Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994)

If someone ever put together a what-were-they-thinking top 10, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues would surely make the list. Based on Tom Robbins's '70s ode to freedom, whooping cranes, and ambisexuality, this Gus Van Sant film sat on the shelf for almost a year before its brief release. More of a curiosity than anything else, it tells the convoluted story of Sissy Hankshaw (Uma Thurman), the world's greatest hitchhiker by virtue of her mammoth, um, thumbs. She falls in with a lesbian collective at a dude ranch and, well, the rest is kind of a mess. Kind of? Let's say it's a monumental mess, one of those films that's like a 25-car pileup on the interstate that you have to stop and look at, just to figure out what people like Keanu Reeves, Roseanne, John Hurt, and Angie Dickinson are doing there. A great score by k.d. lang, by the way. --Marshall Fine Amazon.com

One of the worst movies ever

Uma Thurman is not a very good actress. She's tall, & reasonably attractive, & sometimes blonde, but she was the poster-girl for the Uber-hip set in the late 80's/early 90's so for that set, she was a perfect choice as Sissy Hankshaw. Having read & loved this book, I knew she was not a good choice, and she was subsequently was named Worst Actress of 1993 for her terrible attempt to portray Cissy. Likewise, Rain aka Rain- bow aka Rain Phoenix was also miscast, as well as not being talented enough to pull off the role of Boss Cowgirl Bonanza Jellybean. She seemed to be attempting to read off a Teleprompter, or maybe she should have been. Did I detect her lips moving before she attempted to deliver her lines? The reason she was not named Worst Actress of 1993 was that to win that award, she had to be an actress, which she clearly is not. I've seen better acting on an X-rated channel. Angie Dickinson, that 60's-70's retread hearthrob of teenage males was nearly as bad as Phoenix & Thurman, but she had an excuse, she hadn't worked for many years, & was critically hungover. At least she seemed that way. That's the bad news. The good news is, the rest of the cast was a hoot! Batting leadoff, the always weird & wonderful Carol Kane & Buck Henry(why don't those two have children?? What a great idea), John Hurt in drag, Crispin Glover, Pat Morita(as Noryuki)as The Chink("Ha Ha Ho Ho and Hee Hee!!"), Sean Young looking so sexy I almost forgot about her psychotic meltdown over James Woods, Keanu Reeves was entirely adequate as Julian Gitchee, but any one of a number of Native American, Canadian, or Ecuadoran actors would have been a better choice, such as the lovely & talented Gary Farmer. Two other bones to pick: 1) Tom Robbins' favorite Native American tribe, is not pronounced See-Wash, but Sigh-wash and B) Why was the locale moved from the Dakotas to Deschutes County, Oregon? Stupid idea. I really loved Pat Morita & John Hurt, but their performances are not enough to tempt me to watch this terrible movie again. Like an earlier reviewer, anger is my strongest emotion at this attempt to adapt a really good book. July 5, 2008

Perhaps the greatest cowgirl movie of all time!

Gus Van Sant's rendering of Tom Robbins' masterpiece is superb and sureal. Uma Thurman couldn't be more perfect in the role of Yoni Yum model turned hitchiking goddess, Sissy Hankshaw. It's a must have for any fan of cowgirls! June 20, 2008

A Wreck of a Movie

The book is one of my favorites. The movie one of the worst I have ever seen (running close behind Hook and Twin Peaks - Fire Walk with Me). Back in 1993, I eagerly awaited the movie when it first came out, I had loved the book so much. But there were apparently significant production problems which constantly delayed production. When it came out, the reviews were terrible. I am not sure if it was ever released widely. In NY it was only showing at the Angelika which shows mostly independent films. Fortunately a few drinks before hand at Soho Kitchen and Bar eased the pain. Long story short - the movie was awful.

Flash forward 14 years later - I figure, what the hell. I recently re-read the book (which holds up surprisingly well despite its hippie undercurrents). So when I saw the movie on cable, I figured I would give it a second chance. Sometimes you just don't get smarter with age and are doomed to repeat your mistakes.

Skip the flick, get the book. Better yet, don't leave the bar. February 22, 2007

...darn good fun...

...what a hoot! It's not like the book and how could anyone make a movie just like a book this wild? Every time I watch this movie I laugh until my sides hurt and Delores Del Ruby!...holy cow!... October 19, 2006

The book is much better.

First of all I read the book and then saw the movie. If you are planning on doing this then I'd say that you will be very disappointed. I loved the book and hated the movie. The book is about 420 pages long and the movie is like a clip show of the book. Highlighting the major parts of the book.
I don't know if Gus Van Sant meant to leave out some of the (what I thought) best parts of the book because he felt that people should read the book or because the producers felt that an 140 mins. was enough. They left out my favorite parts with description of the "Clockpeople" and the and the ending in the book is great, and in the movie a couple main parts of the ending where left out. If you haven't read the book then do and don't see the movie, and if you don't like to read then just watch the movie. The only thing I enjoyed was the casting. I love Tom Robbins books', and I think it's just sad what they did to this movie. June 16, 2006

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