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

Sissy Hankshaw: [reading a road sign] If it's sloppy, says The Chink, best to eat it over the sink.

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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

Referenced in Bollywood Hero: Episode #1.1 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Overture"
Written by k.d. lang and Ben Mink
Jane Hathaway's Publishing Co./Bumstead U.S. Publishing (ASCAP)
Zavion Publishing (SOCAN)

User Reviews

Another case of the book being much much better

Gus Van Sant has made some excellent films. I truly am a fan.

However, I can't help but feel that the cerebral edge of Tom Robbins book "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" is lost in translation to the big screen. Alone, Tom Robbins and Gus Van Sant are incredible visionaries and towers of talent. Ultimately though this one just didn't work.

It wasn't that the characters weren't well developed or the plot and content didn't come alive. It's just that our imaginations are much more powerful when reading a book like this. We're taken away to a different time and place and we sometimes think the worst and/or the best and it adds to the overall roller-coaster of the book as it neatly unfolds according to the author's precision. Movies however can leave one with less of the imagination and emotion roller-coaster detracting from the overall experience. This is what I believe happened here.

I suggest reading the book!