Bronco Billy (1980)

Clint Eastwood's assured helmsmanship of this sweet and gentle comedy marks a change in direction and image for the former Dirty Harry. While Bronco Billy occasionally suffers from ingratiating lapses of tone, Eastwood's rock solid presence both before and behind the camera keeps the film from losing its focus. The aging and shabby Bronco Billy's fading success presages the impending death of the Western genre itself, which gave Eastwood his youthful employment and fame; hence, the film acts as a funhouse mirror, held up by a wry filmmaker delighting in making ironic commentary on his image and fame. Contrastingly, the film's sweetly nostalgic tone also conveys Eastwood's deep love of the Wild West and the simple values of the old-fashioned cowboy characters who fantasize about inhabiting it. Sondra Locke's shrieking debutant character provides comic and dramatic contrast to the genuinely folksy figures of the Bronco Billy show, allowing Eastwood to poke fun at the privileged, silver-spoon class who seem consistently immune to the charms of his blue collar (and occasionally red necked) efforts. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide