Urban Cowboy (1980)

Directed by James Bridges. Starring John Travolta, Debra Winger, Madolyn Smith, Scott Glenn, Barry Corbin, Brooke Alderson, Cooper Huckabee, James Gammon. [R]

Small-town Texan Travolta moves to the big city (Houston), discovers a whirlwind but rocky romance with Winger and a skill for riding mechanical bulls. A slice-of-life romantic drama without a satisfactory storyline hook, heavier on lifestyle trappings than character specificity; coupled with its ordinary outlook on macho self-destruction, that leaves all the heavy lifting of its insight to football field-sized honky-tonks and mechanical bull rodeos. The stars do what they can with underwritten roles, and the script—inspired by an Esquire article about regulars at the same bar featured in the film finding love with each other—is at least grounded enough to retain a sober, even bleak atmosphere. Falls apart in the final act, with repetitive bull-riding scenes, soapy melodrama, and a botched armed robbery delaying the inevitable resolution. Best remembered today for a scene showcasing Winger and her highly-suggestive gyrations (for good reason). Country music performers appearing as themselves include Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, and Johnny Lee.

52/100