It's funny how long this movie has been on my radar, we're talking waaay back to my pre-teen days yet I never knew a damn thing about it. Had no idea it had Dolly and Burt, had no idea it was a musical, and had no idea about the plot of a well over century old brothel in Texas that's targeted by a sensationalist television star against not only the town's wishes but the sherrif's as well who has personal ties to the owner as they fight to keep it's doors open for business. The best way I can describe it is it's a fun and fancy free movie, you may gather that from the term musical but it truly is just some entertaining fluff that has a very good sense of humor and a fair bit of heart to it. We get fourth wall breaks, dance numbers, about as much southern cussing as you can get, and less than reasonable consequences for legitimate offenses. I know everyone talks about 9 To 5 when it comes to Dolly Parton in cinema but I wanted to showcase this and I'll be dadgumed I don't know if you could get closer to the woman herself than here, her wonderful wit, her philanthropic nature, her singing, her massive heart that she wears proudly on her sleeve, I will be goddamned to Hell itself if I truly do not say this woman was perfect. I mean that wholeheartedly. And just the sheer chemistry she has with Burt in this makes it worthwhile to watch, they have genuine moments together, they have a nice relationship, you can tell they will go the distance for each other and it's wonderful. I know Burt pretty much just plays Burt in almost all his roles but that's why you watch his movies, his humor and laugh, his swagger, his outstanding ability to verbally throw down, he's endless fun to watch in this and I do miss the man a great deal too. Dom DeLuis is a solid antagonist pretty much prophesizing the evangelist nightmare that would spring up later in the decade, and the best part is I really can't tell if he does have this high morality bitchiness about him or if he's capitalizing on this story for fame and fortune but either way he's a right little shit that you love to boo and hiss at. I gotta also shoutout Theresa Merritt as the housekeeper Jewel, I just really loved her in this and I know for a fact that woman would kick my ass if I didn't bring my manners. This turned out to be Colin Higgin's last directorial effort and at first glance it doesn't seem all that special but then you get these wide shots with that big ol' Texas sky and these unreal shots of the sun rising or setting, it has a good look to it throughout. I heard some people bashed the movie for changing it up from the stage play and altering some of the history but I certainly didn't hold much of a grudge for any of it. Hell the fact this might be the most pro-sex worker movie I've ever seen gets nothing but my respect, and just for the record my favorite song from the film is Hard Candy Christmas which is a real bittersweet song for the girl's near the end of the movie. And it's surprisingly quotable, I swear half of the quotes I saw attributed to Dolly when the news came on Twitter were from this movie, the ballerina line, if you see someone unhappy give them your smile, it really is an admirably written script. I really didn't know what to expect but it all makes total sense now why my Nan had this in her VHS collection once upon another time. It's a charming funny little movie that I never hear anybody talk about but I can say it is worth seeing at least just once. I had a cracking good time, got swept up in the story, laughed to beat the band, quite enjoyed the romance aspect to it, and I got to see two wonderful stars orbit each other for just a moment. 3 stars, 7.5/10, and we stick to the 80s for a movie you may be surprised I haven't actually reviewed yet.
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