Directed by: John Huston
Starring: Stacey Keach, Jeff Bridges and Susan Tyrrell
Genre: Sports, Drama
IMDB
One has to wonder, after watching Stacey Keach’s performance in this film, if his cleft lip kept him from getting the roles his talent merited. In short, he is an absolute giant in the role of boxer Billy Tully in Fat City. The charisma he pulls from such a pathetic and beaten down character is astonishing. Keach seemed to have gotten type cast in his career as a villain, possibly because of his rugged looks and low, gruff voice, but the heart that he gives Tully in this film is undeniable, and despite the fact that we watch him in a downward spiral that we know he won’t escape, we can’t help but root and hope for him.
I was reminded heavily of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler while watching this film as they both depict a washed up sports figure trying to recapture their old glory despite an obstacle that eventually brings them down in the end. I much prefer Fat City as a film (though I really liked The Wrestler) because of the way Huston shows no nostalgia for his character. Whereas Aronofsky seems to want the Ram to succeed, despite knowing he won’t, Huston takes a hands off approach with Billy, allowing his spiral to consume him without reaching out a hand in support. Fat City is at once bleak and beautiful, with fantastic acting from Keach, Susan Tyrrell (in a role that garnered her a best supporting actress nomination) and a strikingly young Jeff Bridges as a boxer Keach takes under his wing. It also has one of the best and most skillfully executed endings in film history.
