Junior Bonner

source: Junior Bonner

I know that I can't win by bombing a film like "Junior Bonner." McQueen fans, Peckinpah fans, and rodeo fans will all probably find something to enjoy in this movie, and resent my trashing of it. And yet, this *is* a bad movie, and somebody needs to say it! The whole point of the film is that McQueen's character ("Junior") is a strong-willed individual, and he stubbornly chooses to live his old-fashioned rodeo lifestyle even though it doesn't offer him much security or money. His brother Curly, meanwhile, "sells out" by rejecting the rodeo lifestyle and becoming a civilized businessman. Naturally, Junior and Curly don't get along. And that's the whole movie. The Junior-Curly conflict is introduced quickly, never develops, and never goes away. In other words, I got the point of the movie immediately, and then sat around for the rest of its protracted running time wondering what on Earth was gonna happen next. Not much, as it turned out. I suppose this movie is supposed to be some real deep commentary on the passing of the Wild West. Hollywood loves that kinda malarkey. I didn't find it deep, though, I found it pretentious, and mighty tedious due to its curious lack of incident. It was interesting to see Ida Lupino in a 70s movie, but beyond that mild curiosity I got little joy out of this weird film. I like McQueen, but this is definitely one of his dullest star vehicles; he needs a better script to back up his coolness.

JUNIOR BONNER gives you nice characters and wholesome flavor. In fact, a real taste of Prescott, Arizona is discovered when the audience follows JR (Steve McQueen)home to see his family. Life, however, isn't what is used to be for our fearless hero. His brother, Curly Bonner, has sold his soul to real estate, while his father, Ace, chases a mindless dream of living down under. Yet, through all the trials and tribulations, there is a wonderful acceptance in the Bonner clan. Whether it be enjoying mashed potatoes or simply sharing a bottle of the good stuff, they understand what life entails. Nonetheless, JR is running low on money and is in sore need of a bull riding victory. Will he conquer this feat? Will he be able to prove to his brother that the traditional cowboy can still achieve? You'll have to watch it, partner. Because a good rider never spills the truth.

I am an avid Steve McQueen fan, but was disappointed with this movie. McQueen is supposed to be a hero, even when he loses, as in The Sand Pebbles. But in this movie he is just a man who is lost and doesn't know it. There's no point to this guy's existence or to this flick. McQueen was at his best when he was in his element- action westerns and action war movies. Most of his other genre films were, as this one was, a let down. Not even good drive-in fare.

A wonderful film from Sam Peckinpah about an aging rodeo star, played to perfection by Steve McQueen. The ruggedness of McQueen is perfectly in tact alongside of the always perfect Robert Preston, as his boozy father, Ida Lupino as his mother who has had with Preston's shennanigans and Joe Don Baker as the brother. The film has humanity and heart in it. It's Peckinpah's least noticed film.

Clearly, the shooting of this film took place before its story was complete and its characters fleshed-out - whether the filmmakers realized it or not. Without much help from the scenario or the director, it is left to the viewer to fabricate a theme from the scattered situations offered, and to infer what motivates the characters. Such guesswork is avoided when the story is unified and moves toward a resolution; speculation about characters is unnecessary when their words and/or actions let us know why they act as they do. A good cast is wasted here. And what about all the footage devoted to scenes that do absolutely nothing to move the story along (parades, rodeo competitors in action, a semi-comic barroom brawl)? This picture needed more work BEFORE the cameras began to roll.

There are many actors who are willing to go that extra mile to convince you the character which they are playing is genuine. Junior 'Jr' Bonner Steve McQueen is such a man. Playing him with the stoic silence as a 8 second ride on the back of a Brahma bull and with the explosive outcome of the trill, McQueen is a simple but aging rodeo star with little to say except when it comes to what is important to him. One aspect is his father Ace Bonner (Robert Preston) whom he deeply respects and quietly emulates. Ida Lupino plays Elvira Bonner, his mother and Joe Don Baker, his ambitious older brother out to become rich. Even though his brother wants him to quit the rodeo and come to work for him, Jr seeks to remain his own man. A noted old timer to Bonner's ambitions is Ben Johnson who plays Buck Roan, the owner of the dynamite animal called "Sunshine", a huge bull which really challenges Bonner. The movie is a superb vehicle for McQueen who is unquestioningly suited for the part. The story does him well and could easily have been his real trade. Excellent film. ****

This film starts slow and gets slower.......way too many "slo-mo" rodeo scenes, "slo-mo" barroom brawling, and "slo-mo" bulldozing scenes. The first half hour seemed to be about driving cattle (lots of mooing and stampeding into pens) while Steve McQueen sits and stares. It picks up anytime Robert Preston has a scene, and whenever the actors actually speak to one another. Ben Johnson was pretty good, but generally speaking the acting was fairly weak. 5/10

Junior (JR) Bonner is a rodeo cowboy who returns to his home town of Prescott Arizona to take part in the annual Frontier Day rodeo; he will take place in several events but the one he wants to win is the bull riding; not only that he is determined that he will ride the fearsome Sunshine; a bull considered to be unrideable. When he gets back he goes to see his father Ace but discovers he has sold his land to his brother Curly hoping to finance a move to Australia where he is convinced he will make his fortune. Curly meanwhile is making his fortune buying land and selling mobile homes; he even wants to put his mother in one so he can acquire her land. Not that much really happens until the rodeo then we see a variety of events before everybody retires to the bar during the break. Then after a brawl the rodeo concludes and Junior gets to see if he can stay on Sunshine for eight seconds. I got this film on DVD free with the newspaper and was intrigued by the idea of a film made by 'Bloody Sam' Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen that was only a PG certificate! It is indeed very different to Peckinpah's better known films; the pace is slow but this gave the film an intimate feeling, as though we were just looking in on the lives of real people for a few days. There were moments of action including the brawl and a couple of brief punch-ups between Junior and Curly; these were more comic than brutal though. The rodeo scenes captured the action well making it look genuinely tough for the participants and when Junior finally rode Sunshine I had no idea whether he'd stay on for the eight seconds or die trying. Steve McQueen does a fine job as Junior, the cowboy who is getting a bit old for the game but is determined to carry on. He is ably supported by the rest of the cast; most notably Robert Preston and Ida Lupino who play his parents and a young Joe Don Baker who plays his brother Curly. This may be very different to what one would expect from Sam Peckinpah but I'd recommend it to his fans and detractors alike for precisely that reason; it shows that he is more than blood and guts!

Another in a long line of glaringly dull rodeo films. Yee-Haw! All this turkey lacked was a score by Barf Brooks to make it complete in it's total cowboy nothingness. Why grown men feel it necessary to ride around on the backs of huge animals that could easily crush them is beyond me. Even more beyond me is why folks will pay to watch them do it. This movie was as boring as watching cars race around an oval track. Ohhh, carry me baaaccck to the lone prairieeeeeeee......