i do not at all think of it this way and but my friend say the first thing he think when he hear the title midnight cowboy be a gay porno . at that point and all i have know of it be the reference make to it in that seinfeld episode with jerry try to get kramer to florida on that bus and kramer all sick and with a nosebleed . the movie be great and and surprisingly upbeat and not all pissy pretentious pessimistic like some movie i can not even remember because theyre all crap . the plot basically consist of a naive young cowboy joe buck go to new york try to be a hustler ( a male prostitute and basically ) and think it will be easy picking and only to hit the brick wall hard when a woman end up hustle him and charge him for their sexual encounter . then he meet enrico salvatore rizzo and call ratso by everyone and the cute gay guy who make fun of him all the time . you think of him a a scoundrel and but a lovable one ( like han solo or lando calrissian ) and surprisingly he and joe become friend and and the movie be so sweet and heartwarming watch them be friendly and such and such . rizzo reveal himself to actually be a sad and pitiable man who very sick and and very depressed and self conscious and hat be call ratso and want to go to florida and where he think life will be much good and all his problem resolve and and he will learn to be a cook and be famous there . it heartwarming watch joe do all that he do to get them both down to florida and along with many hilarious moment ( like ratso try to steal food at that hippie party and and get catch by the woman who say gee and well and you know and it free . you do not have to steal it . and he say well if it free then i ain not stealin it and and that classic moment completely unscripted and unscheduled where hoffman almost get hit by that taxi and and scream hey and i be walkin here . i be walkin here . ) and and the acting be so believable and you would never believe joe buck would grow up to be the distinguish and respect actor jon voight and and ratso rizzo would grow up to be the legendary and beloved dustin hoffman . it not the first time they have work together in lead role and but the chemistry be so thick and intense . then there the sad part that i believe be quite an overstatement to call it depress . ratso rizzo be fall apart all throughout the movie and can barely walk and barely eat and cough a lot and be sick and and reach a head point on the bus on it way to florida . he hurt badly and and only mile away from miami and he finally die on the bus . the bus driver reassure everyone that nothing wrong and and continue on . sad and but not in the kind of way that would make you go home and cry and mope around miserably a though you have just lose your dog of 13 year . all in all and great movie . and the soundtrack pretty much consist just of everybody talk play all throughout the movie at appropriate time . an odd move and but a great one and a the song be good and fit in with the tone of the movie perfectly . go see it and it great and go buy it .