Cry Macho (2021)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Cry Macho (2021) – C. Eastwood

Yes, Clint Eastwood is 91, so it is pretty incredible that he directed this film and stars as a washed-up rodeo rider; it’s set in 1980 when the real Clint was starring with Clyde the orangutan in movies with fist-fight finales. So, is the title ironic?  Is it really about the cock-fighting rooster called Macho or is there some deeper reflection going on here? Does Clint regret his contribution to the outbreak of “toxic masculinity” that subsequently inflicted boys and men?  His character does seem to voice some remorse, suggesting that trying to show some “grit” only results in a broken body later on.  That’s probably not enough of a mea culpa, but I guess we can’t expect too much more from this staunch republican (in what would seemingly have to be his last film). But even though Clint’s Mike Milo begins as a sarcastic and bitter figure (with not just a little of the earlier Eastwood persona), after he travels to Mexico and kidnaps/rescues a 13 yr-old boy for former boss Dwight Yoakam (the boy’s father), he turns pretty tender.  The film slows way down and lingers in a small Mexican town where a widow and her grandchildren adopt the old man and teen.  So, even though there is no doubt that the acting here is pretty subpar, there is something about the schematic script that makes it feel almost like a fable designed to allow the living legend to signal his true values (“do the right thing”), despite the fact that this script has been kicking around Hollywood for decades. It’s a fitting farewell and perhaps a riposte to those who still think that being macho is some sort of ideal (rather than a sad and sorry façade).  But really what’s with the chicken?