What is it that people like about this film?
I just don’t get it, maybe someone can enlighten me.
shareDEBRA WINGER.
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MovieChat Forums > Urban Cowboy (1980) Discussion > What is it that people like about this f...
Good movie. It's a kind of slice of life showing various characters hanging around the legendary Gilleys bar, has good performances from Travolta and Winger, and a scene stealing turn from Scott Glenn.
And it has the bucking bronco ride.
It's a very underated little movies but at the time it was made Travolta was in a slump box office wise, so it didnt perform very well and is largely forgotten.
It's forgotten because there were just a lot more movies coming out then that gathered more attention. I liked the movie at the time, but it isn't something I think about revisiting.
shareIt was a sign of the times. I don't think it would resonate with modern audiences.
shareHard to put a finger on. It's one of those odd films that are hard to explain.
I don't like Travola, but like he did in Saturday Night Fever, turns in a surprising if not mesmerizing performance. Scott Glen was amazing, the rest of the cast was pretty good. The story was interesting at least.
Several others have mentioned Winger, and I think she was miscast in this film just as she was in An Officer and a Gentleman. In both movies, I thought the protagonists would have been better off without her. She just comes off as totally unlikable.
What was unlikable about her in this film in particular?
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I don't know - I just didn't find her likeable or sympathetic at all. I thought Bud would have been far better off with the classy girl and was surprised when Bud and Sissy ended up together.
The character was dumb, vindictive, petty, and the dictionary definition of white trash. Actually, she was two steps below the white trash norm.
shareI thought it was one of Travolta's better films and made the most ordinary simple of people interesting. I don't even like country music but I liked this film so much more than Saturday Night Fever. It just rings true for me.
Unlike some of the other comments I think both Travolta and Winger were perfect for the role...very authentic. Winger maybe more than Travolta..
And Travolta's character ending up with that rich girl? No way that makes sense.
It's just a slice of life that works mainly from the performances.
There's a certain charm to this movie that is hard to explain.....but part of it is kinda what others have mentioned. It's a little slice of life during a specific and charming era that is all but gone now. This movie could not be made now and have any of the magic it had at the time it was made. It would be like trying the capture the magic Jaws had in 1975...or Miami Vice had in 1984. You just have to enjoy it for what it is and was. If you were lucky enough to be around when the movie came out, then you lived and experienced some of that magic....and the movie is a nostalgic time-capsule back to those good ole times. Also....the soundtrack was....PERFECT.
shareIs it really good old times?
The working class blowing their money in a bar? Alcoholism, infidelity and domestic abuse.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the movie. But I see it more as a social critique.
The things you mention (working class going to the bar, alcoholism…) aren’t intrinsic to any one particular era. Those things are every bit as prevalent today as they were back then.
But (in my opinion) things just seemed to be simpler back then, before things like the Internet and omnipresent cell phones changed things forever.
I doubt a place like Gilley’s could even exist today. Restaurants are shutting down left and right. Movie theaters and book stores are dying fast. And the joy of going to a record store or an arcade? RIP
Back then, a concert would cost you maybe $25. And if you wanted a good seat close to the stage, you camped outside the record store overnight. These days, a concert ticket can set you back $400.
So…I suppose it just comes down to perspective, opinion and context….not to mention what your age might be, and how happy/sad you may have been back then. For me, seeing a film like Urban Cowboy is like hearing one of those great “time capsule” songs that instantly reminds me of a great time period from my past, and puts me in a pleasant frame of mind.
If you didn’t have a very happy life back in 1980, I suppose being reminded of that era may bum you out instead of giving you a happy thought.