Junior Bonner (1972)
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88% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(2,902 ratings)
Sam Peckinpah eschews his slow-motion bullet ballets for this quiet character study of ex-rodeo cowboy turned drifter Junior Bonner (Steve McQueen), who returns home to Arizona to reconcile with the family he hasn't seen in years. Bonner is shocked to see that the solid family he was hoping to… More Sam Peckinpah eschews his slow-motion bullet ballets for this quiet character study of ex-rodeo cowboy turned drifter Junior Bonner (Steve McQueen), who returns home to Arizona to reconcile with the family he hasn't seen in years. Bonner is shocked to see that the solid family he was hoping to come back to is breaking apart. His parents, Ace (Robert Preston) and Elvira (Ida Lupino), have separated, and his brother Curley (Joe Don Baker) has turned into a heartless real estate tycoon, parceling off sections of his parent's land for quick money. With nowhere to turn and nowhere to run, Bonner has to face himself and try to find a way to regain his self-respect. He is given that opportunity at the town's Fourth of July Rodeo, where he is determined to mount and ride and unrideable bull. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sam Peckinpah
- Written By
- Jeb Rosebrook
- Genres
- Western, Drama, Classics
PG,
- In Theaters
- Aug 2, 1972 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie simply never comes together and works as a whole. The material is terribly thin.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
Junior Bonner, based on an excellent original screenplay by Jeb Rosebrook, is Peckinpah in the benignly comic mood that, I suspect, is much more the natural fashion of this fine director than is the gross, intellectualized mayhem.
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Don Druker, Chicago Reader
A film filled to overflowing with small, subtle beauties.
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Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... a gentle character study and a lyrical portrait of family, respect and integrity in the face of adversity.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the leisurely pace effectively prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting with the material.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Steve McQueen
as Junior Bonner
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Robert Preston
as Ace Bonner
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Ida Lupino
as Elvira Bonner
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Ben Johnson
as Buck Roan
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Joe Don Baker
as Curly Bonner
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Barbara Leigh
as Charmagne
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Don 'Red' Barry
as Homer Rutledge
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Rita Garrison
as Flashy Girl in Bar
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Charles Gray
as Burt
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Bill McKinney
as Red Terwilliger
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Mary Murphy
as Ruth Bonner
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Matthew Peckinpah
as Tim Bonner
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Sundown Spencer
as Nick Bonner
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Dub Taylor
as Bartender
- Casey Tibbs
- Rod Hart
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Sandra Deel
as Nurse Arlis
