ART CARNEY and his orange tabby take a cross-country odyssey when he loses his lodgings in a rundown NYC building being converted to a garage. He leaves his friendly, somewhat eccentric friends in his neighborhood, makes a brief stab at living with impossible relatives and then heads for the open road again. He's independent in every way except one--he won't live without his cat Tonto either at his side or in tow.
The situations are a little extreme. He disembarks from his bus ride so that the cat can relieve itself and then can't find Tonto when the cat runs off. He does find his cat and they continue their journey, meeting up with a few other kookie characters on the way.
56 year-old Carney, in age make-up, does a remarkable job of holding audience interest while he spends much of the time addressing his remarks to Tonto. Geraldine Fitzgerald has a nice bit as an old flame, now in an old age home.
Nothing deep here. His most philospophical comment is: "Did you know that the strangest thing about being old is, all your friends are dead." There's also a priceless moment when his nephew, Norman, who never says much, responds to ELLYN BURSTYN, "I love you too, Aunt Shirley, but you're a such a bitch." Some editing would have trimmed the last half of the movie to a more suitable length. Two hours is a bit much for this kind of slight tale.
Considering some of the great male performances that were up for Oscars that year, Carney's win is surprising. It's a rather one-note, one dimensional role--although he makes the most of it.
Good, but too many rough edges--not quite as heart-warming as I expected it to be.
The situations are a little extreme. He disembarks from his bus ride so that the cat can relieve itself and then can't find Tonto when the cat runs off. He does find his cat and they continue their journey, meeting up with a few other kookie characters on the way.
56 year-old Carney, in age make-up, does a remarkable job of holding audience interest while he spends much of the time addressing his remarks to Tonto. Geraldine Fitzgerald has a nice bit as an old flame, now in an old age home.
Nothing deep here. His most philospophical comment is: "Did you know that the strangest thing about being old is, all your friends are dead." There's also a priceless moment when his nephew, Norman, who never says much, responds to ELLYN BURSTYN, "I love you too, Aunt Shirley, but you're a such a bitch." Some editing would have trimmed the last half of the movie to a more suitable length. Two hours is a bit much for this kind of slight tale.
Considering some of the great male performances that were up for Oscars that year, Carney's win is surprising. It's a rather one-note, one dimensional role--although he makes the most of it.
Good, but too many rough edges--not quite as heart-warming as I expected it to be.