Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)

Sissy Hankshaw is born with enormous thumbs that help her hitchhiking through the US from a young age. She becomes a model in advertising and her NY agent 'the Countess' sends her to his ... See full summary »

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

Tom Robbins (novel), Gus Van Sant (screenplay)

Stars:

Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Pat Morita

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Uma Thurman	...	Sissy Hankshaw
Lorraine Bracco	...	Delores Del Ruby
Pat Morita	...	The Chink (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)
Angie Dickinson	...	Miss Adrian
Keanu Reeves	...	Julian Gitche
John Hurt	...	The Countess
Rain Phoenix	...	Bonanza Jellybean
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Rupert
Carol Kane	...	Carla
Sean Young	...	Marie Barth
Crispin Glover	...	Howard Barth
Roseanne Barr	...	Madame Zoe (as Roseanne Arnold)
Buck Henry	...	Dr. Dreyfus
Grace Zabriskie	...	Mrs. Hankshaw
Treva Jeffryes	...	Young Sissy

Storyline

Sissy Hankshaw is born with enormous thumbs that help her hitchhiking through the US from a young age. She becomes a model in advertising and her NY agent 'the Countess' sends her to his ranch in CA to shoot a commercial, set against the background of mating whooping cranes. There, she befriends Bonanza Jellybean, one of the cowgirls at the beauty- ranch. The cowgirls take command of the ranch from the Countess and 'drug' the cranes with 'peyote'. The police besiege the ranch.

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Plot Keywords:

ranch | cowgirl | whooping crane | thumb | peyote | 

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Taglines:

There have been many great drivers but only one great passenger.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

20 May 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Até as Vaqueiras Ficam Tristes

Filming Locations:

Bend, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,710,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Fourth Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Madonna was originally cast as Delores Del Ruby.

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Quotes

Delores Del Ruby: [about The Countess] Look at him, perverse as a pink pickle.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning, lot of stars rise in the sky. One, aside and slower than the others, writes the words "For River". [River Phoenix]

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Connections

Featured in Brows Held High: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Jackson"
Written by Jerry Leiber and Billy Edd Wheeler
Jerry Leiber Music (ASCAP) and Bexhill Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Performed by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood
Courtesy of Boots Enterprises

User Reviews

4.0??? No way...

I could not agree less with the rating that was given to this movie, and I believe this is a sample of how short minded most of spectators are all over the world. Really... Are you forgetting that Cinema used to be a kind of art before some tycoons tried to make it only entertainment? This movie is not entertainment, at least not that easy entertainment you get on movies like Titanic or Gladiator. It has style, it is different, it is shocking... That's why most of you have hated it so much: because it does not try to be pleasing to you. It's just a story, a very weird one I admit, but after all, only a weird story. It is not a great story, not even a great cinema work, but I believe it is worth a 7-stars rating only for the courage of both author and director to shot a story that is not made to please the audience, thus selling billions of copies and making the big studios even richer. This movie is, for me, European-artistic-like movie made in the US, and everyone involved in the making of it deserves respect. Be it for the courage, or be it for the unique sense of humor.