Carny feels like watching a documentary unfold within a movie’s narrative. The film focuses on the people who work at a carnival, showing both their daily routines and what their personal lives are like. Jodie Foster plays Donna, an 18-year-old waitress from a small town who longs for something more thrilling. One night, while she's at the local carnival with her athletic boyfriend (played by Craig Wasson), she finds herself noticed in the crowd as he’s playing a game where people try to dunk someone. That someone is Frankie, portrayed by Gary Busey, who waits in a tank of water for unsuspecting people to hit the target and send him plunging into the water. There are other games run by different hustlers too. Overseeing everything is Patch, played by Robbie Robertson, a well-known guitarist and songwriter; his character’s name fits because he essentially smooths over problems, from bribing city officials to coordinating with the local mob boss. Things get complicated when Frankie informs Patch that Donna will be joining them as they travel around. Patch isn't happy about this and makes arrangements to have her removed. A series of unfortunate events follows, which Patch attributes to Donna. He then attempts to tell the person in charge of the strip show that Donna can perform nude instead of being a backup dancer, which is what she believes she’s going to do. A disturbance erupts, and Patch realizes he's overstepped his bounds after Donna gets hurt. More conflict arises when Frankie discovers Donna and Patch together one night. Patch and Frankie disagree but quickly reconcile. The film concludes with an unexpected twist, leaving the story open for a sequel that never happened. Overall, Carny provides a decent look at the lives of carnival employees and their methods of deception.

Source on TMDB