For many of my generation Burt Reynolds was our first template for what it was to be a cool strong adult man.
He was one of the only movie stars my dad and I could agree on really. For a lot of boys growing up in the late 70s the Bandit was on equal footing with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo as the idealization of the American hero archetype. Where Han and Luke owed more to classic heroic mythos, Burt made Bandit real in more lived-in ways.
He was adventurous, impulsive and often reckless but also vulnerable if you could just get past the hat. His brio and resourcefulness weren’t unlimited and each came from a place that was more ‘maybe this will work’ than ‘I have a plan.’ This was just one small yet substantial piece of the Burt puzzle but this most iconic role is probably the most Burt role he ever played.
Cocky yet self effacing, tough yet not invincible, a smartass for his own amusement and an ideal wrapped in imperfection hoping desperately to believe in his own legend.
I loved Burt in more movies than I can even name and could write 5000 words on his Jack Horner alone. Hell, it’s part of Burt’s inability to get out of his own way that his post-Boogie Nights career rebirth never really happened (as I’m sure he’d admit).
Foremost Burt was an entertainer in the classic sense of the word, up for anything even at his own expense and failure.
Rest In Peace to a true American legend. East bound and down good buddy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52mQiusewP0&app=desktop
—jason malmberg
Flommist Jason Malmberg is a simple man who believes in brown liquor and small dogs. He also makes art sometimes. Copyright © 2018 Jason Malmberg.
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