Midnight Cowboy
Two desperate outsiders turn a predatory partnership into a fragile bond while trying to survive the unforgiving streets of late-1960s New York.
Overview
A poignant exploration of friendship and survival in the gritty streets of New York City.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- gritty
- sardonic
- classic cinema night
- new hollywood marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film's vivid depiction of urban marginality and the extraordinary performances of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, while noting that its melodrama and flashbacks can be uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joe and Ratso are depicted as homeless, economically desperate outsiders rather than conventional heroes, with their routines and vulnerability given extended focus.
Joe and Ratso move from deception and shady commerce toward genuine companionship and mutual care.
Joe's New York experiences are intercut with destabilizing memories of his Texas past and sexual trauma.
Cafeterias, abandoned tenements, movie balconies, doorways, and sidewalks form a rough, vivid Manhattan landscape.
Films like Midnight Cowboy, and why
The Last Detail
shared new hollywood realism, urban alienation, countercultural atmosphere, and emotionally intimate male friendship
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
shared bleak social observation, marginal protagonists, male bonding, and tragic emotional undertones
Taxi Driver
shared lonely outsiders, gritty city life, psychological vulnerability, and morally ambiguous relationships
The Graduate
shared rural-to-urban displacement, outsider identity, sexual repression, and melancholic american realism
Movie Details
- Director
- John Schlesinger
- Release Date
- 1969-05-25
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (1686)
Cast
- Dustin Hoffman
- Jon Voight
- Sylvia Miles
- John McGiver
- Brenda Vaccaro
- Barnard Hughes
- Ruth White
- Jennifer Salt
- Gilman Rankin
- Gary Owens
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Midnight Cowboy about?
- Two desperate outsiders turn a predatory partnership into a fragile bond while trying to survive the unforgiving streets of late-1960s New York.
- What is Midnight Cowboy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Midnight Cowboy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Midnight Cowboy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Midnight Cowboy as mild.
- What did critics think of Midnight Cowboy?
- Critics broadly praise the film's vivid depiction of urban marginality and the extraordinary performances of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, while noting that its melodrama and flashbacks can be uneven.
- Which films are like Midnight Cowboy?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Detail, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Taxi Driver, and The Graduate.
- How long is Midnight Cowboy?
- Midnight Cowboy runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Midnight Cowboy?
- In United States, Midnight Cowboy streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
