The 1975 John Wayne movie Roger Ebert couldn’t stand: “Talent shouldn’t be thrown around like this”
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.
In short
- Ebert gave *Rooster Cogburn* one star.
- The film was a box-office hit despite poor reviews.
- Ebert thought its stars’ talent was wasted.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Ebert’s criticism can be understood as a call to judge a film by what it does with its story and performers, rather than by famous names or echoes of earlier successes. If the dialogue and recycled bickering prevent the story from taking hold, the star pairing may feel like a missed opportunity rather than a strength.
The case against
The film’s appeal may lie precisely in seeing two celebrated performers play off their contrasting screen personas, with familiar banter offering an enjoyable continuation of the Western and adventure traditions. Its box-office success suggests that audiences could find pleasure in that chemistry and knowingly arch tone, even if the story was less compelling to Ebert.
Explained simply
Rooster Cogburn is a 1975 Western sequel to True Grit, the film in which John Wayne played the one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn and won an Academy Award. In the sequel, Wayne starred alongside Katharine Hepburn, whose earlier adventure film The African Queen had paired her with Humphrey Bogart.
The two stars brought contrasting screen personas to the story, and their pairing helped attract audiences. Film critic Roger Ebert’s review focused on whether their performances and the film’s knowing humour could make up for a story he found unengaging.