Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Redundant and unnecessary.

A lot of fun.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Young runaway Donna (a sly and seductive portrayal by Jodie Foster in the role that enabled her to make the tricky transition from child actress to adult one) leaves her dull waitress job to join a traveling carnival. Although Donna proves to be a quick sturdy, she nonetheless still disrupts the friendship between smooth con man Patches (a solid and charismatic performance by Robbie Robertson) and antagonistic bozo Frankie (robustly played with trademark lip-smacking gusto by Gary Busey), who urges local yokels into dunking him into a water tank.Director Robert Kaylor vividly captures the grotesque appeal, seedy atmosphere, and underlying violence and danger of the carny scene as well as presents a real moving compassion towards society's oddballs and misfits. Foster, Busey, and Robertson all do sterling work in the lead roles; they receive sturdy support from Meg Foster as the sassy Gerta, Kenneth McMillan as huffy no-nonsense owner Heavy St. John, Bert Remsen as jolly strip show barker Delno Baptiste, Elisha Cook Jr. as loony old coot On-Your-Mark, Bill McKinney as sleazy mobster Marvin Dill, Tim Thomerson as fast-talking hustler Doubles, Woodrow Parfey as the crusty W.C. Hannon, and Craig Wasson as Donna's hot-tempered boyfriend Micky. While Thomas Baum's uneven, but still interesting script offers a nifty array of colorful idiosyncratic characters and astutely pegs the touching camaraderie amongst the carnies, it alas falters at the end by trying to wrap things up a bit too neatly at the conclusion. Harry Stradling Jr.'s sharp cinematography provides an appropriately garish look. Alex North's eerie and unnerving score hits the spooky spot. A rather flawed, but overall worthwhile film.

"Carny" doesn't really feature exemplary storytelling, but it's still a striking look into a world to which many of us are not privy. That would be the behind-the-scenes dealings in travelling carnivals. With story credit going to co-star Robbie Robertson - member of The Band and a real life former carny himself - director Robert Kaylor and Kaylors' wife Phoebe, it's an amazing display of sights and sounds in this sometimes seamy environment. Ultimately, the heaviest asset is the incredible atmosphere that Kaylor and his crew create.Gary Busey and Robertson are front and centre as members of this carnival troupe. Busey is a clown who sits in a dunk tank and taunts passers by. Into their lives comes a sexy teenager, Donna (Jodie Foster), who's tired of her humdrum small town existence and job as a waitress. So she joins them on the road, becoming part of their "family". Busey is very welcoming, but Robertson has his misgivings about her presence.There's a wonderful, star studded cast here, although some of the actors inevitably end up rather under utilized. Among them are Meg Foster, Kenneth McMillan, Elisha Cook Jr. (in one of his best latter day roles), Tim Thomerson, Teddy Wilson, Bert Remsen, Craig Wasson, Robert DoQui, and Fred Ward. Bill McKinney and John Lehne are perfectly hate worthy as a shady businessman and his henchman who cause problems for our heroes. (Not content to rely on actual law enforcement, Busey, Robertson and company enact their own form of justice.) Busey is very likable, in one of his better film roles, and Foster very appealing. Robertson, of course, looks completely at home.The production design (by William J. Cassidy) and cinematography (by Harry Stradling Jr.) are first rate, and this film also makes use of some real sideshow attractions. The tale actually gets a little twisted towards the end; coupled with some profanity and some T & A, "Carny" does earn its R rating. It also has an excellent music score by Alex North.Overall, an interesting film worthy of discovery or re-discovery.Eight out of 10.

Carny is an interesting low-key film. It doesn't really have much of a plot. It works far more on atmosphere. The story is about a direction-less teenage girl (Jodie Foster) who runs away with the carnival after she meets a clown there. This leads to some friction between the manager and the clown; while later the carnies have to deal with some vicious local officials. As I say, it's not really much of a story and in order to appreciate Carny you need to find something in the feel of the movie.I guess you could describe the set-up as a love triangle but only to a certain extent, as there really isn't a lot of emotion invested in the romantic side of the story; at the same time, there is a thriller element introduced towards the end and while that was quite good fun, it doesn't really fit all that well and could easily have been omitted. But as I say, the film still makes a mark and that is probably a result of the gritty recreation of carnival life and the good performances underpinning it. Best of the actors is Gary Busey who steals the show in his role as the abusive clown; moreover, the film begins very memorably with close-ups of him applying his clown make-up like it was war paint. In a sense it is, as he is extremely confrontational and goads his audience into throwing balls at him in sheer anger. In fact, the film depicts the carnies in general as primarily fuelled by a desire to fleece whoever enters their lair as they travel from town to town.Carny is an interesting character-driven mood piece. It definitely falls into the cult movie side of the spectrum, as its unusual setting and dynamics will always mean it'll not appeal to everyone but will definitely connect with quite a few who are lured in to sample its wares.

This is not a great movie but it could have been one.The casting is top notch (I am impressed by Meg Foster with her unforgettable eyes even though her screen time in the movie was insignificant). Jodie Foster is young, attractive and impulsive; so different from the later day mature Jodie Foster, who exudes confidence and intelligence.Yet the film that starts off like a European film with the lead actor painting his face to play a clown. The sequence readies you for great moments of clowning/tragedy. This never happens. If it does it happens in isolated moments of the film.The problem lies with the screenplay and direction. You expect cinema of a Istvan Szabo or a Marcel Carne, instead you are dished out disconnected sequences that appeal to you merely due to the rich potential of the performers. Gary Busey's and Robbie Richardson's characters strike you, not Jodie Foster's. They strike you because they added some depth and feeling to their roles. Jodie Foster does not do so in comparison. I liked her in the movie because she looked good, not because of the quality of her performance.Just imagine if this cast and story were in the hands of Robert Altman or Marcel Carne or Istvan Szabo. We would have had a great film!