Rating of
2/4
Worth a few laughs
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Sonny Gilstrap" (Keifer Sutherland) and "Pepper Lewis" (Woody Harrelson) are longtime rodeo cowboys out of New Mexico. They have been friends since they rode bucking sheep at rodeos when they were children.
"Pepper" frequently gets in trouble, and "Sonny" always gets him out of trouble. But not after "Pepper" deserts "Sonny", who loses a chance at at winning some muxh needed money.
Some time later, "Sonny" comes to "Pepper's" house to ask for a loan to go search for his missing friend "Nacho" (Joaquin Martinez) in New York City. "Nacho" had gone to the "Big Apple" to meet up with his daughter, "Theresa" (Cara Buono), who was smuggled into the country by a man (Dylan McDermott), who demanded more money from him or he won't see his daughter, who had been working in a sweat shop.
"Pepper" lends "Sonny" the money, on the condition that he goes with him after being informed that "Sonny" hadn't heard from "Nacho" in some time.
Now, the two go to NYC to find their friend and his daughter while trying to fit into the big city.
There are some fairly good laughs in this film, but they are not through out the entire film. Harrelson with Sutherland as the straight man make a fairly good comedic duo, but they don't get enough laughs with what they were handed in the script. One running joke, which I think is the only running joke in the entire movie, is that "Pepper" is a bit dim-witted. Many of the jokes about "Pepper" will make you laugh, but you won't bust a gut on them. Other jokes are either chuckle worthy or fall flat.
One thing that you have to do with this movie is suspend disbelief. Even though they do come across a NYPD mounted officer (Ernie Hudson), who has visions of becoming a cowboy himself, they take the law into their own hands to save "Theresa" and the cop does little to stop them.
I also thought that the supporting characters in the movie were not really developed. We basically know what the lead villain "Stark" (McDermott) is about, but we are left hanging as to why he smuggles illegals into the country. We can only assume that he does it only for the money. We also aren't shown much of the relationship between "Nacho" and "Sonny" before "Nacho" goes to NYC to pay for his daughter's trip. We are left with dialogue to explain their relationship.
Harrelson is easily the comic here and has some funny scenes and lines, but he can't carry the laughs in this movie. Like I said earlier, many of the jokes produce some laughs or light chuckles, but many I didn't laugh at. I can't remember specific jokes, but the ones I did laugh at seemed to have been grouped together in the middle of the movie.
There are also some pretty good action scenes, and at least one car vs. horse chase in the busy streets. You can also tell that there are some stunt riders thanks to distant camera shots and the stunt doubles trying to hide their faces from the camera.
If you like Country music, then you will like the soundtrack to this film. A lot of songs are modern Country, with Travis Tritt, who does a cameo early in the movie, providing one song in the film.
Despite the fact that the laughs are few, Sutherland and Harrelson make a pretty good on screen duo and is one of the few things that make this movie watchable.
