Love Ranch (2010)

A drama centered around a married couple who opened the first legal brothel in Nevada.

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writer:

Mark Jacobson

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Joe Pesci, Sergio Peris-Mencheta

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Mirren	...	Grace Bontempo
Joe Pesci	...	Charlie Bontempo
Sergio Peris-Mencheta	...	Armando Bruza
Gina Gershon	...	Irene
Taryn Manning	...	Mallory
Scout Taylor-Compton	...	Christina
Bai Ling	...	Samantha
Elise Neal	...	Alana
Bryan Cranston	...	James Pettis
Rick Gomez	...	Tom Macy
M.C. Gainey	...	Warren Stamp
Gil Birmingham	...	Johnny Cortez
Emily Rios	...	Muneca
Melora Walters	...	Janelle
Raoul Max Trujillo	...	Hernan Prado (as Raoul Trujillo)

Storyline

In the mid-70s, near Reno, Grace Bontempo runs the Love Ranch, a legal brothel. Her husband Charlie, with big dreams, a felony record, and an aptitude for spending and infidelity, is the brothel's public face. On the day Grace's doctor tells her she has cancer in an advanced state, Charlie takes on new client, Argentine boxer Armando Bruza, Charlie's ticket to fame: he hopes to promote a fight with Ali. Because of Charlie's felonies, Grace is Bruza's titular manager. With the IRS and the church ladies circling the business, Grace takes the manager's role seriously and, along the way, Bruza charms her. Secrets play out: is there love at the Love Ranch? How will Charlie respond?

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Plot Keywords:

female full frontal nudity | ex convict | woman wears a bikini | woman wears lingerie | brothel | 

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Taglines:

She Found Love In The Most Unexpected Of Places.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, pervasive language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 2011 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Havat ha'ahava

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$60,353, 4 July 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$134,904, 25 July 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aramid Entertainment Fund, Film & Entertainment VIP Medienfonds 3 GmbH & Co. KG, Rising Star

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mirren has also starred as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George (1994).

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film, Charlie and the band are performing to a packed house. The drummer uses a crash cymbal from the very popular Zildjian company, the A Custom. This movie takes place in 1976, and the Zildjian A Custom didn't come out until 1990.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grace Bontempo: Selling love will make you rich. That's what my mother taught me. Just don't put your heart in it.

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Connections

References I've Got a Secret (1952)

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Soundtracks

My Devotion
Written by Roc Hillman & Johnny Napton
Performed by Keely Smith

User Reviews

Unfairly overlooked, interesting human story for grown ups!

I sought this movie out on DVD because it's cinema release was negligible, and anything with Helen Mirren will have some merit. I can only imagine it's almost invisible release was due to the inability of the youthful marketeers to easily identify the box in which to place it, romance, thriller, gangster flic? For those of us who don't care about such trite labels, this is an interesting movie, characters with some depth, it's not really about goodies or baddies, or even right or wrong, it's a story, with some romance, some humour, some sex, some drama, great performances from stalwarts and what should have been a launch pad to international stardom for the young Spaniard...fear not Sergio, we will see you again. I liked it a lot and really recommend it to people who enjoy films about other people rather than machines and/or concepts!