Carny (1980)

CARNY  (1980)  ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Robert Kaylor
    Jodie Foster, Gary Busey, Robbie Robertson,
    Meg Foster, Kenneth McMillan, Craig Wasson,
    Bert Remsen, John Lehne, Elisha Cook Jr.
Young Jodie plays a bored small-town waitress who runs off and joins a traveling carnival, hooking up with a couple of midway hustlers played by Busey and Robertson. A dramatized slice of carnival life, including a peak at the freak show. The stars are worth watching, especially the effortlessly low-key Robertson, but the movie never catches up with its potential. Unexpected highlight: an acoustic blues number performed by a 600-pound mass named Jelly Belly Harold.