RupertPupkin98 Great performances from Helen Shaver and newcomer Patricia Charbonneau. The movie is ahead of its time. What ever happened to Charbonneau? Fantastic actress!

Michael Neumann While awaiting her divorce on a dude ranch outside Reno, a stiff and humorless New York City professor learns to appreciate life from the usual assortment of Silver State oddballs, finally letting her hair down for a young, uninhibited employee of one of the local casinos. It might have been just another routine romantic comedy but for the fact that the two lovers are both women, and the novelty value alone is enough to lift the film out of the ordinary. There's enough charm and offhand humor to match any mainstream, hetero romance, but make no mistake: this movie doesn't regard its lesbianism lightly, and there's an explicit bedroom interlude to prove it. The scene stops the film dead in its tracks, but director Donna Deitch (making her feature debut) has to be commended for approaching the subject with such candor and optimism (some of it a bit forced, to be sure), leaning only slightly on the awkward self-awareness usually found in a Hollywood coming-out story.

impydykiechick I've always heard about this movie, but never got around to seeing it until just a couple weeks ago. While watching it the first time, I wasn't impressed. I thought the cinematography was odd & some parts were hard to follow. I loved the music, but wished it didn't drown out what seemed to be important dialogue. Although I didn't really like it that much the first time, certain scenes & lines from the movie stuck with me. I watched again a few days later & LOVED IT. Since I knew the gist of what was going on I was able to follow along a lot better. Now, I don't think I could ever tire of watching it.I knew of this movie's reputation as a "classic" but I didn't realize it was released in 1986 until after I had watched it that first time. That fact floored me. I would've loved to been old enough back then to see it for the first time on screen. I'm sure it was extremely groundbreaking.Some may say the build up of the romance between Cay & Vivian was slow, but I thought it really worked. The attraction between the two was immediate. Cay obviously had a crush, & Vivian was intrigued. This was apparent when Vivian jumped at the chance to deliver Cay's mail. The whole love story was built around lingering glances, shy smiles, & building sexual tension.Patricia Charbonneau & Helen Shaver deliver wonderful & believable performances. The chemistry between the two is undeniable. I'm honestly surprised that those two did not have more prosperous acting careers, especially Ms Charbonneau. Her sultry & smokey performance of Cay was spot on. Had I seen this movie when I was younger I would've been lusting hardcore over her character.I would've given this 10 stars if the music hadn't drowned out dialogue & some lines would've been more articulate. Helen has an amazing & unique voice, but sometimes she would drop her sentences. Also, Andra Akers seemed to talk fast & drop her sentences, as well (in the bathtub w/ Cay, for example). A perfect example of the music drowning out the dialogue is when Cay & Vivian are naked together in the windowsill after the after-dinner fight. Cay says "You'll never need me as much as I need you" & we can't hear Vivian's response. This may be intentional by the director, but it drives me crazy, nonetheless.All in all, this movie definitely needs to be in every lesbian's video library. Even though it's a movie from 1986 set in the 1950s the story is absolutely timeless.

moonspinner55 Solid lesbian-themed film from Jane Rule's book "Desert of the Heart" has an unusual ambiance and compelling desert locales. Set in Reno in the 1950s, Audra Lindley plays a salt-of-the-earth type who runs a ranch for women preparing their divorces. Prim and proper boarder Helen Shaver quickly becomes curious over sexy, smoky hellion Patricia Charbonneau, who enters the film driving in reverse down the wrong side of the road. A balky pace and several odd directorial touches detract, but the modestly-produced picture is frequently intriguing and absorbing. The love scenes are tasteful, while Charbonneau steals much of the acting thunder with a terrific performance. Not a landmark in gay cinema, but a step in the right direction. **1/2 from ****