# Help me remember what was so great about Bonnie and Clyde **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442 "2011-01-29T19:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/1 "2011-01-29T19:47:53Z")
I’ve trying to round out my teenage son’s education with some great movies from days past. I’ve had very mixed success. For many of my favourite movies (to kill a mocking bird, cool hand luke), he shrugs or says “meh”. He has absolutely loved others (saving private ryan, platoon, first blood, porky’s, life of brian). Ok, i can understand that. I have a pretty good feel now for what he would like and not like now. A couple of weeks ago he had a girl friend over and we had them watch - after a robust sales job to overcome their scepticism - Thelma and Louise. They both were amazed at how great it was. She visited again last night and, thinking I was on a roll, i suggested that they try Bonnie and Clyde. “if you liked T&L…” Even i was very disappointed by it. I found the acting heavy handed, the plot silly, the characters cartoony and the whole thing a little over-baked. It was like a cartoon strip made into an action movie. Why did i have such a high opinion of the movie before? Why is it considered such a great? Was the movie really great? Have my tastes changed? Or did i misremember? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/2 "2011-01-29T20:16:20Z")
Can’t answer, but . . . According to Warren Beatty, when they were trying to sell the idea to Jack Warner, they told him that it would be an homage to the old gangster films. Warner then replied, “Great! Great!. . . . What’s an o-MAAAAHZH?” ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/3 "2011-01-29T20:21:49Z")
Show them The Princess Bride, then Swingers. You can’t lose. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/4 "2011-01-29T21:02:41Z")
B&C was considered extremely violent for its time - today, not so much. Plus, B&C had the whole counter-culture backdrop to boost its popularity (_those crazy mixed up kids!_). I can still watch it, but it hasn’t aged very well. Gene Hackman is probably its sole remaining grace. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/5 "2011-01-29T21:03:49Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > Show them The Princess Bride, then Swingers. You can’t lose. When i first announced my quest to a friend, the first movie that he suggested was The Princess Bride and so we watched it. I honestly don’t get why it’s on anyone’s list of favourite movies, I’ve never seen Swingers but I refuse to hijack my own thread (anymore) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/6 "2011-01-29T21:11:37Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > For many of my favourite movies (to kill a mocking bird, cool hand luke), he shrugs or says “meh”. I find this depressing. ☹ How about some classic John Wayne? _The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance_ moves at a brisk pace & Lee Marvin still scares the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/7 "2011-01-29T21:18:10Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > She visited again last night and, thinking I was on a roll, i suggested that they try Bonnie and Clyde. “if you liked T&L…” > > Even i was very disappointed by it. > > I found the acting heavy handed, the plot silly, the characters cartoony and the whole thing a little over-baked. It was like a cartoon strip made into an action movie. Not to turn this into a movie recommendation thread and honestly the only thing that made this jump into my head was that you listed two other movies with two names in the title, but, you might try Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/8 "2011-01-29T21:19:56Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > Why did i have such a high opinion of the movie before? Why is it considered such a great? > > Was the movie really great? Have my tastes changed? Or did i misremember? I think _Bonnie and Clyde_ is considered great in part for reasons that don’t age well: it was groundbreaking and highly influential. It was released in the last years of the old Production Code, and _Bonnie and Clyde_ is also known as one of the movies that helped to finally kill the Code. I wasn’t around in 1967, but it’s my understanding that _Bonnie and Clyde_ was considered shocking/novel at the time of its release due to the glorification of criminals, graphic violence, and frank depiction of sexual themes. All of this would be an old hat to anyone who grew up on more recent movies, but it was extreme at the time. Actually, I think the ending would still be considered edgy even for a modern movie. _Bonnie and Clyde_ was not a critical success at the time of its release, but did do very well at the box office. Roger Ebert was one of the few critics in 1967 who praised it – you can read his original 1967 review [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19670925/REVIEWS/709250301/1023), and the 1998 essay from his “Great Movies” series [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980803/REVIEWS08/401010306/1023). ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/9 "2011-01-29T21:42:27Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I think _Bonnie and Clyde_ is considered great in part for reasons that don’t age well: it was groundbreaking and highly influential. It was released in the last years of the old Production Code, and _Bonnie and Clyde_ is also known as one of the movies that helped to finally kill the Code. > > _Bonnie and Clyde_ was not a critical success at the time of its release, but did do very well at the box office. Roger Ebert was one of the few critics in 1967 who praised it – you can read his original 1967 review [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19670925/REVIEWS/709250301/1023), and the 1998 essay from his “Great Movies” series [here](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980803/REVIEWS08/401010306/1023). I read the first ebert review. > [@](#): > > But this time, maybe, they’ll get more than they counted on. The violence in most American movies is of a curiously bloodless quality. People are shot and they die, but they do not suffer. The murders are something to be gotten over with, so the audience will have its money’s worth, the same is true of the sex. Both are like the toy in a Crackerjack box: Worthless, but you feel cheated it it’s not there. > > In “Bonnie and Clyde,” however, real people die. Before they die they suffer, horribly. Before they suffer they laugh, and play checkers, and make love, or try to. These become people we know, and when they die it is not at all pleasant to be in the audience. The reality of the violence and the sex is still somewhat shocking and, now that he mentions it, i think the unreal, cartoony feel of the rest of the move only serves to highlight the very real violence. Reminds a bit of 300 in that regard. I really wanted to love the movie still and i wish for a switch that would put me back into the frame of mind where it was new for me. I can do that for some movies… Mockingbird, cool hand luke, first blood… And overlook some of the technical aspects that dont compare well to modern techniques. But for others… Anything by hitchcock for example, i just can’t seem to suspend my disbelief enough to lose myself in the experience. Sadly, B&C fell into that category. Oddly enough, i was worried that I (and the kids) wouldn’t enjoy Thelma and Louise for that same reason but it wasn’t a problem at all. Unrelated point: i had forgotten the brutal rape scene in T&L and I squirmed a little that I was showing it to 15 yr old girl that I barely know. I almost reached for the off switch on the remote but I am glad I did not. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/10 "2011-01-29T21:48:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Not to turn this into a movie recommendation thread and honestly the only thing that made this jump into my head was that you listed two other movies with two names in the title, but, you might try Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I love that movie, but I have mentally filed that under _movies my son will say “meh” to_ We have done well with war movies and I wonder how we would do with some older english movies like Bridge Over the River Kwai or The Great Escape would fare under my son’s sceptical gaze. I think I have to earn back some credibility before I try something too radical again. I’m sure he would enjoy the Godfather movies but I need to work on my sales pitch a little first. Recommendations welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/11 "2011-01-29T22:01:56Z")
Except for the car (and them) getting shot to hell, nothing flashes into my memory that I consider noteworthy about it. The only movies from that era that I can go back to and be rewarded for the effort because (for me at least) they don’t go stale are: 1. Bullitt 2. Cool Hand Luke 3. The Getaway (McQueen, MacGraw version – the Baldwin version is pitiful) 4. The Conversation Eastwood’s stuff (even if it has gotten rather campy over the years) is also worth considering for younger folks. Same with The Godfather. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/12 "2011-01-29T22:03:57Z")
You made the mistake of watching the movie when it wasn’t 1967. Take a tip from this and avoid watching _Easy Rider_ anytime other than 1969. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/13 "2011-01-29T22:49:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You made the mistake of watching the movie when it wasn’t 1967. > > Take a tip from this and avoid watching _Easy Rider_ anytime other than 1969. Yep. Easy Rider sprang to my mind too as an example of, _my, how things have changed._ anything with James Dean in it has suffered in a similar way. His rebel without a cause probably wouldn’t even end up in detention these days. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/14 "2011-01-29T22:53:18Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Eastwood’s stuff (even if it has gotten rather campy over the years) is also worth considering for younger folks. Same with The Godfather. The Fistful series failed miserably with my son. He’s older now so i might try again. Dirty Harry might fare better. He just conceded that he would consider trying the godfather. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/15 "2011-01-29T23:07:24Z")
Faye Dunaway was the best reason to watch Bonnie & Clyde. It’s one of her few roles I liked. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/16 "2011-01-29T23:12:38Z")
Would \*\*Kelly’s Heroes \*\*be likely to succeed? It’s not a heroes movie and not an anti-heroes movie. Plus it has a sense of humor about itself. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/17 "2011-01-29T23:24:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You made the mistake of watching the movie when it wasn’t 1967. > > Take a tip from this and avoid watching _Easy Rider_ anytime other than 1969. Or, for that matter, _The Graduate_. So many movies that were then thought so profound now seem so sophomoric. (_Rebel Without a Cause_ is another.) ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/18 "2011-01-29T23:29:34Z")
I think the Graduate is still a great film, but for the opposite reason it was a great film when it was first released. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/19 "2011-01-29T23:52:25Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Would \*\*Kelly’s Heroes \*\*be likely to succeed? It’s not a heroes movie and not an anti-heroes movie. Plus it has a sense of humor about itself. Maybe! Actually the thing that started this exercise was coming back for inglorious basterds - the first serious movie that he enjoyed - and deciding to find more important movies that he would like. Ok, so we relaxed the definition of important for _Porky’s_ and _Rambo_. 🙂 M.A.S.H was a great success along with most of the Vietnam movies. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442/20 "2011-01-30T00:06:32Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > Recommendations welcome. Hud. The Sand Pebbles. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-remember-what-was-so-great-about-bonnie-and-clyde/569442.md?page=2)