OVERLAY REPORT

In the 1969 film *Midnight Cowboy*, the story is centered on two main characters who function as co-protagonists: **Joe Buck** (played by Jon Voight) and **"Ratso" Rizzo** (Enrico Salvatore Rizzo, played by Dustin Hoffman). While Joe Buck is the "title character"—the naive Texan who travels to New York to become a hustler—the film is famously a "two-hander" about the symbiotic, tragic friendship between him and the sickly, street-wise con man Ratso. ### **Joe Buck (Jon Voight)** Joe is a dishwasher from Texas who arrives in New York with a suitcase full of cowboy gear and a misguided confidence in his appeal to rich women. His lines often reflect his initial naivety and his internal struggle with his identity. * **"I ain't a for-real cowboy. But I am one helluva stud."** This is Joe’s personal mantra and "sales pitch." He says this early in the film to establish his confidence, though it becomes increasingly ironic as he fails to find success in New York. * **"John Wayne! You don't tell me he's a f--g?"** Joe says this in response to Ratso’s mockery of his outfit. It highlights Joe's desperate need to believe in the masculine "cowboy" archetype he has adopted and his defensive reaction to having that image challenged. * **"I only get carsick on boats."** A humorous line that illustrates Joe’s "fish-out-of-water" simplicity and occasional dim-wittedness. ### **"Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman)** Rico "Ratso" Rizzo is a limping, tubercular petty thief who initially cons Joe but eventually becomes his only friend. His lines are often aggressive, cynical, or desperately hopeful. * **"I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!"** This is the most iconic line in the film (and one of the most famous in cinema history). It occurs when a taxi nearly hits Ratso and Joe while they are crossing a Manhattan street. * **Specific Detail:** The line was famously improvised. A real New York City taxi driver drove onto the closed set during filming; rather than breaking character, Hoffman slammed his hand on the hood and yelled the line to stay in the moment. * **"The two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk... didya know that?"** Ratso says this while describing his dream of moving to Florida. It reveals his pathetic, childlike hope for a "paradise" that will cure his failing health. * **"In my own place, my name ain't Ratso. I mean, it just so happens that in my own place my name is Enrico Salvatore Rizzo."** This line is a rare moment of vulnerability for Ratso, where he asserts his humanity and dignity against the derogatory nickname he’s been given by the street. * **"Frankly, you're beginning to smell, and for a stud in New York, that's a handicap."** Ratso's blunt assessment of Joe’s declining state as they both descend into extreme poverty. ### **Summary of the Dynamic** The "main character" is technically Joe Buck, as the film follows his journey from Texas to New York and eventually to Florida. However, the film's emotional core is the relationship between the two. Their most memorable lines often occur when they are clashing over their conflicting views of the world—Joe’s rural idealism versus Ratso’s urban cynicism.