The Frisco Kid

Starring: Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford, Ramon Bieri, Val Bisoglio, George DiCenzo, Penny Peyser, William Smith, Vincent Schiavelli
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
Rating: PG
Genre: Western, Comedy, Drama
1979

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Polish rabbi (Gene Wilder) tries to make his way across the United States to San Francisco.

Review:
Tim: I was a little surprised that I'd never seen The Frisco Kid. Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford together in a comedy Western? How did I miss this? Well, it's because Robert Aldrich's film is pretty bad. Despite my initial excitement, that slowly faded as this movie lumbered along, to the point where I grew to dislike the movie. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, a total miss of a film. This one is quite disappointing.

I have so many questions about this film, chiefly- why? Why did anyone think anything here was worth exploring? We meet this Polish rabbi, who apparently his colleagues don't like. He's sent to America, where he engages in a series of misadventures while traveling from New York to San Francisco. The characters aren't great, the adventures they face are average, and most damning, the film is surprisingly not funny. This is a movie that doesn't work well in any facet (except the leads). Worst of all, the film drags on and on- it's just under two hours long and that feels a bit outrageous. This movie was a good 30 minutes too long- there's not enough here to hold our interest for 90 minutes, let alone 119. It's insane to me how this movie becomes so bloated when so little on screen is worth our time. I didn't hate the film from the beginning- It was okay at first, then I spent a long time just hoping it would get better. By the time the back third comes, though, I saw the film for what it was- a failure. I had to sit and endure until the end, but man, I had so little fun with this film. By the conclusion, I was long past caring about the characters or their stories. This film is a drag.

The one bright spot and almost redeeming quality is that we get a chance to see Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford interact. I really love both these actors for different reasons and it felt like such a rare gem, an opportunity to see them share screen time together. I wouldn't say I just liked that- I really did love it. Wilder was such a brilliant actor. The things he does at times, with his eyes and with his voice- I shook my head in awe. This is impressive, because his character is badly written and quickly gets annoying. Despite this, Wilder manages to hold a tenuous connection with the audience. I never cared much about Avram, but I loved Wilder so much that I was willing to sit through the movie to see him on screen. There's very, very few moments in which I laughed- but Wilder was the reason why I did. My favorite line (and admittedly, it's a low bar) is- "Good night and tanks for everything you did for me - up until the time I needed you the most!" This isn't a great line, but Wilder's delivery is absolutely perfect- the accent, the pauses, the emphasis- I laughed out loud and watched him deliver this line several times before progressing. It's a testament to him as an actor- the way he screams the line at the end is comedic gold.

I also really loved seeing Harrison Ford in this role. It's an early role, but he was launched to fame two years earlier with his role in Star Wars. This wasn't an overly challenging role for Ford- he plays the gruff, charismatic, rebellious role better than nearly anyone in Hollywood. This is a role that is firmly in his wheelhouse and it leverages all his strengths. It doesn't really challenge him or show something that we haven't seen before, but Ford knows how to deliver here. He's quite enjoyable in the role. I loved seeing him interact with Wilder. While I didn't care much about their characters, it was still so fun to see them interact on screen.

I suppose there's a small sense of feeling impressed with the scope of this film. It starts in Poland, we see New York City, spend most of the time in the Wild West, before ending the film in San Francisco. The film is clearly way too long, but the runtime does allow the movie to tell a bit of a larger scoped story. I'd have traded scope for effectiveness, but I admit there's some value in a story showing so much. We do get quite a series of misadventures throughout the film.

Despite this, Aldrich directs the film with no sense of urgency. The movie kind of ambles along, never in a hurry to get anywhere. This is problematic because so many of the jokes fall flat. It's not that they are patently unfunny, it's just that they are mediocre. There's an exchange about the word "Shee-it". It's not bad, but it's not especially funny either. Maybe I smile weakly at it, but it never really hits home. That's how most of this film feels. There's definitely bad parts (not caring about the characters, a dull, overly long, bloated film) and the best parts are typically only mediocre. That's not a recipe for a good film- it's not even "okay". We're definitely getting into "bad" territory here. The thought of ever sitting through this film gives me shivers.

The Frisco Kid is a pretty rough film. I would have rated it even lower, but I did genuinely enjoy seeing Wilder and Ford together. I wish they had better things to say and do, but there is legitimate value there. Everything else? Not so much. Like Avram, this film is a one-way journey that I never want to take again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark