Johnny Suede

Big hair-pieced Brad Pitt (as Johnny Suede) moves to a large American city, from North Dakota; he wants to become a Big pop music star. He has everything except "Black Suede Shoes". One evening, he discovers a woman being roughed up in an alley/alcove. While in a nearby phone booth, calling for help, Pitt is practically hit over the head with his blessed "Black Suede Shoes". Then, he feels he is on his way. Pitt is hampered by an underwhelming singing voice, and poor material; but, due to his muscular good looks, he is successful with women. Pitt has several sexy underwear scenes; and, he slips under the sheets with quirky Catherine Keener (as Yvonne) and alluring Alison Moir (as Darlette).

Pitt idolizes Ricky Nelson (who certainly would have gotten a *kick* out of this movie). For the record, the most frequently played song, Rick Nelson's "Teen Age Idol" could not have been turned over to play "Travelin' Man", as Pitt does in an effective scene with Ms. Moir. The two Nelson hits were on different Imperial singles. The record album hanging on Pitt's apartment wall is the excellent "Ricky Sings Again" album. "Midtown" is the best of the "original" tunes; it has some of the breezy feel evident in Nelson's early Decca material.

Moir, Ms. Keener, and Calvin Levels (as Deke) perform very well. Keener won an "Independent Spirit Award"; but, Moir and Mr. Leeds are also very impressive. Tempting Tina Louise (as Mrs. Fontaine), from "Gilligan's Island", has a leggy cameo; and, Nick Cave is a "Freak Storm". Debuting director Tom DiCillo's "Johnny Suede" is filled with style and good intentions.

****** Johnny Suede (1991) Tom DiCillo ~ Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Calvin Levels

Johnny Suede is like underground-filmmaking lite. It comes almost around the end of that era of New York City filmmaking that started many years before with more radical types like Andy Warhol and Jack Smith, and continued on with Jim Jarmusch (whom director Tom DiCillo worked for at one time), Betty Gordon and the guys that made New York Beat Movie. It's something about the beat of the street that DiCillo is interested in, at least in some part. But at the same time his lead figure is played by Brad Pitt, and it's like the slightly dim-witted rockabilly version of Henry from Eraserhead. It's nowhere near as bizarro as that, but DiCillo does try to be sure. He even has his intrepid would-be lady's man walking around a downtown NYC that looks as run-down as could be at the time, right before the city got a little more gentrified. It's a place with oddball rock n' rollers and street bums, midgets and painters, and oddball types of other varieties.

If it isn't entirely great it's because the film inhabits a strange region where it's not entirely underground, and could never be something mainstream despite its young star (who had just finished being female eye-candy in Thelma & Louise). Pitt is very good in the role though, taking up a character who isn't quite as stupid as he looks, but not intelligent enough to live in the "real" world. He's more into being a kind of hunky rockabilly guy, Ricky Nelson his idol, his huge pompadour the envy of anyone except for Nick Cave's character Freak Storm, also with an impressive head of hair. Like a real 'indie' movie there isn't too much of a plot: Suede gets a pair of shoes that kind of define him, tries to make a band that doesn't work out, paints to make ends meet, falls in love with one girl who dumps him for another and dates another (Catherine Keener) whom loves him dearly but who he treats badly.

What we have then is a movie without much of a story, and without much of a character that is iconic in ways that these indie films need to be. So why praise it so? Because of DiCillo's vision, and because Pitt does give the character what he needs as far as being real and raw enough to be taken seriously. He's a lunkhead, but not a bad person, kind of innocent and at his most vulnerable like a little puppy who needs help finding a woman's privates. It's a heady mix of grungy romance and some delirious dreams, some more touching than others. It could even be considered like a more "conventional" cousin to Eraserhead, where dreams and reality sometimes are indistinguishable to its protagonist, and whose direction in love and life is uncertain. If it's a little too light in the loafers to be fully embraced it may be expected as a first feature.

It's a fine jumping-off pad artistically for both its director (later to do the great Living in Oblivion) and of course its star, not to mention a very beautiful Catherine Keener and a perfectly weird Nick Cave.

Several years before his roles as the leader of a fight club, a backwards-aging man, and a Nazi-slaughtering redneck, Brad Pitt played the title role in Tom DiCillo's "Johnny Suede". Johnny is man on skid row with ambitions to be the next Ricky Nelson. He already has a band, and even starts up a relationship with young Darlette (Alison Moir). But as his music career goes nowhere, she leaves him. Upon meeting the offbeat Yvonne (Catherine Keener), Johnny starts to wonder if maybe there's more to life than trying to be a rock star.

I didn't find this movie to be any sort of masterpiece, but I still thought that it was worth seeing. More than just an early vehicle for Pitt - sporting an absurdly large pompadour - and Keener, it shows Johnny's eventually having to recognize reality, especially given the world that he inhabits (the movie doesn't present a flattering look at Brooklyn).

There are also two supporting cast members playing roles totally the opposite of their most famous ones. Tina Louise, far removed from Ginger Grant, plays Darlette's manipulative mother. Samuel L. Jackson plays one of the band members. Ginger Grant co-starred with the guy who said "mother---king snakes on a mother---king plane" (although they don't share any scenes).

Anyway, I recommend "Johnny Suede". A look at lost dreams - much of the movie is in fact made to look dreamlike, probably stressing the contrast between Johnny's fantasies and reality - along with some very surprising stuff. Nick Cave appears as another man with a crazy hairdo. Tom DiCillo later directed "Living in Oblivion", starring Steve Buscemi as a man going through hell trying to make a movie.

Now, personally, I would give this movie a 7. But from a viewing perspective, and general public take, I would give it a 5 or 5.5.

It tells the story of a young man who is aiming to become a big shot musician. He is struggling to reach that state, and it is clear he is not trying very hard to get his career running. He meets a few girls along the way, performs with his band, meets some good industry connections, and then there's something about a suede shoe.

It's a good movie, and definitely a movie that's all Brad Pitt.

6 Stars

Tom Dicillo, after Living in Oblivion and Box of Moonlight, has proved himself to be one of the best writers and directors in the business. This, his feature film debut as director, is a nice tale which is solid entertainment but not as good as his later films.

Brad Pitt looks a bit too pretty throughout the film (watch Living in Oblivion, the James LeGros character is a parody of Pitt) but there is a good supporting cast, and the film has some very good moments. Definitely worth watching. 7 out of 10