Waltz Across Texas (1982)
A wildcatter and a geologist prospect for oil and love in West Texas.
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Good movie but grossly overrated
Good , But It Is Overrated By Some
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Since I never have been to the oil fields I found this to be a nice love story, with a look at the 'wild catter's' lives. I was in the base theater in Naples, Italy in 1983 when I saw it with my 5 y/o son, we were there in Naples for a medical trip. The music was easy to listen to and there was enough action in the movie to not only hold my attention, even with an earthquake happening about half way through the movie, but also kept the attention of my son. Some of the things shown, such as the hose being wrestled by one man, did not seem realistic, but apparently they took 'poetic license' with some of the things shown, however the general public would not know that.
I grew up in a family of "oil field trash" and worked on drilling rigs and for other oil field related companies for most of my adult life, and it is true; it isn't very realistic. That said, I've not seen too many movies that WERE realistic.Many of the rotary rig scenes were nothing like I've been around (if the swivel hose broke like in the movie, there's no man on Earth that could've wrestled with it) and the "spudder" rig drilling was ludicrous. The two of them arguing about letting the rig become a "gusher" was silly....but it all was enjoyable.Just a sweet little love story with some memorable scenes and lines: "You oughta see it when it's REALLY blowin'!"
This was a very watcheable movie, perhaps a little more so knowing that the two leads were married in real life. Probably trying to ride the crest of "Urban Cowboy", it nevertheless has its own charm and identity. The "battle of the sexes" is gentle and convincing. Anne Archer and Terry Jastrow nearly always speak in hoarse whispers. I replayed the Texas line-dance scene and also the big slug-fest scene on the oil rig, both well choreographed and performed by competent, "physical" people. Well, being both an Anne Archer fan (she'd be my dream date from a High School reunion as in "Lifeguard") and a George W. fan from the git-go, I guess this movie pushed all the right buttons.