Review: Carny

Teenager Donna (Jodie Foster) finds herself seduced into the Carny life, abandoning her dopey boyfriend (Craig Wasson) to hang out with the likes of gruff Frankie (Gary Busey), AKA Bozo, the clown who taunts and berates audiences into trying to dunk him into a water tank, letting loose any rage he has inside of him in a productive way. Robbie Robertson (Guitarist of The Band, and the film’s co-producer) is Frankie’s moody best friend, Patch, who settles disputes (like whenever someone wants to genuinely take a swing at ‘Bozo’) and pays off officials to keep the struggling enterprise afloat. He also seems to generally hate everyone and everything except for Frankie. It isn’t long before Donna has come between the two buddies. Bill McKinney (who sadly passed away very recently) plays a mob-connected businessman trying to drive the carnival out of town, with Kenneth McMillan the carnival owner trying to save everyone’s jobs. Meg Foster (and her creepy Medusa eyes), Robert DoQui (King George from “Coffy”), Tim Thomerson (Dollman himself!), and Bert Remsen, all play members of the circus. Elisha Cook Jr. plays an increasingly loony veteran Carny and Busey’s dad, whilst George Emerson plays a circus ‘freak’ known as The Fat Man (Other real-life ‘freaks’, some quite well-known, also appear, essentially as themselves).

A film more about mood, flavour, and atmosphere than plot or even character depth, this seemingly authentic 1980 film from writer-director Robert Kaylor (“Derby”) was always destined for cult status at best. It’s about carnies and circus freaks, for cryin’ out loud. But Kaylor, who started out as a documentarian, apparently envisioned this film as such, so to expect anything more than what it is, would be to deprive you of the pleasures this film does have (though a real documentary might’ve been even better). Gary Busey has one of his best roles ever, and the collection of faces in the supporting cast is a pleasure all of its own (Cynical, glum-looking Robbie Robertson, portly Kenneth McMillan, creepy-eyed Meg Foster, “Deliverance” menace Bill McKinney, B-actor Tim Thomerson, veteran character actor Elisha Cook Jr.- who is believably nuts I might add, and the unforgettable ‘Fat Man’ George Emerson, who steals the film in just one scene). Jodie Foster is also good as the young girl (who becomes less and less naive as the film progresses) escaping her dull life and presumably finding a more fulfilling family environment amongst the tight-knit carnies than her own family.

Sure, a film with an actual ending would’ve been nice (and more character depth for Foster, Busey, and Robinson), but if you enjoy the film for what it is (a slice-of-subcultural-life), instead of lamenting what it’s not, then it proves a most unusual, interesting, one-of-a-kind experience. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it (I guess there are elements of “The Elephant Man” and “Freaks” here and there), and not knowing much about carnies, I completely bought it. This is a seriously underrated B movie ready to be rediscovered by those who are able to switch on to it. I’m not even exactly sure why this film appeals to me so much, it just does. The screenplay is by Thomas Baum (“The Sender”, “The Manhattan Project”), from a story by Kaylor, Robertson, and Phoebe Taylor. 

Rating: B