EVERY WHICH WAY: The Story 1. Philo Beddoe and Lynn Halsey-Taylor

[KC]

For their third film together, Eastwood and Locke give comedy a shot in Every Which Way But Loose. Their characters this time around are much different from their previous pairings as Laura Lee and Josey Wales in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Ben Shockley and Gus Mally in The Gauntlet. What kind of a relationship do you think Philo wanted with Lynn in Every Which Way But Loose, and what kind do you think she wanted from him? Without taking the sequel, Any Which Way You Can, into consideration, how do you think Lynn really felt about Philo? Do you feel she was a gold-digger and only using him to advance her career, or do you believe that she may have loved him but was afraid of making the kind of commitment that he wanted? Or do you have another interpretation of their relationship?

[Matt]

I think Lynn Halsey-Taylor was a very self-centered and ugly (not in looks) character who was only out for herself and didn't care who she hurt if it would help her along.  I know this topic asks not to take the sequel into consideration, but I will say that I felt in Any Which Way they tried to turn this around and try to make us believe it was the other... that she loved him all along and perhaps she was afraid to be in a serious relationship at the time.  But I didn't buy the turn-around.  More on that when we do the Any Which Way You Can film discussion.

As for what Philo wanted... well for some reason I haven't yet fathomed, he really fell for this girl... hook, line and sinker.  I think he wanted a serious relationship with her... I believe he was even thinking she was "the one".

We've all made relationship choice mistakes, eh?  So maybe we're supposed to feel some solidarity with Philo when he realizes the girl he loved was such an awful person.  I said in the "least favorite scene" thread that the "I hate you" scene was just awful, but when Lynn sneers "I need it just like anybody else," who could still like this woman (if they did prior to this?)  On the other hand... you really gotta give Philo a lot of credit for just standing there, and then walking away without a word.  (Great performance there by Clint, even though I hate watching that scene.   )

[mgk]

Maybe one of the reasons you don't like that scene is the same reason I don't....a character you don't even like is beating up on a character you do really like.  And, this woman was so self-centered and Philo was completely the opposite.  Another reason I don't like to watch the scene is because Locke puts in such a believable performance of an angry b!tch trying to completely annilate our "hero" and he just stands there without fighting back.  This, of course, is not the usual way Eastwood took care of and will take care of aggressive women in his films.

Halsey-Taylor knew how to play Philo and any other man she wanted to use to get what she wanted or what she "needed."  It made her completely despicable and made us wonder why Philo couldn't see through her motives.  I don't think she cared anything about Philo...he was just another in a long list of men she seduced to get what she wanted.  

Philo does appear to completely fall for her and thus fell into her trap and believed everything she said to him.  And, I think she broke his heart......especially in those scenes where he is almost aimlessly wandering around town because she didn't show up as promised.

[mgk]

Thanks, everyone! This thread is now locked.  Please post any additional thoughts you have on this topic in the General Discussion forum.

[The Schofield Kid]

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