A couple of things surprise me about the listing for this movie on IMDb; first, it only merits a 6.2 rating as I write this, and second, there are only fifteen other user reviews here ahead of me. I thought there would have been a lot more Willie Nelson fans out there ready to offer up their thoughts on the film. Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of it every time I've seen it, most notably for the music, but also for the poignant story line about a big time singer breaking out and how hard it is to stay faithful while out 'on the road again'.
As for the music, most of the Willie Nelson standards are here, and if I were writing the screenplay, the only one I would have added to the song list would have been 'Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys'; the story line looked like it could have supported that one any number of places. A nice surprise was hearing how well Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving sounded in the numbers they came in on, and every tune was expertly selected to define the scene it was done in. Especially poignant was Viv Bonham's (Cannon) rendition of "Two Sides to Every Story" as philandering husband Buck (Nelson) joined in during the Garland Ramsey (Slim Pickens) celebration.
The first time I saw this picture many years ago, I felt kind of bad for Lily Ramsey (Irving) during that final performance, seeing as she was on the outside looking in so to speak, as the Bonham's patched up their differences on stage and forgave each other their indiscretions. Watching the film today, it came across more realistically than when I first saw it, as Lily recognized it as her duty to step aside for a marriage that had endured a long time through thick and thin much before she ever came on the scene. It made for a bittersweet reconciliation on her part, as well as for the Bonham's.
I'll tell you what though, there was no shortage of scenes in which Budweiser and Coca-Cola made their presence felt throughout the picture, with able assists by Michelob and Lone Star Beer. Willie's buddies, the Walker Brothers were on hand too, you know, Black and Red. The product placement for this film was all over the place, but even that couldn't hold a candle to Cotton Roberts' dazzling outfit. Who would have guessed that was Mickey Rooney, Jr.!
As for the music, most of the Willie Nelson standards are here, and if I were writing the screenplay, the only one I would have added to the song list would have been 'Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys'; the story line looked like it could have supported that one any number of places. A nice surprise was hearing how well Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving sounded in the numbers they came in on, and every tune was expertly selected to define the scene it was done in. Especially poignant was Viv Bonham's (Cannon) rendition of "Two Sides to Every Story" as philandering husband Buck (Nelson) joined in during the Garland Ramsey (Slim Pickens) celebration.
The first time I saw this picture many years ago, I felt kind of bad for Lily Ramsey (Irving) during that final performance, seeing as she was on the outside looking in so to speak, as the Bonham's patched up their differences on stage and forgave each other their indiscretions. Watching the film today, it came across more realistically than when I first saw it, as Lily recognized it as her duty to step aside for a marriage that had endured a long time through thick and thin much before she ever came on the scene. It made for a bittersweet reconciliation on her part, as well as for the Bonham's.
I'll tell you what though, there was no shortage of scenes in which Budweiser and Coca-Cola made their presence felt throughout the picture, with able assists by Michelob and Lone Star Beer. Willie's buddies, the Walker Brothers were on hand too, you know, Black and Red. The product placement for this film was all over the place, but even that couldn't hold a candle to Cotton Roberts' dazzling outfit. Who would have guessed that was Mickey Rooney, Jr.!