Greaser's Palace (1972)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Dreadfully Boring

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Yes, as all the other comments will tell you, this is an absurd, bizarre film, with Jesus in a purple zoot suit parachuting into the old west and some strange religious allegory going on that I never manage to piece together. However - what amazes me every time I watch it (and I've watched it a couple dozen times) is how visually sumptuous it is, how lovingly the scenery and characters are fondled by the camera in this crude, weird story. Describing what happens doesn't really do it justice, because it ends up being more than the sum of its parts. I first saw it in a theater in 1975, never forgot it, and when it came out on DVD I really fell in love with it. Some of my cult favorites like Eraserhead have faded a little over the years, but this one continues to astonish me every time.

"Greasers Palace" is a wacky and strange western filled with uneasy laughter. In the 70's, Robert Downey Sr. was known for his strange and bizarre humor. At times certain jokes make absolutely no sense. That's what makes his films so funny. The story concerns a Christ like man in a zoot suit, named Jesse. He's on his way to Jerusalem to be a singer. On the way viewers are introduced to many strange characters; a guy in a ghost suit, a man dressed as a nun, and a women who repeatedly gets shot. Jesse wants to sing at the Greaser's Palace lounge. The evil Seaweedhead Greaser and his daughter preside over the palace. They are very picky on who can preform there. Sr. Greasers son is accused of being gay and is killed by his father. Thank goodness for Jesse's miraculous powers as he's able to revive Sr. Greaser's son from the dead time and time again. In some aspects the film appears to be a parody of El Topo. It also has a Montey Python style of humor and wit. Who can forget the films outrageous musical numbers too? So if your looking for a strange, nonsensical, religious, western comedy; Greaser's Palace is a film you'll most likely enjoy!

not half as good as PUTNEY SWOPE or POUND. But, here is Downey on a budget: widescreen and in color too! Intensely dry humor starts this western off to a weird start. By the end of the first half hour, I started to "get it", but then the film shifted gears to Jodowroski territory with Allan Arbus in a zoot suit shuffling across the plains of the Old West, performing miracles along the way. The film completely falls short of anything near the more hardcore Jodowrosky stuff (real profound symbolism, artsy fartsy-ism, etc.), but it does entertain the terminally stoned mind. Which is not a bad thing.Cinema fans schooled in the post-blockbuster world will no doubt be bored to tears. There's no buzz editing and explosions. Fans of indie films from the 60s and 70s will only note this for it's historical significance. Worth watching for that alone, but not much else.

Yeah, what those comments above this one say. It's really weird. Even if your not out to see the symbolism which is included in everything this movie does, you won't be able to turn away. At times it resembles a car crash; something in you says maybe you should look away, or just go about your business, but are somehow unable. A must see.