This is one of those movies where there isn't much to pull for. Like Taxi Driver, it takes place in a cesspool. Those who are trapped in their lives have no place to go. The die is cast and that's it. George Segal does an excellent performance as a small time addict who is powerless to overcome what he has become. He hooks up with Karen Black, who accepts him for what he is. She is the one bright spot in his existence. But the power of the drug world has its tentacles in him and no matter how happy he may feel, he can't move from the addiction. The first part of the movie shows his day to day existence. He seems like a good man. He has a kindness in him that comes through on his face. When confronted, he becomes really passive and powerless. The big boys don't see him as a player. There are also a couple of cops who want to use him, one of them being a young DeNiro. His relationship with Black is doomed (by the way, she comes across as a pretty interesting character) because when it is a contest between the drugs and her, she is going to come in a distant second, even thought intellectually, it sounds pretty sad. Good acting but don't expect an uplifting event. George Segal was really a hot actor at this time, even in a minor picture like this shows his talents.
33 Reviews
An Interesting, Unpretentious Flick
writerasfilmcritic19 December 2013
I've seen Karen Black in several roles where I didn't care for the character she portrayed. The thoroughly dependent and constantly whining waitress she played in Five Easy Pieces was a good example. You could understand why Jack Nicholson had trouble committing to a serious relationship with her. In Born to Win, however, she is easily the most likable personality in the film. How many women would start an affair with a man who was attempting to steal her car? Her beauty, her sense of humor, and her spirit shine through immediately and continue throughout. George Segal's unrepentant junkie character, who lost his wife to a sleazy, backstabbing, pimping drug dealer, somehow manages to charm us more than most of the other actors, including the police, who think nothing of planting evidence on anyone they feel like at the moment. There is something hip about this movie, not because it glorifies heroin addiction, which it certainly does not, but because it seems to show a slice of New York life in a fairly realistic manner. The death of JJ's best friend, Billy, from "a hot shot" that was meant for JJ, the armed "take offs" that the dopers pull on one another simply because they really need a fix or are having a bad day (with no offense otherwise intended), the way the corrupt cops are portrayed, the shots of the city, too often grimy yet somehow alluring -- this is interesting cinema. I think I bought this DVD for a buck and have watched it a number of times. It's a good movie.
Ugly, Scary, Funny...
JasparLamarCrabb3 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Not pretty, but nevertheless a must-see movie . George Segal gives an outstanding performance as a junkie muddling through a bleak existence in Manhattan circa 1971. He lies, cheats and steals his way to his next fix until he meets free-spirited rich girl Karen Black. While she wants him to go straight, his pride won't let him. Nor will crooked cops Ed Madsen & Robert DeNiro or pusher/pimp Hector Elizondo. Segal gives a remarkable performance and the direction by Czech Ivan Passer is great. There's very little let up in this film! Black is fine and Jay Fletcher is terrific as Segal's junkie cohort. Paula Prentiss, though second billed, appears in little more than a cameo. The movie is ugly, scary, funny and suspenseful all at the same time. Its working title was SCRAPING BOTTOM & that should give you a sense for what you're in for. A real highlight in the career of the often underrated Segal.
One of many fine overlooked movies of the 1970s. George Segal is terrific as JJ, a hairdresser turned junkie hipster.
Infofreak24 February 2004
I have a great interest in American movies of the 1970s, many of my all time favourites being made during that decade, both within and without Hollywood. Several movies from that period are so well known, and so discussed, especially those of Scorsese and Coppola, that many fine movies are overlooked - 'Hi Mom!', 'Scarecrow', 'The Panic In Needle Park', 'Tracks', 'Fingers',etc.etc. Add 'Born To Win' to that list. Director and co-writer Ivan Passer was a recent Czech immigrant, but he manages to conjure up a very realistic and believable look at the seedy underbelly of NYC. Only 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'The Panic In Needle Park' come close. This isn't the New York of Woody Allen, it's the New York of Lou Reed. Passer displays a lot of talent in this movie, but I know little about his subsequent work apart from his 80s sleeper starring John Heard and Jeff Bridges 'Cutter's Way', which I also highly recommend. George Segal will surprise a lot of people with his performance in 'Born To Win', especially those who only have a one dimensional idea of him from his comedy work. Segal plays JJ, a hairdresser turned junkie hipster, who is, well one has to say it, a born loser. Segal is both funny and cool and sad, and he's just as good in this as Pacino, De Niro or Keitel were in more celebrated roles from this period. De Niro in fact pops up in a small supporting role as a cop, something which is exploited on the DVD cover. He's okay but has a very small role, so fans beware. Hector Elizondo has a much more important part as a drug pusher, and Karen Black, hot off 'Five Easy Pieces', plays JJ's girlfriend, who he meets in a funny scene where he steals her car. Both Elizondo and Black give excellent performances. Also in the supporting cast are Paula Prentiss ('The Parallax View') who plays JJ's junkie wife, and one of the first jobs for character actor Burt Young, who plays a hood. I also liked JJ's pal Billy Dynamite played by Jay Fletcher. If you like gritty and realistic 1970s movies you'll love 'Born To Win', a film which doesn't deserve to languish in such obscurity.
Don't be fooled by the misleading front cover and you'll find it a rewarding experience
MovieAddict201618 August 2005
I'm a huge fan of Robert De Niro. I've made an effort to hunt down all of his older films (like Greetings and the awful "Sam's Song" a.k.a. "The Swap") and have done pretty well so far - I saw "Born to Win" at a grocery store for six bucks on DVD and since I'd seen it listed on IMDb as one of his early films (and after making sure it wasn't one of the countless "other titles" for "Sam's Song") I purchased it.
Much to my surprise (well, not really, I kinda suspected as much) the cover was totally deceiving. It features Robert De Niro's face (from another film, mind you), his hand holding a gun. It says, "ROBERT DE NIRO" and "George Segal" in smaller print underneath his name. The tagline on the DVD is something like, "A junkie goes against a cop trying to bring down Mr. Big." Now, mind you, no one in this film is named Mr. Big, and the junkie (Segal) doesn't "go against" the cop. De Niro the Cop is only in TWO scenes (count 'em, two) and has maybe a page's worth of dialogue, if that.
The film relies on Segal and he really delivers a fine performance. The entire cast is good - Hector Elizondo and Karen Black in supporting roles, as well as a younger Burt Young (pre-"Rocky").
This isn't a great film and it isn't superbly directed. It's a bit hard to watch at times due to a grainy transfer and bad audio. But it's reminiscent of Al Pacino's "Panic in Needle Park" so far as it presents a realistic, gritty, depressing vision of junkies operating on the streets, and how miserable your life can become by resorting to drugs (mainly heroin).
A good, rewarding picture - but don't be fooled by the title, nor Leonard Maltin's description of it as a "very funny" comedy.
Much to my surprise (well, not really, I kinda suspected as much) the cover was totally deceiving. It features Robert De Niro's face (from another film, mind you), his hand holding a gun. It says, "ROBERT DE NIRO" and "George Segal" in smaller print underneath his name. The tagline on the DVD is something like, "A junkie goes against a cop trying to bring down Mr. Big." Now, mind you, no one in this film is named Mr. Big, and the junkie (Segal) doesn't "go against" the cop. De Niro the Cop is only in TWO scenes (count 'em, two) and has maybe a page's worth of dialogue, if that.
The film relies on Segal and he really delivers a fine performance. The entire cast is good - Hector Elizondo and Karen Black in supporting roles, as well as a younger Burt Young (pre-"Rocky").
This isn't a great film and it isn't superbly directed. It's a bit hard to watch at times due to a grainy transfer and bad audio. But it's reminiscent of Al Pacino's "Panic in Needle Park" so far as it presents a realistic, gritty, depressing vision of junkies operating on the streets, and how miserable your life can become by resorting to drugs (mainly heroin).
A good, rewarding picture - but don't be fooled by the title, nor Leonard Maltin's description of it as a "very funny" comedy.
Worth a look
rosscinema14 October 2003
While low budget filmmakers in California were making films like "Psych-out" and "The Trip" with Fonda and Nicholson and Hopper it was different in New York. Low budget filmmakers on the east coast took a more tougher look at drugs and it usually took place on the streets of New York. This film is about a drug addict named J (George Segal) who has the tattoo "Born to Win" on his arm and he's always doing favors for a local dealer named Vivian (Hector Elizondo) who is becoming annoyed by J. One day J meets Parm (Karen Black) who is a free spirited girl and they both become attracted to each other right away. J is becoming more desperate and he even resorts to robbing some of the people he does favors for. Two dirty cops (Robert Deniro and Ed Madsen) tell J that they want to bust Vivian and they want him to help. They won't bust J because they want to keep him on the streets but they do make his life even worse than it is. This film was directed by Ivan Passer who is a competent director but has only had a mediocre career making movies. But he does a good job here and all the characters are portrayed as lowlifes. Even Paula Prentiss is a drug addict in this film and it's a strange bit of casting to have her in such a role. Good use of New York locations as it was shot right in the middle of downtown and it gives this film that authentic street look. One of the reasons that this is interesting to view is spotting the actors in early roles. Segal had already broke through with an Oscar nomination in 1966 and he obviously was trying new ground as an actor and Black was fresh off an Oscar nomination herself. Early look at Deniro and Elizondo and Burt Young pops up as a thug about midway through. This has that sad and ambiguous ending but that adds to the impact of this tough and gritty little film. All the performances are pretty good and I would have been interested in seeing Prentiss in a larger role. This doesn't get discussed much when people talk of the New York films of the 1970's but it is a well made low budget entry that others should view.
Not an entirely convincing vehicle for George Segal
moonspinner556 November 2017
George Segal plays Times Square junkie "J", a smack addict who is set up for a fall by his supplier, a slick street hustler named Vivian (Hector Elizondo). He lives to see another day, but is approached by two narcotics cops to put the frame on Vivian or do serious time. Czech director Ivan Passer's first American film was a personal project for Segal, whose fledgling production company put the deal together (it was originally a very-off Off-Broadway play entitled "Scraping Bottom" by David Scott Milton, who shares the screenplay credit with Passer). While the character of "J" is certainly a change of pace for the star, Segal still looks like a fuzzy, hurt-eyed hamster out to tug at our heartstrings. One gets the impression Segal was willing to go all the way with this material, but that maybe someone talked him into softening this low-life portrait; he's too clear in his thinking, in his decision-making and in his dealings with the cops to make a truly convincing junkie. There's talent all around Segal, including Paula Prentiss as another addict, Karen Black as Segal's square girlfriend, Robert DeNiro as a narc and Burt Young as a hood, but it's really Elizondo's picture. Even though Passer filmed on the gritty streets of New York City, it is Elizondo who provides the movie with its dash of dangerously cool authenticity. ** from ****
Good Piece of work
meta-218 May 1999
George Segal wasn't on my list. Sure i know his name. The film had to wait 28 years before i had seen it first in may 1999 as a replacement for Hitchcock-Film in the night beginning at 1.30 am in german television.
And i thought i must say, that is was a good decision to see this movie, because for 1971-Film it was very provocative and the performances of George Segal, Jay Fletcher were good.
So look at it.
And i thought i must say, that is was a good decision to see this movie, because for 1971-Film it was very provocative and the performances of George Segal, Jay Fletcher were good.
So look at it.
"Tell him to take an enema."
classicsoncall12 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
So much talent, so little accomplishment. George Segal, Karen Black, Hector Elizondo, Paula Prentiss, Robert DeNiro and Burt Young - can you come up with a better lineup for the early Seventies? I'm definitely in the minority here after reading the many stellar reviews for "Born to Win", but this was just a complete bore for me. That generally happens when one of the defining scenes involves a spaced out junkie (Segal) attempting to steal a car on the street, and the owner (Black) comes off accepting it as kind of cute. I don't get it. Nor did I get the rest of the film. It didn't help that the print I viewed had muffled audio and much of the dialog was difficult to hear, but I don't know if a better quality transfer would have helped. Besides that, don't blink, or you'll miss the second half of the cast I mentioned earlier. 'Born to Lose' would have been a better title.
A trip down Herion Alley
sol121827 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Brutal gritty as well as funny, in its more light hearted scenes, "Born to Win" is about a loser Mr. J, George Seagal, who's addiction to drugs finally catches up with him. That's when Mr. J outlives his usefulness to his big time drug supplier known as "The Geek", Hector Elizondo, and the two narcotic cops Ed Medsen and his partner Danny, played by a 27 year old Robert De Niro, who are using Mr.J. to set "The Geek" up.
Trying to kick the habit Mr. J knows his addiction will eventually kill him but him kicking it is easier said then done. With him hanging around junkies like himself he only makes things worse in the company that he keeps. There's also the free spirited Parm, Karen Black, who for some strange reason gets the hots for the shaggy dog looking Mr.J after she caught him trying to steal her car in midtown Manhattan. We later see in Pram's duplex West Side Manhattan apartment, where does she get the cash to pay the rent, that she has a couple of cats, a back and orange one, as pets! Can it be that she want's to give Mr.J, who's as cuddly and cute like a puppy dog, a roof over his head and three meals a day as well? With all this good luck Mr.J is still craving for the good stuff, heroin, and that leads him as well as his junkie friend Billy Dynamite, Jay Fletcher, to rob drug smuggler Stanley,Irving Selbst, of his monthly heroin shipment supplied to him by "The Geek". In doing that both of them, Mr.J & Billy Dynamite, are targeted by "The Geek's" boys for immediate termination. What's even worse for Mr. J the cops, Danny & Madsen, now got something else on him beside his drug using and trafficking. In that they now arrested Parm on trumped up charges threatening to send her up the river, prison, on a both phony drug and prostitution rap.
***SPOILERS*** With Pram now in the clink and him facing as much as 40 years behind bars for not cooperating with the police, in fact he did but couldn't get him to bite at the bait,in setting up "The Geek" Mr.J now has another big and shocking surprise coming to him. That's in the drugs he was to get from "The Geek" as a reward for his services that was hidden under the sink in a public mens washroom. Giving his good friend and fellow junkie Billy Dynamite the first taste or shot he suddenly goes into convulsions and dropped dead on the spot! As it turned out "The Geek" handed him a hot load in payment for trying to set him up! But it was the luckless Billy Dynamite who ended up getting it!
P.S One of actor George Seagal's personal favorites which he put his heart & soul as well as money into. Nowhere as good and as "Panic in Needle Park" which was released the same year but still hits the spot in what hard drug addiction, that seemed to have become hip at the time, can do to a person who thinks he can handle it. Not only does it destroy him but everyone he comes in contact with even those, like Pram, who aren't addicted to it!
Trying to kick the habit Mr. J knows his addiction will eventually kill him but him kicking it is easier said then done. With him hanging around junkies like himself he only makes things worse in the company that he keeps. There's also the free spirited Parm, Karen Black, who for some strange reason gets the hots for the shaggy dog looking Mr.J after she caught him trying to steal her car in midtown Manhattan. We later see in Pram's duplex West Side Manhattan apartment, where does she get the cash to pay the rent, that she has a couple of cats, a back and orange one, as pets! Can it be that she want's to give Mr.J, who's as cuddly and cute like a puppy dog, a roof over his head and three meals a day as well? With all this good luck Mr.J is still craving for the good stuff, heroin, and that leads him as well as his junkie friend Billy Dynamite, Jay Fletcher, to rob drug smuggler Stanley,Irving Selbst, of his monthly heroin shipment supplied to him by "The Geek". In doing that both of them, Mr.J & Billy Dynamite, are targeted by "The Geek's" boys for immediate termination. What's even worse for Mr. J the cops, Danny & Madsen, now got something else on him beside his drug using and trafficking. In that they now arrested Parm on trumped up charges threatening to send her up the river, prison, on a both phony drug and prostitution rap.
***SPOILERS*** With Pram now in the clink and him facing as much as 40 years behind bars for not cooperating with the police, in fact he did but couldn't get him to bite at the bait,in setting up "The Geek" Mr.J now has another big and shocking surprise coming to him. That's in the drugs he was to get from "The Geek" as a reward for his services that was hidden under the sink in a public mens washroom. Giving his good friend and fellow junkie Billy Dynamite the first taste or shot he suddenly goes into convulsions and dropped dead on the spot! As it turned out "The Geek" handed him a hot load in payment for trying to set him up! But it was the luckless Billy Dynamite who ended up getting it!
P.S One of actor George Seagal's personal favorites which he put his heart & soul as well as money into. Nowhere as good and as "Panic in Needle Park" which was released the same year but still hits the spot in what hard drug addiction, that seemed to have become hip at the time, can do to a person who thinks he can handle it. Not only does it destroy him but everyone he comes in contact with even those, like Pram, who aren't addicted to it!
Only the performances are on par
mattymatt4ever15 September 2002
There ain't much to say about this obscure flick. Flat direction, stiff camerawork, horrendous lighting, effortless editing, outdated soundtrack and been-there-done-that script. George Segal delivers a fine performance, and it was interesting seeing him in a purely dramatic role after getting used to seeing him on "Just Shoot Me." He basically carries the film, but even he can't save it entirely. And for anybody who finds the DeNiro boxed set with this movie and "Sam's Song,"--buyer beware!! You'll probably get the set for a cheap price, but when I see two videos with the name "DeNiro" plastered across the front of the box, along with a picture of his face, I wanna see two DeNiro movies. DeNiro has a very small role in "Born to Win" as a cop. It is perhaps his worst role up-to-date--and it's kind of ironic, being that I just saw "City By the Sea" and regarded that as one of his best roles up-to-date. So for all you die-hard DeNiro fans--like me--don't get sucked in. Karen Black also delivers a fine performance. Even Hector Elizondo gives a fine early performance. So basically I have to give it up for the cast for giving their all, despite a sub-par script. Like most micro-budget flicks of the 60's and 70's, the resolution is unbelievably grainy and it feels more like a home movie than a motion picture. Even independent films of recent years (including Kevin Smith's "Clerks" which was made on a very, very low budget) have at least a slightly cinematic quality to them. I wouldn't be surprised if I find "Born to Win" playing on the Late Night Movie around 3 in the morning. It has its moments, like Segal running around New York City in a pink dress (hilarious!!), but not enough to make it even an OK movie.
My score: 4 (out of 10)
My score: 4 (out of 10)
'Born To Win, A Gem!
greene5158 March 2006
'BORN TO WIN' Is a Downbeat, but Somewhat very funny look at drug addicts, in New York, The ever Excellent George Segal, plays JJ a former Hairdresser,Who is fixed on heroin,and with him on his quest for the perfect fix is his pal played by Jay Fletcer,
One night on the streets JJ is attempting to steal a car,but is amusingly caught by the owner who is played by the free spirited Karen Black,who brings Segal home together the pair fall for each other despite Segal's, desperate Heroin ridden antics,
Cult Favorite Paula Prentiss,(The Original Stepford Wives) plays JJ's former wife who is Highly strung, unfortunately she becomes property of the local pimp and supplier 'geek' played by Hector Elizondo,
One scene in this classic that's worth mentioning is Segal's superb knack for physical comedy is the 'take your clothes off' scene, that see's Segal, at the mercy of the supplier's the scene where Segal attempts to get the attention of the teenager across at the adjacent apartment is a hoot! And Segal's subsequent chase clad only in a robe is hilarious! A Very Young Robert De' Niro, plays an undercover cop out to bust JJ,
Don't be fooled by the many DVD's available of this classic with 'De Niro on the cover Segal is the Star!
One night on the streets JJ is attempting to steal a car,but is amusingly caught by the owner who is played by the free spirited Karen Black,who brings Segal home together the pair fall for each other despite Segal's, desperate Heroin ridden antics,
Cult Favorite Paula Prentiss,(The Original Stepford Wives) plays JJ's former wife who is Highly strung, unfortunately she becomes property of the local pimp and supplier 'geek' played by Hector Elizondo,
One scene in this classic that's worth mentioning is Segal's superb knack for physical comedy is the 'take your clothes off' scene, that see's Segal, at the mercy of the supplier's the scene where Segal attempts to get the attention of the teenager across at the adjacent apartment is a hoot! And Segal's subsequent chase clad only in a robe is hilarious! A Very Young Robert De' Niro, plays an undercover cop out to bust JJ,
Don't be fooled by the many DVD's available of this classic with 'De Niro on the cover Segal is the Star!
De Niro in a small role.
RodrigAndrisan16 October 2018
Seventies film with a lot of style and almost no real substance.
peapulation28 January 2009
From the seventies comes another seventies flick that has a lot to do with drugs and junkies. The main character played by George Segal, JJ, is a junkie whose main goal in life is to get fixed everyday. As a result, everything else is secondly important. His relationship with his girlfriend, and in a surreal way, even the fact that he has children, which is only mentioned in the film two times, and briefly.
From the way it starts, we are almost tricked into believing this will be a comedy. Then, from then on, it becomes the tragic portrayal of life on the streets. The footage we see on the screen seem dirty, and the gritty look of the film is meant to add to the brutality of the film. It's too bad that the part of George Segal is not so believable as a junkie, because it's not written well. There's too much emphasis on interaction and not enough emphasis on the characters themselves. The only times when we really see JJ break down is when we don't know what is going to happen to him. Drugs have driven him to a selfishness that is hard to side with. We don't pity him, but we literally hate what he has become.
The editing is horrible, hard to believe that it came from the same guy that did the editing for Annie Hall. The direction is careless and throws whatever good there was in the screenplay as of secondary importance, focusing the film around a plot that doesn't exist, and oversthetching the bit in the middle, in making us think that there is a plain plot. The actors are also scattered around loose. Robert DeNiro's presence does nothing for the standards of the cast, he too in fact doesn't know what he is doing. While Segal cannot get away with playing a junkie, possibly because he isn't bony enough, Karen Black as his girlfriend is adorable, but her part is not well written. We know nothing of her.
There is no good guy in this movie, and all in all there is little reason to watch it. There are parts that might have an impact, but all in all, there are better movies that deal with the same issues. It was certainly rushed.
WATCH FOR THE MOMENT - A charming scene that shows the film had ideas. Karen Black and George Segal meeting the first time as he tries to steal her car.
From the way it starts, we are almost tricked into believing this will be a comedy. Then, from then on, it becomes the tragic portrayal of life on the streets. The footage we see on the screen seem dirty, and the gritty look of the film is meant to add to the brutality of the film. It's too bad that the part of George Segal is not so believable as a junkie, because it's not written well. There's too much emphasis on interaction and not enough emphasis on the characters themselves. The only times when we really see JJ break down is when we don't know what is going to happen to him. Drugs have driven him to a selfishness that is hard to side with. We don't pity him, but we literally hate what he has become.
The editing is horrible, hard to believe that it came from the same guy that did the editing for Annie Hall. The direction is careless and throws whatever good there was in the screenplay as of secondary importance, focusing the film around a plot that doesn't exist, and oversthetching the bit in the middle, in making us think that there is a plain plot. The actors are also scattered around loose. Robert DeNiro's presence does nothing for the standards of the cast, he too in fact doesn't know what he is doing. While Segal cannot get away with playing a junkie, possibly because he isn't bony enough, Karen Black as his girlfriend is adorable, but her part is not well written. We know nothing of her.
There is no good guy in this movie, and all in all there is little reason to watch it. There are parts that might have an impact, but all in all, there are better movies that deal with the same issues. It was certainly rushed.
WATCH FOR THE MOMENT - A charming scene that shows the film had ideas. Karen Black and George Segal meeting the first time as he tries to steal her car.
The seventies' bleakest--and one of the best
nunculus27 June 2002
One of the great joys of being a movie addict is loving unreasonably. There's probably no rational way to convey my adoration for this 1971 Ivan Passer movie, which was made for nothing back in the day when movies like this actually could get made and released--today, it'd be shot on digital video in someone's basement and never see the light of day. George Segal gives one of the performances of his career as J, a hairdresser turned heroin addict who vamps his way through the day with a torrent of improvised Lenny Bruce hipsterisms. Karen Black is the "straight," broken girl who falls in love with him for no good reason except that he's broken too--I can't think of a more haunting moment in a movie romance than the one where she drops him off in midtown Manhattan to score dope and implores, "J--remember to come back home." The movie fleetly conveys the romance, the soft-edgedness and wombiness of heroin--and then in short order takes you all the way down to the bitterest consequences. And it reminds you of the beauties of hard-knuckle, dirty-formica naturalism--pleasures unavailable to more stylized or more conceptual pictures. Has there ever been an actress as free as Karen Black? The way she lifts up ten fingers, over and over again, to count off the number of men she's slept with; or the strange little hair-bite she does when she oaths her love to Segal on the beach--everything is as fresh and unaffected and right as if it were playing out in your living room right this minute. The locations, the smoky, salty, funereal-blues soundtrack--Ivan Passer can't put a foot wrong in this movie. Why is this guy not being given all the work in the world? And why is this movie not acclaimed a masterpiece in a world where rusty chestnuts by Rafelson and Bogdanovich are still held in high esteem?
Classic 70's Crime Film!
Steve_Walls18323 October 2009
I like these old B-Movies from the 1970's they're the kind that used to show on cable TV at 3:00AM
"Born To Win" is a cool movie to watch when you're bored and have nowhere to go on a Saturday night.
The story revolves around a junkie named JJ who spends most of his time doing small jobs for drug dealers, and getting paid with dope.
There's a real 70's feel to this movie, with lots of funky music, dealers and druggies, walkin' the walk and talking' the talk!
Featuring a very young Robert Deniro as Danny!
.
"Born To Win" is a cool movie to watch when you're bored and have nowhere to go on a Saturday night.
The story revolves around a junkie named JJ who spends most of his time doing small jobs for drug dealers, and getting paid with dope.
There's a real 70's feel to this movie, with lots of funky music, dealers and druggies, walkin' the walk and talking' the talk!
Featuring a very young Robert Deniro as Danny!
.
Dated nonsense
bbarnes123 December 2004
If you want to learn why George Segal movies are no longer watched, this is a great opportunity. It is a fine example of amateur and extremely hammy characterizations, foolish jargon, awful editing, bad dialog, and complete lack of continuity. The only slightly redeeming feature is the jazz music which lurches from moment to moment without regard for the action, or lack of it, on screen.
One moment George is hopping around in a pink peignoir, then he's shooting up in the bathroom, or trying to. If a film student submitted this turkey for review, he would be laughed out of class. Watch it only to see why the 70's antihero movie went out of style.
One moment George is hopping around in a pink peignoir, then he's shooting up in the bathroom, or trying to. If a film student submitted this turkey for review, he would be laughed out of class. Watch it only to see why the 70's antihero movie went out of style.
A near miss for everyone in it
killercharm4 September 2020
A thoroughly 70s take on heroin addiction. Our hero the junkie meets his girl by getting busted for stealing her car, by her. Shades of Brewster McCloud. What kind of beautiful well off woman hooks up with the junkie who is stealing her car? Movies...can't live without em. Anyway, this is like the 70s Strange Days. The speech George Segal gives about how the dealer already has his woman, it's very Strange Days.
Cautionary junkie tale
luckyunicorn1 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This comes off as if it could have been made to screen to American teens at schools in the 70's to show them that DRUGS ARE BAD- they turn people against each other, friends die, and it's all just awful. There's a great cast- Segal, Prentiss, and Black are all excellent- and Robert De Niro is young and clean cut in a supporting role. I guess George Segal wanted to show that he could play gritty after getting typecast as a light comedian- and he is terrific- but there's a completely flat non-ending ending, and it's all pretty depressing. I question the casting of charmers like Paula Prentiss and Karen Black- who both look fab- as the point of the film seems to be to deglamourise this lifestyle. Nice jazzy funky soundtrack fer sure, and George gets his kit off, but I can't in all honesty recommend this movie, unless you're very fond of seeing a lot of grungy types in 70's fashion disasters doing each other down and jive-assing about.
Classic early Passer and G. Segal!
shepardjessica12 July 2004
This TOTALLY, except for the cool critics (including Pauline Kael), was written off by a bad check, probably because it was another foreign director (like Milos Forman) cashing in on the real GOLDEN AGE of cinema (for America, for sure). That stuff doesn't matter. George Segal, one of the genius actors of the late 60's and 70's, gives an incredible performance as "J" the junkie, AFTER establishing himself as the comic everyman for five years. He's already done King Rat in 1965 and was nominated in 1966 for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, I won't even list this dude's accomplishments in a VERY timely era and film space and he was very good. Paula Prentiss (AS ALWAYS) is wonderful, Hector Elizondo, Karen Black and a host of New York unknown stage actors will blow you away with this film. They've changed the title. OH, I FORGOT, Robert DeNiro is GREAT in this in a small role (but a good one).
Nobody cares about junkies ...and why should they? This film isn't about street fixers; it's about New York City in that time period. It's just a wonderful film. It has everything the other COOL films of the 70's had, except marketing - and it blows away Panic in Needle Park with Pacino and Kitty Wynn (a good film), but the message wasn't LEFT or RIGHT enough, even to the people who appreciated that great era of AMERICAN films and this one (like many) was directed by a FOREIGNER (a great director). I'm just babbling here now; Find this film; I found it on Video and I hope to God it's on DVD by now. It's a smooth trail of NYC hopeful desperation at the bottom of that barrel, but you won't regret the trip. An 8 out of 10. Best performance = George Segal. Find it, if you're interested in great movies of that era that didn't make a million bucks!
Nobody cares about junkies ...and why should they? This film isn't about street fixers; it's about New York City in that time period. It's just a wonderful film. It has everything the other COOL films of the 70's had, except marketing - and it blows away Panic in Needle Park with Pacino and Kitty Wynn (a good film), but the message wasn't LEFT or RIGHT enough, even to the people who appreciated that great era of AMERICAN films and this one (like many) was directed by a FOREIGNER (a great director). I'm just babbling here now; Find this film; I found it on Video and I hope to God it's on DVD by now. It's a smooth trail of NYC hopeful desperation at the bottom of that barrel, but you won't regret the trip. An 8 out of 10. Best performance = George Segal. Find it, if you're interested in great movies of that era that didn't make a million bucks!
Has A Nice Groove But Never Really Scores
TheFearmakers24 May 2019
With a title full of irony about a current junkie/former hairdresser doing all he can to score smack on the streets of New York City, there's far too much downtime: And it happens right when things are at a nice rudimentary pace, beginning with a groovy soundtrack during an attempted small-time heist by George Segal and his cool black sidekick...
On the run they separate... and while it's clever that Segal's "J" meets his lady while trying to steal her car, a rushed and forced bedroom scene with Karen Black happens far too soon. Ironically, given her super-cool track record at that point, she doesn't seem like the renaissance era starlet from the likes of FIVE EASY PIECES or the gem that started it all, EASY RIDER. Her part here is a mainstream role in a would-be full-blown avant garde exploitation flick....
One that has its moments. Like whenever our man, who seems more a disheveled accountant than street savvy heroin addict, finds creative ways for money, sometimes robbing crooked Peter to pay off more crooked Paul while the heat is on, including a young Robert DeNiro as the Narc-looking smack-talker of two tailing cops...
When the characters are running wild as the guitar-funky music follows suit, BORN TO WIN delivers: But like the casting of the otherwise nice guy actor Segal, it never completely... to paraphrase Bob Dylan out of context... sticks its head far enough into Desolation Row. After all, that's where (so to speak) the movie's downtrodden soul is supposed to be.
And with the exception of a genuinely devious and formidable pimp/dealer in Hector Elizondo, this street-scene drama has way too much heart... in all the wrong places.
On the run they separate... and while it's clever that Segal's "J" meets his lady while trying to steal her car, a rushed and forced bedroom scene with Karen Black happens far too soon. Ironically, given her super-cool track record at that point, she doesn't seem like the renaissance era starlet from the likes of FIVE EASY PIECES or the gem that started it all, EASY RIDER. Her part here is a mainstream role in a would-be full-blown avant garde exploitation flick....
One that has its moments. Like whenever our man, who seems more a disheveled accountant than street savvy heroin addict, finds creative ways for money, sometimes robbing crooked Peter to pay off more crooked Paul while the heat is on, including a young Robert DeNiro as the Narc-looking smack-talker of two tailing cops...
When the characters are running wild as the guitar-funky music follows suit, BORN TO WIN delivers: But like the casting of the otherwise nice guy actor Segal, it never completely... to paraphrase Bob Dylan out of context... sticks its head far enough into Desolation Row. After all, that's where (so to speak) the movie's downtrodden soul is supposed to be.
And with the exception of a genuinely devious and formidable pimp/dealer in Hector Elizondo, this street-scene drama has way too much heart... in all the wrong places.
truths moviemakers tell themselves
saicalum13 May 2004
George Segal's career encompasses a large body of work, spanning decades. I've seen only a few of his movies. "The Hot Rock" was a great ensemble comedy. "Terminal Man", timely and dark, pegs the other end of the spectrum. It's safe to say the 1970s were about challenging the Old Guard. In Hollywood, this meant reinvention and the search for Truth begun anew. From industry insiders all the way down to you and me it's understood "truth in film" is synonymous with or defined as risky and unprofitable, something other than standard fare. And though overused, the phrase 'they don't make 'em like that anymore' is applicable here, because "Born to Win" was produced for reasons other than profit. Its story is roughly drawn and its characters hunger for a pure, painless resolution that you know will never come by the end of the first scene. George Segal is at the center as J, a heroin addict who spends his time visualizing new plans for his next fix. All other characters within his orbit advance his desparation. There's a very palpable truth in the uncertainty the characters feel. They live, but have no lives. Segal's character has never called a shot in his life, yet he knows from years of experience how it will turn out, with him behind the 8-ball. Karen Black plays the love interest who extends to him the hope of salvation, only to be swept under. Hector Elizondo, Robert De Niro, Paula Prentiss and JJ's main junkie pal Billy (Jay Fletcher) exist to keep the downward spiral swirling. A refreshing and enjoyable film for people who feel a nostalgia for challenging, resonant stories that strike a chord as pure as a tuning fork.
When it comes to film..
TorommE21 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I would have to say this fine piece of drug-oriented cinema is the reason we have film festivals. Simply amazing. I am surprised Vincent Gallo has not stumbled across the idea of remaking "Born To Win", it would be his third film, furthermore third film in which the title begins with the letter "B". This is a classic picture. An ex-hairdresser gone junkie, walking the streets, doing petty jobs for just one more fix, a man who truly knows the blues, a man who has lost everything, and pulls it off with such style and grace. If Vincent Gallo doesn't do something, then there is a glitch in the system. This film is the reason I started taking movies seriously.. it is the reason I dropped out of school and wanted to be a drug-dealer when I grew up.
Better than you'd think
Spearin16 November 1998
It's interesting to see something as grainy and badly lit as this still bubble to the surface once in a while, particularly in this age of independent films produced on multi-million dollar budgets. This one obviously wasn't; from the outset, with its dated music and hokey effects, you can be sure you're in for low-tech.
What sets Born to Win apart is its solid writing and steady, well-thought out performances. George Seagal, who, strangely, might be best remembered as a cliche on the old Tonight Show, has his character down cold. Karen Black is winning, and with the two of them in the lead, the rest of the movie skims along well. I found myself ignoring the stiff camera work and the Sly and the Family Stone-styled soundtrack to actually watch actors act, to see them sometimes apparently ad-lib entire sequences and do it with gusto.
De Niro is too young for the part in which he's cast, and it shows. He looks like a child and has none of the edge we associate with his later performances. By Taxi Driver he'd toughened up, lost the baby-fat and the boy-next-door haircut. Born to Win should be the movie that argues against Seagal and Black being marginalized in film history as also-rans--Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller would both do well to take a look at this before they try another independent, just to see what people of their caliber were doing 30 years ago with nothing more than a cheap camera, a couple of lights and a boom mic. Well done.
What sets Born to Win apart is its solid writing and steady, well-thought out performances. George Seagal, who, strangely, might be best remembered as a cliche on the old Tonight Show, has his character down cold. Karen Black is winning, and with the two of them in the lead, the rest of the movie skims along well. I found myself ignoring the stiff camera work and the Sly and the Family Stone-styled soundtrack to actually watch actors act, to see them sometimes apparently ad-lib entire sequences and do it with gusto.
De Niro is too young for the part in which he's cast, and it shows. He looks like a child and has none of the edge we associate with his later performances. By Taxi Driver he'd toughened up, lost the baby-fat and the boy-next-door haircut. Born to Win should be the movie that argues against Seagal and Black being marginalized in film history as also-rans--Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller would both do well to take a look at this before they try another independent, just to see what people of their caliber were doing 30 years ago with nothing more than a cheap camera, a couple of lights and a boom mic. Well done.
Paging Martin Scorsese
laursene19 June 2003
... not to direct - Ivan Passer's a master who ought to have steady employment and somehow doesn't. But can someone request Scorsese to get behind a restoration of this fine film? It may have been made on a low budget, but that's no reason why the only way to see it anymore is on disgracefully butchered videotapes that leave the story in fragments and turn the color photography into mush (I doubt it was quite this bad when originally released).
I recall from Pauline Kael's review back when it came out that "Born to Win" was dumped on the market and hardly got an audience even then. Maybe with a decent restoration, and a nice DVD transfer, it can finally get some justice? And Ivan Passer can finally get some good projects to work on?
On the critical note, and having seen both Born to Win and Midnight Cowboy again recently, I can say that Passer's film holds up a hell of a lot better than Schlesinger's rather more pretentious contraption. Less showboaty, but also far less sentimental and way more powerful. And a good job by the whole cast.
I recall from Pauline Kael's review back when it came out that "Born to Win" was dumped on the market and hardly got an audience even then. Maybe with a decent restoration, and a nice DVD transfer, it can finally get some justice? And Ivan Passer can finally get some good projects to work on?
On the critical note, and having seen both Born to Win and Midnight Cowboy again recently, I can say that Passer's film holds up a hell of a lot better than Schlesinger's rather more pretentious contraption. Less showboaty, but also far less sentimental and way more powerful. And a good job by the whole cast.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
