92 in the Shade

I rented this film one hot NYC summer night and fell in love with it. Some of the characters are a little cartoonish but overall it is a good piece worth seeing that exemplifies the beauty of a US state that I have never been to. Wonderful cast that includes Peter Fonda, Burgess Meredith and Warren Oates as an insanely territorial fishing guide. Also stars Margot Kidder when she looked good and Harry Dean Stanton as a melancholy side kick to Warren Oates. Classic all American cast from the seventies. I enjoyed this film because it is a fair portrayal of the working life of a fishing guide and the Florida landscape. It has the same qualities that I enjoyed from Fonda´s later effort Ulee´s Gold. Film is highly recommended.

I'm not sure who thought this should be labeled a comedy. In the 1970s, Peter Fonda made some quirky movies, many relegated to the drive-in theaters, which seemed fitting for his "outlaw" reputation following Easy Rider. 92 in the Shade apparently was the movie he enjoyed making the most. His best friend Warren Oates is the co-star. Key West is the setting. Lots of boats. And I'm sure there were some "herbs" in the air while shooting the film too.

This is a very loose, rambling film. Had Robert Altman directed a movie for the sole purpose of having it play at drive-ins, it would probably resemble this movie. Thomas McGuane wrote and directed it, a writer I'd never heard of before, but apparently he has a cult following.

Despite being pals in real life, Fonda and Oates are at odds throughout most of the movie. Fonda, who is referred to as "that skinny kid" by the characters played by Oates and Harry Dean Stanton, returns to the Keys from...well, it's never made clear. His father (played by William Hickey) is an eccentric millionaire who seems to be living off the wealth of his own father and Fonda's grandfather in the film, played by Burgess Meredith.

Fonda's Tom Skelton wants to get into the charter boat guide biz, much to the chagrin of the old salts whose living depends on chartered guide boats (Oates' Nicholas Dance and Stanton's Faron Carter). Skelton, despite being amiable, has a reckless rebellion streak (the outlaw strikes again...), and he he commits a needless act that sets the main conflict between he and Dance in motion.

Then there are the women...Carter's wife, played by Elizabeth Ashley, and Skelton's girlfriend (Margot Kidder). For no reason but to apparently spice up the action, the two ladies argue and then get into a cat fight during a picnic.

Little of this is funny. The film drips of atmosphere of the Florida Keys and despite the hostility their characters have toward each other, Fonda and Oates clearly are having a good time. This movie appeared on videotape in the mid '80s but was never released on DVD or BluRay. Nice to see Criterion Channel picking it up. Worth a watch if you like Fonda, Oates, or Stanton. Just don't expect a lost classic.

Don't miss this little treat of a film. If you liked The Hired Hand, this has the same laid back style that works great for a Southern story. But it's not so much the story. It's the ripe dialog and a cast of Great American Actors that make this one to catch. Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton make a great team of ornery fishing guides. Burgess Meredith has a great role and makes the best of it. Margot Kidder looks absolutely great here too. But Joe Spinell is worth the price of admission in a small role. The cinematography is experimental like The Hired Hand but is not as successful. Overall, this film is a gentle surprise and would be perfect for a warm evening. Recommended without hesitation.

Author Thomas McGuane wrote and directed this noticeably laid back, fairly endearing combination of comedy and drama. Real life good friends Peter Fonda and Warren Oates set off sparks as Fonda plays Tom Skelton, a bum from a rich family who decides to get into the fishing guide business. He's soon locking horns with a world weary veteran of the trade, Nichol Dance (Mr. Oates), but vows to make a go of things, with his live wire grandfather Goldsboro (Burgess Meredith) helping a great deal in getting things going.

While the resolution to this film didn't really wrap up individual character stories to this viewers' satisfaction, "92 in the Shade" is overall a nice 91 minute long diversion, touching upon themes like class distinction and the generation gap. Shot by Michael C. Butler ("Jaws 2"), it's a gorgeous picture to look at. Set and filmed in Key West, Florida, it helps one to experience the flavor of this seaside environment. The music score by Michael J. Lewis also helps tremendously in this regard. The film gets serious without ever becoming overly melodramatic, and its comedy content is indeed pretty funny. Mostly, it works as a series of character vignettes, with an extremely rich cast making the most of their colorful roles.

Fonda and Oates are backed up by such sterling actors and actresses as Margot Kidder (as Toms' sweet and sexy girlfriend), Harry Dean Stanton (as Nichols' associate), Elizabeth Ashley (as Stantons' wife, an attractive but unbalanced woman given to parading around in front of others in a cheerleader outfit), William Hickey and Louise Latham (as Toms' parents), and Sylvia Miles (as Goldsboros' secretary). Among this bunch of heavy hitters, Meredith tends to steal the show - that is, until Joe Spinell turns up late in the film as Ollie Slatt, a goofy tourist looking to charter a boat for a day. He's also quite amusing.

Recommended mainly to admirers of the cast, "92 in the Shade" is uneven, but fun as well.

Seven out of 10.

Competition becomes grimly fierce between a young drifter, just returned home to his parents' Key West manor and wanting to get into the fishing guide business for tourists, and the established middle-aged guide and his partner who believe they rule the local waters. Atmospheric and seasoned to a fault, writer Thomas McGuane's character-oriented drama, which he adapted from his own novel and directed, overdoses on Florida's marinas and verandas, conch houses and local bars, salty denizens and tin-roof shacks. The accent should be on the eccentrics dotting McGuane's scenario (and the colorful group of actors in the cast), but the milieu overwhelms the proceedings to the point where the mini-war between Peter Fonda and Warren Oates seems irrelevant. There's still a great deal of colorful talk to listen to, but the plot as such doesn't build any momentum. ** from ****