Watch Greaser's Palace
- TV-MA
- 1972
- 1 hr 31 min
-
5.8 (1,223)
Greaser's Palace is a bizarre and surreal western comedy movie from 1972 directed by Robert Downey Sr. The film is set in a small town located in the American Wild West era, and it follows the story of a zoot suit-wearing character named Jessy who looks like Jesus Christ. Jessy travels to the town of Greaser's Palace with the intention of becoming an entertainer.
The movie is filled with religious symbolism and irony, and it presents a twisted and amusing view of the American West. The film opens with an image of Jessy descending from the sky naked, with a parasol covering him as he falls. When he lands, he learns the town is owned by Seaweedhead Greaser, a ruthless entrepreneur who operates a brothel, a casino and a shooting gallery. As Jessy's arrival in the town coincides with Easter, he becomes known as the "Messiah," and people ask him to perform miracles, which he does to hilarious and extravagant effect.
However, Jessy doesn't have a smooth sailing in the town, and he experiences several obstacles as he tries to establish himself. The local sheriff, who also serves as a baker, doesn't believe he's a performer and jails him. After some time, he's released by the sheriff and hired by Seaweedhead Greaser as a performer to act in his theater. Greaser tells Jessy that if he brings his mother (played by Luana Anders) to the town, he'll pay him generously.
The movie is packed with eccentric characters, such as a transvestite saloon keeper, a midget bandit hiding within another bandit's body, and a man who keeps a birdcage and thinks he's Queen Victoria. Jessy's mother, in particular, is central to the plot of the movie, and she mainly appears as a hallucination or a disembodied voice who prophesies Jessy's coming death.
Throughout the film, the protagonist faces strange and comical situations, and at times, the events feel like a series of random scenes stitched together. The overall tone of the movie is bizarre, absurdist, and hilarious, employing parody and pastiche techniques to provide a skewed view of traditional Western film themes such as Christianity, salvation, and morality.
The set design and costumes are as bizarre and strange as the story, featuring a unique blend of western and 1970s pop culture. The movie has an overall grainy, low-budget feel, which adds to the slapdash and spontaneous nature of the film.
The movie may be difficult to digest for some viewers as it redefines the 'Western' genre with outrageous ideas and imagery. However, if one appreciates the unpredictable, surreal and nonsensical, Greaser's Palace is a unique and entertaining cinematic experience that can't be missed.
Overall, Greaser's Palace is an irreverent and mind-bending journey, a must-watch for anyone who loves nonsensical comedy and satire. While it isn't going to appeal to everyone's tastes, the movie is a highly original, creative, and daring production that deserves recognition as a unique contribution to the cinematic genre.
Greaser's Palace is a 1972 western with a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.8.