SummaryThe lives of a disparate group of contestants intertwine in an inhumanely grueling dance marathon.
Directed By:Sydney Pollack
Written By:Horace McCoy, James Poe, Robert E. Thompson
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72
User score
Generally Favorable
7.4
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
25% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88
The movie's delicately timed pacing and Pollack's visual style work almost stealthily to involve us; we begin to feel the physical weariness and spiritual desperation of the characters.
83
The movie is so unrelievedly pessimistic that only the most dedicated misanthrope could love it. But there’s something oddly bracing—noble, even—about a Hollywood picture that’s willing to say, without even a hint of soft-pedaling, that life isn’t worth living, and that it’s squalid, unfair, and disappointing.
80
A suitably glum yet cathartic film experience.
70
A film with Jane Fonda as a hard-as-nails babe. It becomes, in a recreated old ballroom, a sordid spectacle of hard times, a kind of existentialist allegory of life.
70
The material is simple and irresistible, and Sydney Pollack stages it well (though without transcending the essential superficiality of his talent).
60
The director, Sydney Pollack, isn't particularly inventive, but he has tight control of the actors. They work well for him, and he keeps the grisly central situation going with energy and drive.
40
The acting is strident and overblown, the narrative technique gimmicky and obvious, and the implication that the competitors' situation is a microcosm of a wider-reaching American malaise (though safely distanced by the period and the flash-back-and-forth narrative technique) rather pretentious.
User score
Generally Favorable
69% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
31% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Dec 16, 2024
7
Movie is brutal and bleak, Staged so you feel the pain of the marathon dance contestants, You are there, in all its' sweaty claustrophobic realism as the couples dance for months, Residing in disgusting conditions and getting little sleep, The pain and exhaustion is forefront, especially during the grueling derby sequences. To the movie's credit, it goes all in on cynicism angle, There is no let up. Stellar performances by all,
Jul 13, 2020
5
Another one of those cases of me having a dissenting opinion on a movie in the name of personal preference, for "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" isn't necessarily a poorly executed film in any sort of regard. The performances are commendable, the subject matter is effectively presented and even the thematics are resonant (try thinking about this movie as an allegory for reality television. . .yeeeeeesh). My problems with the movie lie within the more utilitarian elements. This is a supremely grimy, gross and upsetting portrait of a desperate era in American history, filled with unfortunate characters, traumatic events and all sorts of delusions surrounding the American Dream. It's not my cup of tea, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't accomplish what it set out to do.
Production Company:
- ABC Pictures
- Palomar Pictures (I)
- Palomar Pictures International
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
- Chartoff-Winkler/Pollack
Release Date:Dec 10, 1969
Duration:2 h 9 m
Tagline:They Danced Till They Dropped
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 9 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
