The All-American Boy

According to his Wikipedia page, admittedly not the most unbiased of sources, the writer (and director) of this dull, dithering dog, Charles K. Eastman, was one of 60s and 70s Hollywood's better script doctors. Well, unlike in Luke 23, the guy could not heal his own awful screenplay. The whole thing feels as if Antonioni had early onset dementia and then decided to go make "The Last Picture Show". Just endless, enervating variations (or, as this pretentious boxing flic calls them, "rounds") on sullen, angry Jon Voight being alienated in LA and Texas (actually, parts of Socal unconvincingly standing in for the Lone Star State) yet still managing, in the best Antonioni tradition, to shtup several good looking gals. All to the accompaniment of Gregorian chants and pretty guitar riffs. Are we there yet? C minus.

Before Jon Voight became love and sex object Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy he did this film The All American Boy which was shelved. Released due to the success of Midnight Cowboy, this film sadly provides the reason it was shelved in the first place.

Voight is playing another Joe Buck, not that he's outright selling his body for sex, but he's got good looks and charm and that's good enough for a lot to get by on and he does. What puzzled me is why would he want to ruin all that and become a boxer? A life of that sport and he'll wind up a version of himself that he played in the remake of The Champ.

Sadly the film drags on in the telling. It has several spots guaranteed to give you yawns. Did like that rather surreal ending.

Best in the film is the gay fight manager and Ned Glass takes one look at him and he's an instant houseguest. A harbinger of Midnight Cowboy.

A half hour less this film might have been Voight's breakout role rather than Midnight Cowboy.

Former top amateur boxer Vic Bealer (Jon Voight) walked away from it all for no apparent reasons. He lives an aimless life. One day, he walks into a boxing gym.

This is a very 70's character and movie. He's an aimless wanderer searching for something. When he first enters the gym, I thought they would just go with the boxing movie. Then he keeps taking detours meandering around. This movie needs to cut down and streamline. It's too 70's and feels a bit self-indulgent. This came after Deliverance and it's falling flat. I'm not sure what I'm watching. I'm not sure what he's feeling half the time. This is divided into six rounds and each one feels episodic and disconnected. I guess all that is the point of the movie, but there is no tension in this.

I have always confounded this movie with PAPERBACK HERO. Same year, same kind of offbeat drama, a kind of character, psychological study, sometimes very sad, sometimes funny. The tale of a man in search of himself, with actors who look like one to each other. An existential tale with of course a down beat ending; at least bitter sweet which leaves you an ash taste in the mouth. Another point in common, sport drama; I guess there are many more like this one.

This flop was filmed a few years before it was released in 1973. It was made, but was never released until Jon Voight's popularity was soring with Mid-Night Cowboy.

The All-American Boy tries to pass itself off as a boxing film, but the sport is nothing but a backdrop for a symbolic ride of deep interpretations of the mis-use of "beauty" to get by in life.

Voight plays Vic "Bomber" Beasley, a strapping, undefeated amateur boxer, destined for Olympic Gold and a successful career in boxing. Tall, muscular, charming, and handsome, that's Vic, but that's only his physical appearance. Inside he is a heartless, lazy, self-centered user. The Bomber uses an array of women, among them Anne Archer(she looks about 16), E. J. Peaker, and Rosalind Cash. In a "weird" role is veteran character actor Ned Glass as a gay boxing manager named Arty.

The film seems to want to depict how society falls all over itself to be around "beautiful" people and catering to their every whim, with little in return.

Voight is wooden and lacks any type of emotion, but that what makes him so great. He is void of feeling for anyone except himself. He uses his looks and charm to get what he wants from his family, friends, women, and even other men, gay or straight.

The All-America Boy was a box-office flop. It will be a flop for you unless you read between the lines. An out-standing piece of film-making.