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Urban Cowboy

A word to the cautious moviegoer: if honky-tonks and country music aren't your stock in trade, then "Urban Cowboy" will prove to be ultimately disappointing, if not completely annoying. If acting chops and solid entertainment are enough to suffice for an evening or two, then you'll fall in love with this story of one man's journey to the heart of Texas, where he meets the girl of his dreams and turns her life into a nightmare, all within the first week of their marriage. ***

John Travolta stars as Bud, a rural dweller who arrives in Houston to stay with relatives while he gets a job and gets on his feet. His aunt and uncle take him out one night to the local dive, Gilly's, which features a spacious dance floor, all the guitar-playing, tobacco-chwewing, gun-slinging cowboys you could ever ask for, and even more women eager to rope themselves a hearty catch. It's all so new and wonderfully different to Bud, who lands two girls in one night, and the next day finds himself with a good-paying job, and a new love interest in Sissy, a local gal played by Debra Winger. ***

The two fall in love instantly, get married within days of meeting, and make themselves a comfy home in their trailer just outside of the city. All seems fine and dandy, until Sissy shows signs of defiance against Bud when he refuses to let her ride the new mechanical bull at Gilly's; she goes behind his back, and in doing so becomes further acquainted with a newly-arrived cowboy played by Scott Glenn. Then their marriage just goes haywire like a bull in a china shop. ***

The story isn't too terribly original or as clean-cut as it's PG rating would have some believe. It contains the usual plot tactics of jealousy, the battle of the sexes, violence against women (this is the South we're dealing with here), male dominance over the weaker sex, and just about everything else you'd expect to find if you were going on a road trip through Texas and its neighbors. But for what it's worth, the movie didn't lose my interest, and that's due for the most part to the incredible acting abilities of the three leading cast members. Travolta finds a uniquely affecting charm that he is able to transform into something loathsome and deplorable, as his character makes the descent into the stereotypical way of an abusive, uncaring husband. Winger shows great energy as the defiant wife/girlfriend, and Glenn is delicious and malicious as the movie's skillful villain.