Bad Girls (1994)

Four prostitutes join together to travel the Old West.

Director:

Jonathan Kaplan

Writers:

Albert S. Ruddy (story), Charles Finch (story)

Stars:

Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Madeleine Stowe	...	Cody Zamora
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Anita Crown
Andie MacDowell	...	Eileen Spenser
Drew Barrymore	...	Lilly Laronette
James Russo	...	Kid Jarrett
James Le Gros	...	William Tucker (as James LeGros)
Robert Loggia	...	Frank Jarrett
Dermot Mulroney	...	Josh McCoy
Jim Beaver	...	Pinkerton Detective Graves
Nick Chinlund	...	Pinkerton Detective O'Brady
Neil Summers	...	Ned, Jarrett Gang
Daniel O'Haco	...	Roberto, Jarrett Gang
Richard Reyes	...	Rico, Jarrett Gang
Alex Kubik	...	Yuma, Jarrett Gang
Will MacMillan	...	Colonel Clayborne

Storyline

When saloon prostitute Cody Zamora rescues her friend Anita from an abusive customer by killing him, she is sentenced to hang. However, Anita and their two friends Eileen and Lilly rescue Cody and the four make a run for Texas, pursued by Graves and O'Brady, two Pinkerton detectives hired to track them. When Cody withdraws her savings from a Texas bank, the women believe they can now start a new life in Oregon. But Cody's old partner Kid Jarrett takes Cody's money when his gang robs the bank, and so the four so-called "Honky- Tonk Harlots" set out to recover the money, with the Pinkertons hot on their trail.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | prostitution | brothel | western town | small town | 

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Taglines:

It was a dangerous time to be a woman. And a good time to have friends.

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for western violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Belles de l'Ouest

Filming Locations:

Alamo Village - Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,012,200, 24 April 1994, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,240,435

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, The Ruddy Morgan Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tamra Davis started as director of this film, with a script written by Yolande Turner and Becky Johnston. A few weeks into filming, the production company became unhappy with the direction the film was taking. They shut down production, replaced Davis with Jonathan Kaplan, had the script rewritten and sent the four main actresses off to "cowboy camp" to learn how to shoot, rope and ride.

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Goofs

A wad of hundred dollar bills seen briefly is obviously twentieth-century money.

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Quotes

Lilly: Sawmill?
Anita: We sold our bodies, why couldn't we sell some wood?

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Alternate Versions

An unrated video version featuring additional footage is available in the USA.

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Connections

Referenced in The Winner: Broken Home (2007)

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Soundtracks

Streets of Laredo
Traditional
Solo Guitar James Le Gros

User Reviews

The Great Western that almost was.

A decent enough film missing some key story and dramatic elements. The film takes no time getting into the meat of the matter, but the characters suffer because of it, ergo the film carries those same burdens.

Were given the background of the four characters in question, but budgetary considerations scale down what could've been an epic western with its characteristic sale's point being fully explored. Regrettably it's somewhat cliché both in terms of a western and female oriented film. Because of this the film strives for an A+ but winds up hitting moderate B territory.

A well shot pic with respectable acting, but not enough expose on the characters' origins, nor on how they developed into the outlaw clique they create for the film.

Minor quibble; it's been over thirty years since I picked up a weapon of any-kind, but seeing the four leads handle their weapons shows the director wasn't too concerned about "girlish" overtones intruding on a traditionally masculine venue. It's a minor point, but an important one because Nimrods of both sexes understand how to handle firearms, and it puts a wry grin on this viewer's face to see the lead characters intimidated by their own weapons (even though they get off spectacular hip shots, a la the tradition of many other westerns).

Acting and cinematography are respectable, as is the directing for what the shooting schedule allowed. Not an extraordinary film, but one that entertains on one level. That and the sexual component really didn't need the exposure it received in this film. In other words it could've been handled more tastefully, or axed altogether. Whoever thought seeing Barrymoore in a compromising position was way off base.

I bought the thing at K-Mart for seven dollars, and given what I saw I think I got my money's worth. But what turned out to be a minor savings could have been a really bargain had FOX just allowed full development of script and story for this film.