Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Director:

Frank Perry

Writer:

Thomas McGuane (writer)

Release Date:

14 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

Oh, give me a home, with a low interest loan. A cowgirl and two pickup trucks. A color TV, all the beer should be free. And that, man, is Rancho Deluxe.

Plot:

Two drifters, of wildly different backgrounds, become cattle rustlers in modern-day Montana.

Plot Keywords:

Rustler | Montana | Native American | Telescopic Rifle | Landlady

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jack McKee
Sam Waterston	...	Cecil Colson
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Cora Brown
Clifton James	...	John Brown
Slim Pickens	...	Henry Beige
Charlene Dallas	...	Laura Beige
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Curt
Richard Bright	...	Burt
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Betty Fargo
Maggie Wellman	...	Mary Fargo
Joe Spinell	...	Mr. Colson (as Joseph Spinell)
Bert Conway	...	Wilbur Fargo
Anthony Palmer	...	Karl
Richard McMurray	...	Mr. McKee
Danna Hansen	...	Mrs. McKee

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Livingston, Montana, USA

Company:

Elliott Kastner Productions

Trivia:

Jeff Bridges met his wife, Susan Bridges - aka Susan Geston - during filming. She was working as a maid on a dude ranch.

Quotes:

Henry Beige: [digging a bullet out of a dead steer] If I wasn't so dad-blamed old, I wouldn't know what this is.
John Brown: What is it?
Henry Beige: It's a fifty-caliber bullet!
John Brown: From what kind of gun?
Henry Beige: A Sharps buffalo rifle! This is gettin' downright romantic!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Who Killed 'Winter Kills'? (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Livingston Saturday Night

Subtle comedy

Rancho Deluxe is something one doesn't see much of these days, a comedy that one has to pay close attention to in order to understand what has happened at the end. Although there are broad comedy aspects to the film, such as when our protagonists shoot up a Lincoln Continental Mark IV with a Sharps 50 Buffalo Rifle, the subtlety with which the plot unfolds is not something I'm used to seeing in comedies.

Having said that, I didn't find the movie funny enough to laugh out loud or interesting enough to keep (DVD version). I bought it because there were some good reviews on Amazon.com, and because Slim Pickins and Jimmy Buffett are in it.

Although the movie is just 92 minutes in length, it seems longer as the plot takes its time unfolding. That's not to say the plot is complex but rather the opposite. The plot is simple and could likely have had its proper unfolding time within the confines of a one-hour TV program. Consequently, the movie seems to have been padded with scenes that do little to advance the plot.

Nevertheless, it's important to pay attention if you want to understand the ending. Despite the simplicity of the plot, certain things are left for the viewer to surmise. But you might find that this movie isn't worth the effort.