| Rancho Deluxe | | Cast : | Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston | | Director : | Frank Perry | | Studio : | MGM/UA Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 14, 1975 | | DVD Released Date : | December 19, 2000 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 21, 2005 | | Summary | Rancho Deleterious | Content
 | Frank Perry, director, was best known for his first film, DAVID & LISA (1962). He won a Oscar right of the gate. He completed 20 films before his death in 1995. His best films, critically, were done before 1970-while he was still collaborating with his wife, Eleanor Perry. He is responsible for the cult favorite, MOMMIE DEAREST (1981). RANCHO DELUXE is one of his minor efforts.
Jeff Bridges played cattle rustler Jack McKee as energetic, loose-limbed, randy, and irresponsible. He took full advantage of his boyish charm while either laying down a con-or hustling a lady. But this character never became fully developed. Something was missing in the heart of it. He just seemed to coast through the part-almost phoning it in. Bridges is an excellent actor-so this role is not representative of his talent. Sam Waterston played half breed Cecil Colson-McKee's rustling Indian companion. He found an interesting stillness which played nice against McKee's manic qualities. But oddly-Waterston played the part as if Cecil were intelligent. Yet his unblinking loyalty to McKee, and his willingness to join in on all the bad career and life decisions did not then ring true. There was just something false about the duo-the mix.
The supporting cast almost saved this comedic dirge. Slim Pickens led the pack with his almost funny aging stock detective-Henry Beige. Clifton James blustered his way through the role of stockman and heavy-John Brown. Harry Dean Stanton played ranch hand Curt. Richard Bright played ranch hand Burt. They were book ends-cowboy versions of Laurel and Hardy-yet most of what they did was not funny-and neither was given any redeeming qualities. Joe Spinell did a nice turn Cecil's Indian father. Elizabeth Ashley struggled with Mrs. Brown-the almost Cattle Queen of Montana-and oversexed spoiled wife-lamely trying to put the make on Curt and Burt.
The plot of this film circled back on itself like a confused snake swallowing its tail. Roger Ebert wrote," I don't know where this film went so disastrously wrong, but it did-and the story must be a sad one." Each time I re-watch this I hope to find it has improved-that it will get better. It never does.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 12, 2005 | | Summary | I want some gothic ranch action | Content
| A pair of young drifters, privileged Jack (Jeff Bridges) and `half-caste Indian' (that how he's identified in the accompanying trailer) Cecil (Sam Waterston) take to rustling cattle in the Big Sky country of Montana in the mid-70s and hilarity ensues.
At least I think that's supposed to be hilarity we're looking at. The humor probably worked better back then, when the generation gap depicted had a little more immediate relevancy. Back when one would giggle automatically in a movie that has a character suggest the I Ching be thrown to locate lost horses, and casual sex and `dyno supreme' pot imparted an edge to a youth movie.
Jack and Cecil are rustling their cattle from the B Bar Lazy T ranch owned by elder rancher John Brown (Clifton James) and his trophy wife Cora (Elizabeth Ashley.) Hired hands Curt and Burt (get it?) - Harry Dean Stanton and Richard Bright - are too inept to track down the rustlers, so veteran cattle detective Henry Beige (Slim Pickens) and nice-Nelly niece Laura (Charlene Dallas) are called upon to bring the bad boys to justice.
A number of my favorite actors - Bridges, Stanton, Pickens - are in RANCHO DELUXE, and for that reason alone I gave this one three stars. The plot is loose and sloppy and slow-moving, the humor is subtle to non-existent, and the unappealing character are salvaged only by the charisma of the stars playing them. A weak endorsement for this one.
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| Rating | | | Date | February 10, 2005 | | Summary | the west- like it or leave us alone | Content
| I'm one of the people who has seen this movie numerous times and loves it. I first watched it with a friend who grew up around the Crazy Mts and knew exactly what was being shown. I guess if you don't know the rural west and have no sense of humor beyond the Adam Sandler fart joke level this will not be a movie for you but if you appreciate nuanced acting, great locations and a natural story flow you will enjoy it. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 15, 2003 | | Summary | Ramblin' Around Big Sky | Content
| A quirky look at stereotypical (although not too far fetched) characters around Livingston, Bozeman and Paradise Valley before the onset of present day contemporary "Californication". Looking for a way to "keep awake", Jeff McKee (Jeff Bridges), a bored rich kid from the east who has run away from a looney girlfriend, and Cecil Colson (Sam Waterston), a local Indian drifter, take up together as chainsaw rustlers looking to make a few bucks to put down on their own spread, Rancho Deluxe. In the process, they prey upon a local cattle baron (Clifton James) and his flurtatious wife (Elizabeth Ashley), recent transplants with lots of loose cash and plans to be the next cattle king of Montana. After some steer tossing and bull-napping for beef and front money, the rustlers plan the big one with some inside help only to get knabbed in the end by the hired regulator (Slim Pickens) and his mischevious niece (Charlene Dallas).
Jimmy Buffett's lively score and the scenery (natural and man made) contributes to the mistique and rough edge of the wild good old times.
Rancho Deluxe struck a nerve of interest when it was initially released and the film reached cult status in Montana. The phenomena might be partially attributed to the perception many young Montanans had at the time of being rather disconnected from the rest of the country (not that that was necessarily a bad thing). The film helped open up Montana to Hollywood movie makers who soon followed to make Thunderbolt & Lightfoot (1974) and The Missouri Breaks (1977). Big Sky Country would never be the same, what a shame. |
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