J.J., a former New York City hairdresser, commits petty crimes, often with his friend Billy Dynamite, to support his drug habit. He's not very good at it, with something often going wrong. One of J.J.'s more regular gigs is working as a mule for Vivian - who J.J. calls Geek Man to Vivian's chagrin - a pimp for who J.J.'s ex-wife, Veronica, also a junkie, now hustles also to support her habit. J.J.'s life has the potential to change the result of two encounters. One is with a ... (Full plot summary below)
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J.J., a former New York City hairdresser, commits petty crimes, often with his friend Billy Dynamite, to support his drug habit. He's not very good at it, with something often going wrong. One of J.J.'s more regular gigs is working as a mule for Vivian - who J.J. calls Geek Man to Vivian's chagrin - a pimp for who J.J.'s ex-wife, Veronica, also a junkie, now hustles also to support her habit. J.J.'s life has the potential to change the result of two encounters. One is with a pair of NYPD narcs who have him over a barrel concerning his drug use and what they want out of him to make a drug conviction go away. Two is with a young woman named Parm who he meets in the act of one of his crimes. J.J. and Parm enter into a relationship, the love and support within that makes J.J. want to come out on top for once in his life.
Leave your thoughts about Born to Win.
| Ozus' World Movie ReviewsDennis SchwartzUneven cynical drama about the NYC hard-drug scene. |
| USA TodayMike ClarkThe script is full of inconsistencies, and the humor is strictly of the New York nebbish school, but it's well worth checking out. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBorn to Win is a good-bad movie that doesn't always work but has some really brilliant scenes. |
| The New York TimesRoger GreenspunToo theatrically phony and too predictably conventional, and the comedy — though in a few cases genuinely funny — is too mechanical for its function. |
| CinePassionFernando F. CroceThe main event is George Segal's whirligig of hipsterisms in the face of accelerating disaster |
| User ReviewShane KAnother classic treasure!! Pure film perfection. |
| User ReviewAshley CThe simple fact that this is a New York film from 1971 should be all you need to realize that the title was intended ironically. Gritty, alternately harrowing and absurdly funny, this is truly a forgotten gem. Even the crappy, washed-out, full-frame transfer of the copy I watched (which I'm almost positive came directly from a VHS tape) fits the tone. Worth it to see early performances by Robert de Niro, Karen Black, and Burt Young, not to mention George Segal on the streets of Manhattan in a frilly pink bathrobe. |
| User ReviewMartin BA more than decent seventies film. Don't buy it for De Niro though, he's barely in it it. |
| User ReviewPrivate UIgnore the cover: DeNiro is barely in it (a blessing in my books). Cassavetes-esque NY 70s junky movie. Bad people, bad city, bad outfits, dreadful hair. |
| User ReviewAndrejs Pmovie started out pretty unbelievably as segals character attempts to steal the car and a woman walks up asking for a ride. guess whose car it is? well it was the 70's so why not go home with some dude stealing your car. after that the movie gets a lot better. by the way another favorite sega movie of mine was california split. great double feature if you want to be uplifted! |
