Paperback Hero

I have to admit I first acquired this film so I could see Liz Ashley's nude shower scene and she did look great, but the rest of the film was not nearly as bad as I was afraid it was going to be. Despite his 2001 immortality as Star Child Dave Bowman,I have never been a big Keir Dullea fan. I always remember Noel Coward's observation after seeing Bunny Lake is Missing, "Keir Dullea gone tomorrow". The movie does have a certain charm and Dullea plays his child/man who refuses to grow up role with some vigor

It's a bit dated now but if you're into the 1970's or primitive Canadian cinema, or you are hot for Elizabeth Ashley as I was, you might wish to seek this out. As far as I know it hasn't been released on DVD. I still have my VHS copy, however. Although the color is starting to fade

I managed to get a VHS copy a few years back, and burned it to DVD-R for posterity.

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying by describing it as a "Canadian 'Breathless'", but I still find that the shortest good description I can come up with.

A lot less use of the Gordon Lightfoot music than I recall from years of watching it on Canadian TV, but that may just be fading memory rather than VHS music licensing problems.

I also liked 'Slipstream' http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0072181/combined more than another reviewer, but some people look at movies as dreams they'd like to be in and some look at them like they were traffic accidents, so there's always going to be disagreements...

I discovered this film several years ago and much of it has stuck with me. The director, Peter Pearson, sets out to do a back-door comparison of the Canadian and American West by examining a small-town hockey hotshot and his delusions of grandeur. Keir Dullea of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame plays the protagonist, whose swagger is both out of touch with the reality of contemporary living, but is also based on the fictions of the "Wild West"--hence the film's title. If life isn't going to be more exciting, he's not opposed to forcing it a little bit so he can play out his fantasy of being an American bad boy in a sleepy Canadian farming town.

This film beautifully illustrated the hazards of adopting an identity that was never our own.

A little known Canadian movie about a small town hockey star that lives life thinking the world revolves around him. The nude shower scene,very risqué for it's time, is still one of the most poignant, real,raw, and honest scenes ever put to screen. Critics who felt that the movie didn't accurately depict the reality of life have never experienced life as portrayed in this movie. In fact even today there are many people who still act just like the character of Rick Dylan, a quick look into the issues that continue to occur with athletes at some US Colleges proves that. If this had been a movie made south of the border it would probably be a classic!

Unbelievable stilted dialogue. Nasty misogynist ogre for leading character...not redeemable even if the character is intended to be out of step with the times. You cannot possibly award a star for the acting in the leads. My goodness, from an iconic role in 2001 to dreadfully voiced and dreadfully directed. The editing is amateurish. Yup, as good as it got in Canadian cinema in the 70s....no wait, there was Going Down the Road...try that. You 'll never get back the 90 minutes of your life wasted on this turkey. So what if Gordon Lightfoot sings a bit. I would have rather watched Gordon LIghtfoot tuning his guitar for 90 minutes.