Joe is just so dumb and naive
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Midnight Cowboy
mattblaze77 — 9 years ago(November 16, 2016 06:11 AM)
I mean cmon man, who the hell is stupid enough to think you can travel to New York City with like 100 bucks and a hope to be a male gigolo and make a life for yourself. I love this movie, but cmon Joe Buck.
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Edward_de_Vere — 9 years ago(November 16, 2016 08:06 AM)
Joe's career plans weren't really any more naive than all the people who go to LA after high school or college and expecting to be big Hollywood stars, and then wind up waiting tables for the rest of their lives (at best) or working in the sex and/or drug trade instead.
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Adam60z — 9 years ago(November 16, 2016 07:15 PM)
That was the main subject of the film: Joe's naivete. But it was a sympathetic portrait of him (even though he ended up committing murder and theft).
For who would bear the whips and scorns of Hollywood (;-p) -
Edward_de_Vere — 9 years ago(November 17, 2016 07:49 AM)
The reason Joe remains sympathetic in spite of his episode with Towny is that it's clear that he isn't by nature a cruel or violent person. He's portrayed as a rather stupid, happy-go-lucky innocent who is corrupted by his surroundings. It doesn't excuse his actions, but at the same time it's also clear that Joe isn't a sociopath or a hardened criminal, he's just acting out of desperation.
I think the film's end strongly implies that Joe manages to put his past behind and finds legitimate work and a respectable life in Florida as he planned (throwing away the cowboy outfit is a symbolic act). -
Woodyanders — 7 years ago(November 30, 2018 03:41 PM)
That's kind of the point of the film. Joe Buck goes to New York City under the naïve belief that his swaggering cowboy persona will make him a huge hit with the ladies as a gigolo. Of course, when Joe does arrive in New York he gets a brutal crash course in harsh reality and eventually becomes a wiser and more worldly person in the process of being subjected to said brutal crash course.
You've seen Guy Standeven in something because the man was in everything.