone.
Originally rated "X," Midnight Cowboy is a movie that isn't as bad as it's rating may seem.
The film is held together by the pairing of Voight and Hoffman, who really bring out the sadness in each other's characters while making you feel for themselves.
The film brings us together with our two main characters, and makes us feel for them. When Ratso becomes ill, we are sad; when Joe must do the unthinkable, we are sad. Not many films tie us to the main characters so tighly. (Forest Gump, Gandhi and Million Dollar Baby are a few of the films that do this well.)
Midnight Cowboy shows us the other side of life on the street... the side of the street where people will do anything for anything to anyone.
One of the saddest scenes is where Joe Buck, desperate for money, goes into a movie theatre to give oral to another man. He sucks it up (no pun intended AT ALL), puts his pride on the shelf and does something so disgusting only a desperate man would do such a thing. What makes this scene so gut-wrenching is the fact that he doesn't even get paid for it!
Midnight Cowboy is not a film that has great special effects or gives us something new we haven't seen before. No, Midnight Cowboy is a dramatic film about a couple of guys down on their luck and what they do with the time they have together. Well, we have seen this story before, time and time again. However, it'ss what Joe Buck and Ratso Rizzo do with their time that makes the film so shocking and powerful, and yes, even unique.
Plot: 
Visual Effects: 
There are no visual effects, but one of the best shots in the film has Joe Buck walking in a crowd down a street. What's so special about that? Joe Buck is a full foot taller than the rest of the corwd, so all we see is his head above the heads of the crowd, bobbing along. This symbolizes the fact that Joe is out of place; a Texan is the heart of Manhattan. Powerful and symbollic, the film is full of poignant scenes like this.
Sound:
A great addition to the film is the song Everybody's Talkin', a classic 60's song that helps accentuate it's scenes. A powerful song? No, but it works well in the story.
Character Development:
Just like the other films stated above, there is a great transformation in the characters. Each changes in his own ways and they learn - quite well, in fact - that life is not days of wine and roses.
Atmosphere:
Realism:
Not everyone who travels to Hollywood or New York City to make it big will. Not everyone makes it off the street, either, and this film shows us - all too realistically - that some people must do what ever they can to make a living, even if it means doing, well, you know.
Warren’s Rating:
Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:
Anne of a Thousand Days; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Hello Dolly!; Z
8.86/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
28-05-06
