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Directed by Ivan Passer
A gritty, grounded comedy.
A smart-mouthed junkie and a former hairdresser spends his days looking for just "one more fix".
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nobody but George Segal could pull off running through the streets of dirty old NYC in a mumu and look like iconic doing it - a lot of DNA here was injected straight into Uncut Gems, from the constant mania (and lack of judgment) of its lead character to its affinity for the city; great stuff
If George Segal was trying to steal my car, I'd probably get in and help him, too. I don't know, I just like the guy.
"I'm a charmer"An impressively bedraggled looking George Segal plays J, an addict whose existence has degenerated to a primal scramble from fix to fix. When he meets Parm (Karen Black) while trying to steal her car, the possibility of shaking off the hold the drugs have on him and reclaiming a better life floats back into focus. Will he try for it? A few minutes into Born to Win, my wife turned to me and said "Oh - this is a movie about the random low level henchman no one cares about in other movies". I think that's probably the most interesting lens to see the film through. If you've ever wondered what the life of that guy Batman roughs up in an alley before moving on to find the Joker is like, you basically get to see that little side story here. Segal is the highlight of this grimy loser anthem. He plays a mighty fun down and out addict working cons and stealing anything that's not bolted down to feed his addiction. It's the exact kind of character that finds themselves inevitably pulled between cops and high level crooks, neither of which give a damn whether he lives or dies. If its trying to make a hard hitting point about addiction, Born to Win never quite achieves the gravitas needed to claim itself a true success on that front. But if you want to drift around on a tour of the seedy underbelly of the city in a film that feels a little like a prototypical Safdie Brothers Good Time (2017) with a George Segal who looks weirdly like he could play Wolverine if those films came out in the 70s, Born to Win is worth a look. Oh and you also get a small part from a young Robert De Niro. [Final thought - Segal in a woman's housecoat flashing a neighbour to get them to call the cops so he can get away from his criminal captors is certainly...something]
The film follows the chaotic daily life of a heroin addict in New York City as he maneuvers through desperate situations to satisfy his dependency.
It was directed by Ivan Passer, the Czech-American filmmaker known for his work in the New Hollywood movement and films like Cutter's Way.
