Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

  • 90% of critics liked it
    (50 reviews)

  • 87% of users liked it
    (36,778 ratings)

Based on a James Leo Herlihy novel, British director John Schlesinger's first American film dramatized the small hopes, dashed dreams, and unlikely friendship of two late '60s lost souls. Dreaming of an easy life as a fantasy cowboy stud, cheerful Texas rube Joe Buck (Jon Voight) heads to New York… More

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R, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By
John Schlesinger
Genres
Drama, Classics
In Theaters
May 25, 1969 Wide
On DVD
Jan 1, 2000
United Artists

Critic Reviews

  • Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

    Midnight Cowboy's peep-show vision of Manhattan lowlife may no longer be shocking, but what is shocking, in 1994, is to see a major studio film linger this lovingly on characters who have nothing to offer the audience but their own lost souls.

  • Robert J. Landry, Variety

    In this film the scenery is lovely and only the human race is vile.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    The acting, showy and instinctual, is most of the movie; the visual style is too forced and chicly distended to let the drama acquire much natural life of its own.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    What has happened to Midnight Cowboy is that we've done our own editing job on it. We've forgotten the excesses and the detours, and remembered the purity of the central characters and the Voight and Hoffman performances.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    It is ultimately a moving experience that captures the quality of a time and a place. It's not a movie for the ages, but, having seen it, you won't ever again feel detached as you walk down West 42nd Street.

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Steven C


    John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" is a relic from the 60s. An important film for exemplifying the collision between French and American New Wave cinema. It's also one of the most controversial and daring choices for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With… More

  • Spencer S


    With the historic implications, I believed this would be a film concerning sexual revolution in its purest form. Instead of romanticizing the role of prostitution, it directly shines a light on the naive nature of wandering youth, the value of education, the role of a flawed childhood… More

  • Reid V


    A fantastic movie that really solidified the excellence of Dustin Hoffman. Even if you don't care for the story, Hoffman's performance alone is worth revisiting this film over and over and over again.

  • Lanning :


    This won Best Picture and Best Director for John Schlesinger in 1969. Interestingly, Both Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were nominated for Best Actor. Hey, two out of five nomination slots ain't bad -- although I'm glad that doesn't happen often. Unfortunately, they… More

  • Thomas J


    A depressing movie filmed in a cutting edge style (for 1969) that shows even dreams with low expectations can have a high price.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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