# The 1975 John Wayne movie Roger Ebert couldn’t stand: “Talent shouldn’t be thrown around like this”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1975-john-wayne-movie-roger-ebert-couldnt-stand-talent-shouldnt-be-thrown-around-like-this/
- Published: 2026-10-30T19:12:53+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T20:50:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1975-john-wayne-movie-roger-ebert-couldnt-stand/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Ebert gave *Rooster Cogburn* one star.
- The film was a box-office hit despite poor reviews.
- Ebert thought its stars’ talent was wasted.

## Summary

John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn’s 1975 film *Rooster Cogburn* drew a one-star review from Roger Ebert, despite the stars’ celebrated careers. He argued that the sequel relied on their fame and echoes of earlier performances instead of telling a compelling story, making the pairing feel like a misuse of their talent.

The film followed *True Grit*, for which Wayne won an Academy Award, and brought Hepburn together with Wayne in a pairing that recalled her successful adventure with Humphrey Bogart in *The African Queen*. Their contrasting personalities helped sell the film, which was a box-office hit, but Ebert found its knowingly arch dialogue and recycled bickering distracting. He concluded that the story never took hold and that the film left viewers depressed.

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