Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Wow! Such a good movie.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

In the late sixties and early seventies, the anti-establishment feelings engendered by opposition to the Vietnam War resulted in a lot of movies that equated crime with freedom. Somehow, those who broke the law and flouted convention were better than those who obeyed the law, held down regular jobs, and led respectable lives. This movie is clearly in that mold.In particular, Jack and Cecil are small-time cattle rustlers, who kill a cow every now and then and sell the meat. John Brown owns the cattle and wants to catch whoever is stealing them. When Jack and Cecil steal Brown's prize bull and ransom him for a great deal of money, they begin to think about making a bigger haul.Meanwhile, Curt and Burt, ranch hands who work for Brown, figure out that Jack and Cecil are the rustlers. Instead of telling their boss, they end up agreeing to work with Jack and Cecil to make a big score. And while this is going on, Brown hires Henry, a senile old detective, who can hardly walk, to solve the crime. He is so feeble he has to be helped by his niece Laura, who is an innocent do-gooder. At least, so it appears. In reality, Henry is neither senile nor crippled, and Laura is not his niece, but his partner. Henry knows that a big-time heist is always an inside job, and he arranges to have Laura seduce Curt and get the information from him about the caper. They foil the thieves, who are sent off to prison.But as I said, this movie was made back when criminals were romanticized as free spirits, so it would not do to send them to a real prison. Instead, they are sent to a ranch penitentiary, where they ride the range herding cattle for the state of Montana, so it really does not seem like punishment at all, but just another way of being free.

Two modern day day cattle rustlers cut up stolen cattle while talking about the tooth fairy. Macho ranch owners who at one time used to run beauty parlors. Romantic candlelight dinners that turn into wild sex orgies and last but not least $50,000 steer who tears up a motel room. You also get to see the 'world championship pong game'. This is the very first video game that two of the rustlers play while talking business. This is just a few of the off the wall ingredients that await you in this thoroughly engaging, thoroughly quirky little charmer. To say it is just quirky wouldn't be doing it enough justice because it is much more than that. Writer McGuane literally takes every cliche and then playfully works against it. It's success comes from it's ability not to betray itself. No contemporary or 'normal' characters and no broad humor. It's flashiness comes through it's subtlety and laid back nature. Like a good western ballad it's sly and knowing without ever looking like it. This is somewhat similar to McGuane's 92 IN THE SHADE that came out at roughly the same time. Both are good and deal with eccentric characters and humor yet this one fairs better. Mainly because director Perry edits it more tightly. All scenes revolve either around character or story developement. No scenes are excessive in length. Thus you have a better pace and better story momentum. This is a fun movie to watch over and over. Simply because it is so original and done in a very original way. It also makes a good point about the decline of the modern day west which is and maybe always was just a state of mind. Slim Pickens has his best supporting role since DR STRANGELOVE. Filmed on location in Montana which is gorgeous and a real treat since a lot of films aren't done there.

Rancho Deluxe is a western comedy starring Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston. This movie was filled with interesting couples. First, we meet Jack (Jeff Bridges) and Cecil (Sam Waterston), friends looking for their way in the West. Jack is an easy going kid, looking for the easy road in life. Cecil is the brains of the duo and is fiercely proud of his Indian heritage. Together they make quite a pair. In and interesting scene we learn a bit more about their backgrounds and find Jack comes from an extremely well-off family and Cecil's father is a proud Indian too. This helps to understand them better. The next couple are the girlfriends, Betsy and Mary. They are just as quirky as their boyfriends. And the dialogue between the girls, is as funny as the guys, and makes you believe they really are sisters. Next is duo, John and Carla Brown. They are former beauty shop owners, who now own a ranch. Silly cowhands, Kurt and Burt, are the next two interesting characters. And lastly there is Uncle Henry (Slim Pickens) and niece Laura. They come and stay at the Browns' ranch to help solve the mystery of the movie. Which is, who is killing John Browns' cattle? Uncle Henry is nothing short of hysterical as he appears to be doing nothing to help solve the crime he was hired to solve. Niece, Laura, is not as dumb as she is playing either.Mix all these colorful couples together along with a mystery to be solved and you have Rancho Deluxe. The best part is that none of the characters seem to take themselves too seriously with the exception of John Brown. He seems to be the only one not to be in the jokes of the movie. And this makes his role even funnier. So, relax and enjoy Rancho Deluxe and watch everyone get what they deserve in this fun western.

My favorite "modern" western with a great cast, solid story line and plenty of laughs. Music in the background by Jimmy Buffet is a delight. Not a serious, complicated story but one that is interesting enough to make you stick around and enjoy the performances of Bridges, Waterston, Ashley, Dallas and Pickins. Slim's line after he cuts out the slug that downed a steer out on the cold Montana range, (he identifies the bullet as coming from a 50 caliber Sharps rifle) "This is startin' to git downright romantic!" is a hoot. Sexy Charlene Dallas playing her role as the innocent niece made me want to see more of her. To top it all are the great wide open spaces of Montana as backdrop to the film. The ideal movie to view on a weekend afternoon with lots of popcorn and a cold glass, or hot cup of your favorite beverage.