A Hell of a Note1977
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2 members like this review
A little slice of life -- two buddies who work together at a miserable roofing job get fired, get drunk, try to meet women, get in fights... I'll stop there. Eagle Pennell had a wonderful sense of gritty realism and the sometimes black humor of everyday life, which he took to perfection in his next film, "The Whole Shootin' Match." A pioneer of the Austin film scene and direct antecedent of Richard Linklater, who took a similar style and tone in "Slackers." The companion documentary "The King of Texas" is well worth seeing too. Unfortunately, Pennell was a victim of substance addictions that gradually helped drag him down; he could have been one of the greats of American cinema. As it is, he is an interesting footnote.
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Member Reviews (4)
A little slice of life -- two buddies who work together at a miserable roofing job get fired, get drunk, try to meet women, get in fights... I'll stop there. Eagle Pennell had a wonderful sense of gritty realism and the sometimes black humor of everyday life, which he took to perfection in his next film, "The Whole Shootin' Match." A pioneer of the Austin film scene and direct antecedent of Richard Linklater, who took a similar style and tone in "Slackers." The companion documentary "The King of Texas" is well worth seeing too. Unfortunately, Pennell was a victim of substance addictions that gradually helped drag him down; he could have been one of the greats of American cinema. As it is, he is an interesting footnote.
A terrific film short with authentic (non-Hollywood) Texas flavor.
Texas-style slackers--pre Gen-X. The acting may not have been top notch, but the authenticity to the characters and dialogue that more than made up for it. I also found the three buddies very likable. If you like Charles Portis (e.g., Norwood), there's a good chance you'll like this.
boring